Pistachio Cookies

If you're looking for a cute little cookie to become part of your holiday baking repertoire, this recipe is sure to tickle your fancy. What could be more festive than green-tinted cookies at Christmastime? These cookies are very simple and don't require too many specialized ingredients, other than pistachios, and maybe pure almond extract. These little cookies are so good that you may just find yourself making them all year round instead of just at Christmas...

Pistachio Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar, divided

¼ cup canola oil

¼ cup water

1 egg

½ tsp. pure almond extract (NO IMITATION!)

2 (3.4 oz.) packages instant pistachio pudding

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2¼ cups flour

2/3 cup chopped pistachios

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with ½ cup of the sugar.

Add the oil, water, egg and almond extract; mix well. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are well-incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine pudding mix, salt, baking powder and flour. Gradually blend the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing just until all the flour disappears. Stir in the pistachios.

Shape level tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls; roll them in the remaining ½ cup sugar. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. If you do not have parchment paper, do NOT roll the cookies in sugar; the sugar will burn onto your baking sheet and burn the bottom of your cookies. If not using the sugar, do grease your baking sheets well.

Bake for 15 - 18 minutes. Remove the cookies to a rack and let them cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen