christmas cookie redux: pistachio russian tea cakes

The third in my trio of revamped Christmas cookies. The conclusion of this epic trinity, it’s like The Matrix Revolutions, except I’ve never seen that movie, and it most likely… isn’t.

However, these cookies are worth anything a $300 million science fiction action franchise that garnered $1,623,968,843 at the box office could buy you. These Pistachio Russian Tea Cakes are divine.

I’m a big fan of Russian Tea Cakes, or Mexican Wedding Cookies; in fact, they may be my favorite Christmas cookie. The lightly roasted walnuts or pecans, the powdered sugar that always makes me choke because I practically eat it steaming hot and fresh off the rack, and the heavy-meets-light dessert of a shortbread cookie coated in airy sugar. Like I said, I’m a big fan.

So when I had the inspired thought to add in some pistachios in place of other, less festive nuts, I could only hope that these cookies would turn out as deliciously as if I had stuck to the classic ingredients. They did.

  

It’s a simple cookie to make; the toughest part is properly timing the initial immersion into powdered sugar, and heck, that’s easy. It’s so easy, I figure I should pair these simple cookies with some simple photography. And what’s simpler than a Polaroid OneStep? No, not that cute one with the stripe. The plain black one. The one with curved corners. The one that takes 600 film, and was dubbed a ‘cheap’ Polaroid, despite all Polaroid camera film being insanely expensive? Yah, that one.

At a job I had a few years ago, we found a box of these cameras, as well as packs and packs of film. Being the voracious hound that I am, I wasted much of the film in the first day, taking ‘arty’ shots of door hinges, shadowy walls, and my coworkers’ gap-toothed grins. Being a voracious hound, I was also a voracious fool.

Because one day, Polaroid stopped making film. Prices for remaining film went up up UP like a super secret rocket being test driven by the military. And I began to value my remaining film more. And more. I went from hound to hoarder in several months flat. And yet… I’m on my last pack of film now. Sure, The Impossible Project has made film buying a possibility again, but it isn’t really the same thing. And so, here are three shots for you that are representative of the End of an Era.

I especially like that spidery thrill that pops out of images in the top right corner of the first two images. I’m telling you, the End of an Era.

And now for that easy-peasy cookie recipe…

Pistachio Russian Tea Cakes {original recipe}

++Ingredients:++

1 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. pistachios
Two pinches salt

++Directions:++

If your pistachios are pre-salted (mine were), wash them off and dry them. Finely to roughly chop them – I used a handy dandy nut grinder.

Mix the butter, sugar, and vanilla until incorporated in a large bowl. Add in the pistachios, flour and salt (perhaps a bit more if your pistachios were not pre-salted).

Shape the dough into balls roughly 1 inch across, placed 1″ apart on a cookie sheet or baking stone. Bake in a 400 F oven for 10 to 14 minutes – don’t let them brown. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes. Roll them in powdered sugar, being careful as they will still be quite hot. After letting them cool entirely, coat them in sugar again.

Devour. These are so delicious, and I think they make Christmas come faster, they’re that festive and good. Bring on the holidays!

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By the way, I made a fun gingerbread house the other day as a masters degree victory celebration. I entered it over at Movita’s Ginger 2011 Ultimate Smackdown, take a look.  You’ll notice that I came in last place in my heat (by a long shot) because I obviously don’t have as many friends as the other contestants, and I also don’t have a vote-grubbing Facebook account. Damn, sucka. At least I voted for myself like eight times, take that! Wait, that just makes it more sad, doesn’t it.

I never thought I would make a real gingerbread house that didn’t cave in on itself immediately, thereby extinguishing its residents and my goodwill all at the same time. This one hasn’t fallen down yet, squeee! Happy holidays!