Persian Pistachio Cardamom Thins Recipes

MINT THINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. And the powdered sugar and continue mixing, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture by halves, beating to incorporate after each addition. Turn out the dough onto a clean surface and form it into a disk with your hands. Split the disk in half and place them in the fridge to firm up for 1 hour.
• Working on a floured surface (you'll need a decent amount, since the dough is sticky), roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Shape the cookies using 1 1/2-inch round cutter and place them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, then let cool completely.
• Break up the chocolate into a bowl and set it over a small pot of simmering water (make sure the water doesn't touch the water). Add the butter and the peppermint flavor and stir the mixture steadily until it's fully melted and looks glossy and smooth. Remove the bowl and let the chocolate cool slightly.
• One by one, drop the cookies in the chocolate, then scoop them out with a fork to let the excess drip off. (Tap the cookies against the side of the bowl to help drain the extra chocolate.) Move them carefully to a wire rack or parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. When they're all coated, move the sheet to the refrigerator or freezer to set.

PERSIAN PASTRIES

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the walnuts, sugar and cardamom. Butter a 9 by 9 by 1 3/4-inch baking dish. Cover phyllo with a very lightly dampened towel and keep covered at all times when it is not being used. Cut phyllo into 8 by 11-inch sheets. Place 1 sheet at a time on a work surface and lightly brush with butter. Place 2 tablespoons of the spiced sugar-nut mixture lengthwise down the center of each leaf of phyllo. Fold each sheet over several times lengthwise to form a 1-inch wide strip, enclosing the filling. Roll up each strip to make a coil and place flat (coil side up) in the prepared dish against the side to prevent it from uncoiling. Repeat the whole procedure with the rest of the phyllo sheets. Brush with butter and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 40 minutes.
• Combine all of the ingredients, except nuts, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, cool for 10 minutes, then strain. Pour over pastries once they have come out of the oven and let soak for 1 hour. Sprinkle with walnuts or pistachios.

PISTACHIO THINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add pistachios and stir until butter is lightly browned and pistachios toasted. Pour into mixing bowl.
• Whisk in sugar and egg white. Mix in the flour, cardamom or ginger and whisk until smooth.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately transfer cookies to rack to cool.