Lemon Pistachio Cookies

What does sunshine taste like? If you’ve ever pondered this little mystery, the answer might just be found in these zesty, delectable Lemon Pistachio Cookies.

No one really knows what sunshine tastes like, but reportedly, it is bright, citrusy, and uplifting with subtle sweetness. Not unlike these cookies. Infused with the buttery nuttiness of pistachios, a bite of these treats might transport you to the lemony groves of Sicily, where pistachios and lemons grow along the sunny coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

They taste incredible on the merit of taste alone and are delightfully simple to make. If you need more reasons to try them, they’re also vegan and gluten-free. Most importantly, they are foolproof and battle tested. I say this with confidence as someone whose baking success rate is on par with finding matching socks from the dryer. With no flour, baking powder, or soda—just ground nuts primarily—this recipe is naturally forgiving, easy to handle, and fun to make.

Italian cookie aficionados will find this recipe bears a resemblance to Amaretti, traditional Italian almond cookies known for their deliciously chewy and crunchy texture. Since we’re using some different ingredients in this recipe, I’ll refrain from the term, but if you are a fan of Italian cookies, you will very much enjoy these.

You'll Need:

• Raw pistachios (shelled and unsalted): About 1.5 cups. These green gems are divine and form the bulk of the cookie's taste. It may be worthwhile to inspect the pistachios a little bit. Fresh pistachios have a vibrant green color, a mild nutty aroma, and a crisp texture, while stale ones may appear duller or faded, have a bitter or rancid taste, and a softer or chewier texture than usual.

• Almond flour or almond meal: ½ cup. Ground almonds are a pleasant addition and easy to work with. But if you are baller, or want an all-pistachio experience, you can skip the almond and go 100% with pistachios.

• Lemon zest: Zest of 1 whole lemon. Obtain as much zest as possible. Save the remaining lemon for another recipe, for use in a hummus recipe, lemonade, or to squeeze into hot water. 

• Maple syrup: 1 ½ teaspoons. This aids in binding the batter while imparting a light touch of maple to the cookies. If you're not vegan, you can also use honey as an alternative.

• Granulated sugar: 1/3 cup. Any light-tasting granulated sugar will suffice. 

• Aquafaba: 3 tablespoons. Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of chickpeas. While its use may sound strange, it is remarkably versatile. In this recipe, it replaces egg whites and serves as a binding agent. You only need a small amount, and it's easy to store for future use (up to a week). One can of chickpeas provides enough aquafaba for multiple batches. For the chickpeas themselves, consider making a batch of hummus, especially if you have tahini on hand, which allows us to use the juice of the lemon we just zested. :)

• Powdered sugar: About ¼ cup, perhaps less. This is for rolling the balls and pressing them onto the baking sheet, arguably the best part of making these cookies, other than eating them.

Ingredients: 

• 1 ½ cups Raw pistachios, shelled and unsalted
• ½ Almond flour or almond meal
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• Zest of 1 whole lemon
• 5 tsp of maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons of aquafaba
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a food processor, pulse the pistachios with half the sugar until you achieve a pretty coarse meal. Add almond meal and give it a few more pulses. You don’t need the mixture to be too fine (but if you do, that’s fine too!) – seeing some nice green bits of pistachios gives it a nice appearance and helps give the batter some “grip”.

Transfer the mixture into a large bowl. Add the rest of the sugar, maple syrup, lemon zest and aquafaba, and mix.

Form the batter into 1-inch golf balls and roll them in powdered sugar to coat. You should have around 12-15 cookies. To remove excess sugar, gently trap each ball between your fingers and lightly tap until the excess sugar shakes off.

Set the balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with 1-2 inches of space in between. Slightly flatten the cookies using the bottom of a measuring cup (lightly dusted to avoid sticking).

Bake for about 15 minutes until fragrant, crackled and golden brown. Do not overbake. They will be soft when they come straight out of the oven, but harden considerably as they cool.

Enjoy! If they last the evening, store them in an air tight container for up to a week. Let me know if you liked them in comments below.

Buon appetito!