Favorite Spring Cookie Recipe: Cherry Pistachio Cremes

Technically these cookies can be made any time of year and with the right sales pitch, you can convince anyone they are perfect for any occasion! With that said, I first made these last October for my niece's wedding reception dessert table.  They were a hit! Her sister is getting married this June, and also having a dessert table, and I plan to make these again. (If anyone from my family reads this, act surprised...and don't tell Ali!)

So given my October wedding choice and my planned June wedding choice for these cookies, I am here to tell you they are the Perfect Spring Cookie! Seriously, they are deliciously light (think shortbread), and beautifully pastel in color (think pink and green). So if you're looking for the perfect cookie for your Easter table, here it is!

Cherry Pistachio Cremes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts
• Granulated sugar
• 1-1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice
• Maraschino cherries with stems (optional)

Directions:

1.  In a large bowl, combine the 3/4 cup butter and the 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until well mixed, scraping side of bowl occasionally.
2. Add egg; beat until combined. Gradually beat in flour and salt on low speed until well mixed. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pistachio nuts in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1/2-inch balls. Roll each ball in pistachio nuts to coat. Place balls 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass in granulated sugar and flatten each cookie.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes or just until edges begin to turn golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool.
5. In a small bowl, combine the 1-1/4 cups powdered sugar, the 1/4 cup butter, and the vanilla. Beat in enough of the maraschino cherry juice to make a filling of desired consistency. Reserve about 1/4 of the filling for decorating cookies.
6. Spread about 1 teaspoon of the remaining filling on the bottom of each of half of the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down, pressing lightly together. Before serving, spoon a small amount of the reserved filling on top of each assembled sandwich cookie. If desired, press a maraschino cherry into filling. Makes about 21 sandwich cookies.

This is taken exactly from Bhg.com, and I made no changes to the recipe. However, for my purpose of transporting these to a wedding reception hall for a dessert table, I chose not to add the cream and cherry topping, but just to have plain sandwich cookies, and they were perfect. As you add the maraschino cherry juice into the filling, consider the color you are going for as well. Less juice will make a nice pastel pink. More juice will deepen the color but make sure your consistency doesn't get too thin. Enjoy!

Photo taken from BHG.com

Have a happy day!