Sugar Cookies with Pistachios

One cookie recipe, more flavours than you can shake a stick at and Christmas gifts for friends and family too.

Win, win and win!

 Home-made gifts are very on trend right now, with budgets being tight and food prices heading up rather than down, giving edible gifts is the thing to be doing this Christmas.

 When my two kids were very small (in their thirties now – boy do I feel old!) we used to spend hours around the kitchen table with glitter and glue making gifts out of toilet roll innards and last years Christmas cards.

 Things have moved on from that a bit, a little more sophistication maybe, or just a little less glitter, which ever it is, gifts that come from the heart are still top of my giving, and receiving list.

 If you’re into doing it yourself, sharing the love and saving a bit of money, this multi-flavour cookie recipe that can easily be turned into a gift, is going to be top of your list.

 Time to hunt out last year’s Christmas cards, find that abandoned ribbon and start saving those jam jars, you’ll need them to make the cookie jar gifts look as if you’ve bought them from a posh shop.

 Once you’ve assembled the cookie mix in the jar, (Find out how at the end of the recipe) cut out a tag shape from an old Christmas card, punch a hole for the ribbon, copy out the instructions, add a message and don’t forget to write who it’s from.

 All that’s left is to add the ribbon and then watch the smiles as you hand them over.

 These sugar cookies are delicious just as they are, soft with a hint of vanilla, but  if you need a few ideas for other flavour combinations, check out the inspiration list at the end.

 For these pictures I added chopped pistachios, coloured sprinkles and for the third I went for the always popular chocolate chip cookies.

 Which will you choose?

 Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life! 

Cookies made with pistachios

What You Need

Original Vanilla Sugar Cookies Recipe

• 200g Plain Flour - plus extra for rolling out

• 120g Butter – Room Temperature

•    50g Castor Sugar

•   1 Large Egg

•   1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

•    ½ Tsp Baking Powder

•    Icing Sugar to Dust – Optional

The dough mixed with the pistachios

How It’s Done

•     Cover baking trays with non-stick baking parchment 

•    Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until it’s light and fluffy.

• Add the egg and vanilla to the bowl and give it another beat

• Place the flour and baking powder into the mixing bowl and mix it in, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

•    If adding a flavour - add it now and give it another mix

(I added chopped pistachio for this one)

• Scrape down the bowl

• Scoop out walnut sized pieces of the dough and roll them into balls – See Tip Box

•   Place the dough balls onto the baking parchment and gently push them down – See Tip Box  

• Place all the trays into the fridge for 30 minutes – See Tip Box

• Heat the oven up to 180c

•   After 30 minutes in the fridge, place the trays of cookies into the hot oven and bake for 8-10 minutes – See Tip Box

• Once they are out of the oven, leave the cookies on the tray to cool completely.

•    When cold, dust the cookies with icing sugar

Press the cookies down a little before baking.

Tip Box

•     Baking – 1) All ovens vary so adjust the baking time accordingly.

• 2) When the cookies are baked and ready to come out of the oven, they should be very pale with only little bits of golden brown.

3) All ovens vary so adjust the cooking time accordingly

•   Zest – Adding the grated zest of lemons or oranges instead of using the juice, let’s the oils of the zest infuse into the dough without making the dough soggy.

•   Fridge – Putting the uncooked cookie dough in the fridge lets the butter in the dough cool down and harden a little helping the cookies to hold their shape in the oven.

•    Shaping the cookies – The cookie dough should be about the size of a large walnut. I used a measuring spoon to help me get them close to the same size as possible.

•   Pushing them down – Making the dough a little flatter helps them to cook more evenly, so give them a gentle push.

  Flavour Inspiration

• If choosing to add a flavour for the gift jars, check that the person you’re giving them too isn’t allergic.

•   Lemon Zest - See Tip Box

•   Orange Zest - See Tip Box

•     Sprinkles

•   Chopped pistachio

•   Chopped Walnuts

•    Chopped Hazelnuts

•   Chopped Peanuts

•     Chopped Mars Bar

•    Chopped Malteser

•   Chopped Hard Candies (e.g., Werther’s originals)

•    Chocolate Chips

•     Raisins

•    Dried Apricots 

 Copy Out for Jar Label

The perfect gift to give

Label instructions for the Gift Jar

Sprinkle Flavour Sugar Cookie Mix in a Jar 

 Makes approx.: 12 cookies

You Will Need

•  120g Butter – Room Temperature

• 1 Tsp vanilla extract

• 1 Large egg

 How It’s Done 

• Cover baking trays with non-stick baking parchment

• Beat butter, vanilla and egg together.

• Add cookie mix: mix well, breaking up any lumps.

• Preheat oven to 180c and cover oven trays with non-stick baking parchment

• Place walnut sized pieces onto the baking paper and flatten a little.

• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

• Bake approx.; 10 minutes.

• Leave on trays to cool completely.

• Dust with icing sugar to serve - Optional

 Enjoy X

Light and buttery