Pistachio Shortbread

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Blitz 60g (1/2 cup) of roasted pistachios in a food processor or blender.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat 113g of butter and 50g of granulated sugar until smooth. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and combine. Whisk together 140g of Western Family all-purpose flour, blitzed pistachios, and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed until just combined.
5. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4 inch in thickness. If the dough is too soft (sticks to parchment), transfer to the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
6. Stamp out shapes using a cookie cutter and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, allowing 1/2-inch between each cookie. Bake until the edges are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes. Smaller cookies will need less time (check at 8-9 minutes).
7. Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.

To Decorate and Fill:

• Pistachio Linzer with Strawberry Jam: Make pistachio shortbread according to the recipe above. Using a cookie cutter of choice, stamp out cookies. To half of the cookies, use a smaller cutter of the same shape to make a peekaboo cutout in the center of each. Bake cookies. Dust the cookies with a cutout with icing sugar. Place a dollop of Western Family jam (amount to your preference) on each of the remaining cookies and top with the sugar-dusted cookie.
• Pistachio Sandwich Cookie with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread: Make pistachio shortbread according to the recipe above. Using a cookie cutter of choice, stamp out cookies. Bake cookies. Place a dollop of Western Family chocolate hazelnut spread (amount to your preference) on half the cookies and top with a second cookie.
• Pistachio Wreaths: Make pistachio shortbread according to the recipe above. Using a cookie cutter of choice, stamp out cookies with a scalloped round cutter. Using a smaller cutter, stamp a cutout at the center of each cookie. Bake cookies. Decorate with royal icing and toppings of choice (dried cranberries, pistachios, and sprinkles).
• Iced Pistachio Shortbread: Make pistachio shortbread according to the recipe above. Using a cookie cutter of choice, stamp out cookies. Using a pastry brush, brush each cookie with a thin layer of royal icing.