Inspired by Middle Eastern flavors, these lemon cardamom sugar cookies are made with a cookie press (also known as spritz cookies) and sprinkled with sugared pistachios.
Happy September, friends!
I say that with half-cheer. It's no secret that summer is my favorite season and I'm not ready to let it go. We have a few more weeks until it's officially fall! I'm hoping I can squeeze in a couple more beach days.
I need my beach days!
Anyway. Moving on.
Around this time last year, I partnered up with OXO for the Bake a Difference with OXO for Cookies for Kids' Cancer campaign and made these super delicious pumpkin whoopie pies with dulce de leche filling. This year, I'm participating again, and I made lemon cardamom sugar cookies!
To give a little background, Cookies for Kids' Cancer was founded by two OXO employees who were inspired by their son Liam's battle with pediatric cancer, a disease that claims the lives of more children in the United States than any other disease. Cookies for Kids' Cancer provides inspiration and support to allow anyone to easily get involved in fundraising to find a cure for pediatric cancer.
If you'd like to learn more information on Cookes for Kids' Cancer or make a donation, you can check out the site here.
A little over a week ago, the weather in Boston became slightly cooler and it got me to think about an awesome cookie recipe that would be fitting for the transition from summer to fall. I had just restocked the pantry with cardamom pods and knew I needed to include them. So I started to think about flavors that pair well with cardamom, like vanilla, lemon, and orange.
I opted for lemon zest for this recipe, in case you couldn't tell already. 😀
Orange zest would also be an excellent choice and I plan to use it the next time I make these to mix it up.
Because of course I'm making these again.
The great and fun thing about a cookie press is it gets you to make a ridiculous amount of cookies in little time and let me tell you, I'm really into time management these days.
It allows you to make consistently shaped cookies with a quick and simple pump of the lever and you can have a varied selection of shapes by swapping out a disk.
I had a pretty cute selection going on including sunflowers and hearts - I also included a couple of shapes from the autumn disk set, like owls, leaves, and pumpkins.
The thing with cookie press recipes is the dough has to be just the right consistency. It can't be too firm and it can't be too soft.
They also bake relatively quickly because they're small and light. I baked them at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. They're ready when the edges are a light golden brown.
I pressed them onto the Non-Stick Pro Cookie Sheet (ungreased) and they were a perfect bake. The cookie sheet features a unique micro-textured pattern that adds structural rigidity and ensures even baking. It also has an oversized edge, making it easy to grip and carry to and from the oven.
And when they were done baking, I let them cool for a few minutes before using the cookie spatula to transfer them to a plate.
And then I ate more cookies than I should admit. I'm totally okay with it.
Fun fact: I started experimenting with using a scale to measure ingredients for baking a while back, and I've included those conversions in the recipe below.
Just one more shot of those delicious cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cane sugar
- ¼ cup crushed pistachios
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 11 ⅛ ounces/318 grams
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened (8oz/226 grams)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 5 ½ ounces/160 grams
- zest from 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix the crushed pistachios with cane sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and cardamom in a small bowl. Set aside.*
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla, continue beating until just combined.
- Gradually add in the flour until well incorporated.
- Fill the cookie press and press cookies onto ungreased baking sheet about one inch apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the sides are a light golden brown.
Notes
Recipe inspired by Cardamom & Lemon Stamped Cookies on BBC Food.
Disclosure: OXO provided me with free products to use in this blog post. All opinions are strictly my own.
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