Tree Ring Shortbread Cookies With Pistachio "Moss"
Today: tree-stump cookies! Cute for Tu B’Shevat, and best enjoyed if you don’t think too hard about the whole “cut-down-tree” situation.
The idea for these comes straight from the Martha Stewart Living archives. They’re one of my all-time favorites, and while I’ve made a few light adaptations and added notes along the way, the original vision is very much Martha’s. (Unfortunately, that recipe is no longer available on her site, or I’d link you to it.) Anyway, my version is thin and crisp—Tate’s-level crisp!—and genuinely satisfying to make with a pretty sliced wood grain effect.
Full recipe is below. Chag sameach!
Tree Ring Shortbread Cookies with Pistachio “Moss”
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living.
Makes about 36 cookies.
2 cups (260g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon (2.8g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 sticks (1 cup / 227g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups (288g) confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon (4g) pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons (15g) unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
3 ounces (85g) semisweet chocolate chips, melted
¼ cup (30g) finely chopped pistachios
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, add the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined. Remove half of the dough, divide it into two equal pieces, wrap in plastic, and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and 2 tablespoons hot water. Add the cocoa mixture to the remaining dough and mix on low speed until evenly colored, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Place half of the chocolate dough on a sheet of parchment and cover with plastic wrap. Roll into a 14-by-10-inch rectangle beneath the plastic (the dough will be very thin; small tears are fine). Set aside, still covered.
Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and both pieces of vanilla dough. Remove the plastic from one chocolate dough rectangle. Remove the plastic from one vanilla dough rectangle and invert it, still on its parchment, onto the chocolate dough. Press firmly with your palm to adhere and remove air bubbles, then gently peel away the parchment. If the dough sticks, lay it back down, press again, and retry. Repeat layering with the remaining dough rectangles.
With a short side parallel to the edge of your work surface, roll the layered dough into a tight spiral, starting as tightly as possible. Wrap the log in parchment and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Trim the ends of the dough and slice 1/4-inch thick. Roll each slice between sheets of parchment into an oblong about 3 inches long and 1/8 inch thick; transfer to prepared sheets. Bake until crisp, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and let cool completely. Working with one cookie at a time, dip just the outer edge of one side into melted chocolate, then press gently into chopped pistachios. Transfer to fresh parchment-lined baking sheets and let stand until the chocolate is set, 45 to 60 minutes.
