Stealing Moments | White Chocolate Dipped Apricot-Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
I know I’m not the only one who has been having a whirlwind of a May. So, if you’re dropping by to visit, hello. Steal a moment for yourself. Take a calming breath in. And out. Notice the flowers? Aren’t they lovely? While you’re here,…
I know I’m not the only one who has been having a whirlwind of a May. So, if you’re dropping by to visit, hello.
Steal a moment for yourself. Take a calming breath in. And out. Notice the flowers?
Aren’t they lovely?
While you’re here, have a cookie.
You like shortbread, don’t you?
How about shortbread with wee bites of apricot, dipped in white chocolate and dotted with crumbled pistachio?
I thought you just might.
Don’t these darling bites look like those viridescent blossoms in cookie form?
April showers may bring May flowers, but for me, it also brought a flood of activity. Nearly every moment, every second, has been accounted for. There are school plays (one for each child), field trips to chaperone, open houses, fund raisers, t-ball games, family visits, dinner with friends, weekend lunches, and all the normal everyday stuff besides. I have had to remind myself to steal moments for myself — by myself, with my children, with my husband — the ones who really matter…to keep our sanity. It may be five minutes to play a game, read a story, or work on an art project, but those little moments in all the craziness help.
When it comes to baking, I found myself stealing moments to make these White Chocolate Dipped Apricot-Pistachio Shortbread Cookies. The nice thing is, it can be made in those snippets of time you manage to carve out. You can do it piecemeal as you find the time in the kitchen. Minutes to make the dough to chill. Minutes to roll and cut the cookies. Minutes to pull them out of the oven. Minutes to dip in chocolate. Minutes to enjoy.
Hang in there. There’s a long weekend just around the corner.
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White Chocolate Dipped Apricot-Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Adapted from Shortbread Cookies by Ina Garten and Scotch Shortbread in Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker, 1975 Ed.
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- a pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup minced fresh or dried apricots
- 5-6 oz of best quality white chocolate
- 1/2 cup crushed pistachios
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and the sugars, and cream until smooth. Add flour and salt, mix on low speed until just combined. Add apricots and mix until just incorporated. Lightly roll the dough into a ball on a floured surface and form a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes (or until ready to roll).
Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and use a 1 to 1 1/2 inch round cookie cutter to cut the cookies. Place on a Silpat or parchment paper covered baking sheet. Return to the refrigerator to chill for at least 15 minutes or until ready to bake.
Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies are just golden. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Carve your white chocolate into small chunks or shavings and microwave in a microwave safe bowl in small increments (start with 20 seconds), stirring well to melt. Dip the tops of the cookies into the white chocolate, then into the crushed pistachios. Allow to fully cool. Store the cookies in an airtight container.
Find a moment of peace, and enjoy!
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Comments
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Yum! I can’t imagine how wonderful all those flavors taste together. Great photos too! Makes me want to reach into my computer screen and grap a few :)
The cookies look wonderful.
What beautiful cookies! I love that you added fresh apricots & pistachios! Such a nice reminder to slow down and steal moments ;)
Hi Liren-Such a lovely post. A great reminder to breath in and bake more cookies w/my kids:)Your photos of the flowers are gorgeous and these cookies are incredible! Love the flavor combination. :)
hey i followed the recipe exactly but I didn’t get the dough-like texture! mine was more like a batter! can anyone help me out here please? (:
Hello, I’m disappointed to hear that you had problems with the cookies. I’ve just reviewed the recipe, and the proportions look correct, I’m not quite sure why your dough was on the thin side. Did you use the two cups of all purpose flour? Sometimes there are clear differences in flour, even with different brands. Another possibility is that perhaps the apricots you used, especially if fresh, might have generated more liquid than expected. If that was the case, I would try adding either less apricots or more flour. Hope this helps!
Why, thank you! I’d love to sit a spell and savor one of those lovely cookies :) Just looking at your stunning photos of the flowers is therapeutic.
Don’t mind if I DO have a cookie. These look amazing! Great idea.
I adore shortbread… and the combination of these ingredients sounds divine! I don’t think I’d be able to keep myself from eating the whole platter
The flowers were a lovely touch to the post. They helped with the calm feeling. The apricot pistachio combo sounds fantastic!
Your photos are so pretty. As for the cookies…well, I’m certain they would be addictive.
Can I have a few dozen? PLEASE! Wow… gorgeous and definitely delicious.
Oh I do indeed love shortbread, and thank you for the gorgeous flowers :)
Liren, this post was so relaxing. Just what I needed after a long long week. And yes, please, I would love one (a few) of these shortbread cookies :)
Wonderful photographs! You have a very delicate touch with your images.
cookies equal calm. GREG
I must have a bite of these, they look amazing and sound fabulous. Fantastic the cookies made it onto the yumivore.com blog launch picnic party!
What wonderful pictures! Your cookies look so cute and yummy! Glad that I found your blog, it looks wonderful!
Liren – great reminders! Not sure if you caught the last three shows for Oprah, but your message resignates well with that show. These cookies are just beautiful and I can tell each one was made with care. The photos are stunning!
Liren, for me, apricots are your trademark fruit. I can’t help but think of your blog each time I see them. :-) So many excellent flavors wrapped up in these beautiful cookies. Thanks also for the reminder that I need to steal a moment and relax. May has been a busy month indeed. Beautiful shots. :-)
Your such a show off…LOL…my goodness they are absolutely…what is the word…delicious/pretty comes to mind. As I always say, you are so talented.
Have a wonderful weekend.
I would try definitely try and steal some time for myself, hide out in a corner with a plate of these and some milk and nibble in joy.
I just recently learned how much I love pistachios and now I can’t get enough of them. Your shortbread gives me a great excuse to make them into a dessert. Hope you have a lovely long weekend.
Ohhhh…these looks so addictive! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Bookmarked it for later use. Hope you’re having a lovely day.
Blessings, Kristy
Why thank you! How did you know I loved shortbread so much? ;-)
Yum. The cookies look so delicious.
the cookies look perfect in that jar ! the yellow flowers made my day :)