These chocolate dipped cardamom shortbread cookies are topped with salted pistachios. They are pretty, tasty, and would make an excellent Christmas gift!
It’s December, and I am finally ready to start some holiday baking!
In past years I have been happy to make some pretty delicious…and complicated…stuff. I used to have a seemingly endless supply of time to putter in the kitchen. Not this year. I have waaay too much on my plate to mess around with roasting chestnuts or making cookies with too many components.
Instead, I’ve decided to share with you some holiday baking projects that are a} easy, b} fast, and c} still just as delicious as something you’ve slaved over!
I am starting off with these cardamom and chocolate shortbread cookies. These are actually the most complicated of all the baking projects I have planned, but they are still super easy.
Reasons you’ll ♡ these cardamom shortbread cookies
- they are pretty and would make a great holiday gift
- you can sprinkle with pistachios, dried cranberries, or your favorite topping
- they are easy to prepare
What makes these cardamom and chocolate shortbread cookies so easy? The fact that there are only 5 ingredients in the shortbread cookies…the fact that you only need one bowl…the part where you don’t have to chill your dough…and the part where you don’t even have to roll your dough out!
I baked these cookies/bars up in a 9×9 inch pan, let them cool overnight, then dipped them in melted chocolate and sprinkled with salted pistachios. They were actually even better when dipped in white chocolate, however, as I should know by now, the exact moment where your chocolate is perfect for dipping is the exact moment when your child has a meltdown. Those are the rules.
So only the milk chocolate actually made it into the pictures.
These little bars are so delicious, you have a hint of cardamom, and a hint of vanilla, and the buttery goodness you expect from shortbread cookies.
The chocolate brings more sweetness to the bars {which aren’t very sweet on their own}, and the salted pistachios bring so much flavor to the mix! You get the salty/sweet combo, a bit of crunch, and the nutty pistachio flavor, which pairs perfectly with the cardamom.
I also love the bright pops of green, which make these bars so pretty.
I think these cardamom and chocolate shortbread cookies would make a pretty fantastic gift. Or you can save them all for yourself 😉 I won’t tell anyone!
Tips & equipment for chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies
- you’ll need a 9 inch baking pan to make this recipe
- dip in white or dark chocolate; sprinkle with pistachios, crushed candy canes, sprinkles, dried cranberries, or your favorite festive topping
- looking for more easy holiday treats? Check out this 15-minute Mexican Chocolate Bark with Sea Salt & Pepitas, these No Bake Almond Joy Cookies, or these Cranberry Sauce Cheesecakes
Cardamom and Chocolate Shortbread Cookies with Salted Pistachios
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 2 cups all purpose flour (250g; fluff, spoon & level your flour)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (milk or white chocolate preferred however semi-sweet will also work)
- 1/2 tsp shortening
- 1/3 cup salted pistachios (shelled and coarsely chopped)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9X9 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cream together butter and sugar using an electric mixer on medium-high for a full minute, until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and ground cardamom and mix. Add the flour and mix on medium-high until completely combined, another full minute.
- Press dough into the prepared pan, bake until lightly golden, 25-30 minutes.
- Immediately cut into bars; mine were 1 x 3 inches. Allow to cool completely.
- Once bars are cooled, melt the chocolate with the shortening in a double boiler, stirring frequently. Dip the bars into the chocolate and shake to remove excess.
- Place cookies on a wire rack and sprinkle with salted pistachios. Allow to set around one hour.
Notes
Nutrition
Shortbread adapted from AllRecipes
FoodGeekGraze
love love love 🙂
Denise
Thanks, FoodGeekGraze!
Denise
Thanks, Jessica! I really hope my friends don’t mind this year: all edible gifts. Ha ha!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel
Denise, these are SOOOO pretty! I love them! I made homemade shortbread one time and it was seriously the best thing ever. I always think shortbread can’t hold a candle to gooey-er cookies, but I’m always proven SO wrong when I have a bite!!
Denise
Aw, thanks, Jess! There is a place for those gooey cookies, and a place for shortbread cookies, I think! We always have shortbread cookies around the holidays 🙂
Danielle
These cookies look so delicious! The flavors are so creative and perfect too, I love sweet and salty desserts. Pinning these!
Denise
Me TOO. Love salty sweet and I seem to try to cram them into everything I make these days! Thanks, Danielle!
Erin | The Law Student's Wife
I am dying to dip these into my hot chocolate. Can’t wait to see what other projects you have in store!
Denise
Thanks, Erin! Dipping into hot chocolate is a great idea! Double dose of chocolate 🙂
Kelsey @ Snacking Squirrel
AMAAZINGGG! not sure what else to say. they look so great im impressed
Denise
Thank-you, Kelsey 🙂
geraldine | Green Valley Kitchen
Wow – these look so great. I love a simple short bread cookie and anything with chocolate and nuts is a favorite for me. Really pretty photos, Denise! Can’t wait to try.
Denise
Thanks, Geraldine! I am nuts for nuts on everything this time of year (ha ha), especially for pistachios…they are so pretty and green and festive 🙂
Sarah@WholeandHeavenlyOven
I’m seriously SO excited for cookie season! These little cookie fingers are beyond cute, Denise! I just love how perfectly they’re dipped in chocolate. Gorgeous gorgeous photos too, girly! Pinned.
Denise
Yeah! Cookie season is upon us!! As we speak, Ben is on a grocery store mission to LOAD my pantry for this week-end. I can hardly wait!! Thanks, Sarah!
katie
These cookies looks so good! I’m down for anything dipped in chocolate! I can’t wait to start making some holiday cookies. Love the chocolate and pistachios 🙂
Denise
I second your thoughts on chocolate-dipped anything! Especially if there are also pistachios 🙂 Thanks, Katie!
marcie
Denise, these cookies are gorgeous! I love how thick they are, and that chocolate with those pretty pistachios make them even more inviting. Delicious! 🙂
Denise
Thanks, Marcie! I wanted them to be ‘sturdy’ so they would be dip-able. Plus…more cookie 🙂
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
Yay for holiday baking! These shortbread fingers look so pretty! I love that you dipped them in chocolate and the cardamon sounds wonderful in here!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely
Hurray for holiday baking! I love these little shortbread fingers. Perfect for dunking into my coffee. Can’t wait to make these!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes)
These are so so so beautiful! Pinned!
Denise
Thanks so much, Jocelyn!
April @ Girl Gone Gourmet
Three cheers for one-bowl cookies! I would probably just keep these all to myself 🙂
Denise
Err….I may have kept all of the chocolate-dipped/pistachio sprinkled ones to myself….although I did share some non-dipped ones 😉 May have to re-make and share closer to Christmas…thanks, April!!
Baby June
Those look delicious! Love the addition of cardamom, that is a wonderful winter flavor 🙂
Denise
Thanks, June!