One of my favorite ice cream shops in the Triangle is Andia’s Ice Cream. Until recently, it was at least a 25 minute drive from my place. But this month they finally opened a location on the East side of Cary, so it’s now only 9 minutes from me! This is highly dangerous but I’m so happy about it.
Andia’s asked me to create a recipe with one of their flavors to promote the new location and I knew right off the bat I wanted to use their Baklava ice cream. It’s a staple flavor on their menu and for good reason because it’s delicious! I knew I needed a cookie that was not too sweet or soft so that it wouldn’t overtake the flavor or crumble when assembling into an ice cream sandwich.
I love chocolate and pistachio together and this flavor combo just works. The cookie is firm and buttery with great flavor but not too sweet, and the ice cream is just sweet enough with hints of nutmeg and flakes of Baklava. Total deliciousness all around!
Even if you’re not close enough to Raleigh to warrant picking up a pint of this ice cream, you can still make these cookies at home and eat them on their own or create a combo of your own with your favorite ice cream! Ice cream sandwiches are fun to do with kids since cookies can be simple in nature and they can help you build the sandwiches.
The first step for these cookies is prepping the pistachios and chocolate chunks. I used a large chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s and cut it into small pieces but you could also use chocolate chips or any other chocolate you have on hand. You’ll just need 1/2 cup when it’s all said and done. I also crush the pistachio nutmeats in a food processor to make them smaller. If they are full size, you will have a lot of difficulty cutting the shortbread into slices after refrigerating.
Now you can start working on the base dough. As always, you HAVE to use truly softened butter. Not microwave softened butter and definitely not margarine! Shortbread cookies are very buttery so this part has to be technically correct. All you do is cream butter and sugar together, then add vanilla extract, and flour. There are no eggs in shortbread cookies.
Once you have the base dough, mix in the pistachios and chocolate until they are evenly distributed within the dough. Then split the dough into two halves, and roll each half into a log shape. I do this with my hands. Then you’ll need to wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 2 hours so that the butter hardens again and they are hard enough to cut into slices.
Cut each log into 1/2 inch thick slices and put 2 inches apart on parchment paper. This should make about 24 cookies. Keep in mind that shortbreads don’t spread like other cookies so you can put them a tad closer together than your average chocolate chip dough.
You only need to bake these for about 10-12 minutes until you see the edges slightly brown. Don’t over cook them or they will be tough! When they come out of the oven, sprinkle them with flake salt. Don’t miss this step!! It is seriously so much better with the salt. I know it’s weird but it amps up the flavor, trust me on this one.
Add a generous scoop of the Baklava ice cream and now you have a really delicious and unique dessert! The best part is, since shortbreads are on the smaller side, you can totally have two or three of these, right? That’s what I’m telling myself.
Hope you like this recipe as much as I do! If you make these cookies, please tag me on Instagram so I can see! Handle: @beckeatsworld
Dark Chocolate Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup roasted, salted pistachio nutmeats (shelled)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (two sticks), softened
- 1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- flaked sea salt, for topping
- 1 pint Andia's Baklava Ice Cream, or ice cream of your choice
Instructions
- Prep chocolate chunks and pistachios if not ready, set aside. Pistachios should be ground in a food processor to be small bits.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on high speed until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, scraping the bowl down if necessary.
- Beat in the flour until just combined. Remove from stand, and mix in the pistachios and chocolate by hand.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and separate into 2 halves. Roll each piece into a log shape about 2-3 inches thick. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Unroll the dough logs and slice it into 1/2 inch slices gently. If the nuts or chocolate breaks up the dough while slicing, gently press it back together with your hands.
- Place cookies on the parchment about 2 inches apart and bake for 10-2 minutes, or until cookies start to slightly brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a pinch of flaked salt – do not skip this step! Let cool and serve,
