(Haj Pesteh)
Peeling the pistachios really enhances the green color of these cookies—pistachio skins can be dark purple and may muddy the resulting color.
Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr
• Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 days.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 40 (1 1/2-inch) cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 300°F.
Step 2
Blanch pistachios in boiling water 1 minute, then drain and peel (slip off skins with your fingers). Dry with paper towels. Spread in a shallow baking pan and bake in middle of oven until just dry, about 10 minutes, then cool completely.
Step 3
Pulse nuts and confectioners sugar in a food processor until finely ground (be careful not to overprocess into a paste).
Step 4
Stir together whole egg and yolks in a large bowl with a fork and stir in ground pistachios, a little at a time, until a dough forms (it will be slightly sticky). Add butter and rose water and knead to combine. Form dough into 2 disks.
Step 5
Keeping 1 disk covered with plastic wrap, roll out other disk about 3/4 inch thick on a well-floured surface and cut out various shapes with floured cookie cutters.
Step 6
Bake on an ungreased large baking sheet in middle of oven until crisp and bottoms are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer cookies with a metal spatula to a rack to cool and dust with confectioners sugar while still warm. Make more cookies with remaining dough, rerolling scraps.
