For these coolies I pipe Chocolate Espresso Spritz dough into “fingers” and dip the baked cookies into melted white chocolate and chopped pistachios. The color combination of the chocolate-brown cookie with the creamy white chocolate, highlighted by the variegated greens of the chopped pistachios, makes an elegant presentation. And they taste great, too!
- Makes 4 dozen 3” cookies
White Chocolate-dipped Pistachio Logs - Pan prep: Ungreased
- Equipment: Pastry bag
- Oven 350 degrees
- Baking time: 12-14 minutes
- Cookie Characteristics: festive, long shelf life, temperature sensitive
Cookie:
- 2 cups flour, spooned in and leveled
- ½ cup strained Dutch-processed cocoa powder, spooned in and leveled
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon boiling water
- 1 cup unsalted butter, slightly firm
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 8 ounces coarsely chopped, fine-quality white chocolate, such as Lindt Swiss Classic White
- ½ cup finely chopped pistachios, preferably unsalted
Strain together the flour and cocoa three times. Set aside. Dissolve the espresso powder in the boiling water. Set aside.
Place the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until creamy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar in a steady stream and continue mixing until well blended, about two minutes. Blend in the egg, vanilla, and espresso liquid, scraping the bowl as needed.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing, just until blended.
Position the shelves in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 3500.
Fit a pastry bag with a large #4 star tip. Place a 10-inch strip of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Put the dough in the center of the strip and wrap the plastic around the dough, leaving an opening at the bottom. Fill the pastry bag with the plastic-wrapped dough. Twist the top of the bag securely, and holding the pastry bag a t a 45-degree angle to the cookie sheet, pipe strips approximately 2 inches long, spacing them 1 ½ inches apart.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops are set. To ensure even baking, toward the end of the baking time, rotate the sheets top to bottom and front to back. Let rest on the cookie sheets for 2 to 3 minutes before loosening with a thin metal spatula. Cool on wire racks.
Garnish the cookies:
Warm the white chocolate in a double boiler over low heat, just until it is almost melted, stirring occasionally. Watch carefully; it should not get too hot. When the chocolate is almost melted, remove the double boiler from the heat and set the chocolate aside to complete the melting process. While dipping, the chocolate should remain over the water to keep it fluid.
Place the pistachios in a small bowl. Dip the end of each cookie into the melted chocolate, then into the pistachios. Let stand on a cooling rack until the chocolate is set; this can take 1 hour or longer.
Storage: Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, for up to 3 weeks. These cookies may be frozen.