Recipe: Pistachio Pastry/2 Cookie Recipes Using Pistachios

1 1/4 lb. red or green baking apples, cored & thinly sliced (Rome Beauty, Pippin & Granny Smith apples work well)
6 tbsp. sugar, divided
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. butter or margarine, cut in sm. pieces
1/2 c. pistachios, finely chopped
3/4 c. apple jelly, currant jelly, or apricot jam

Pastry: Combine flour and 4 tablespoons sugar. Blend flour mixture with butter until crumbly yet moist (can clump into balls between fingertips); mix in 1/4 cup pistachios. Press gently into 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom. Bake at 450 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until light golden brown in center. Cool. Filling: Combine apple slices and 2 tablespoons sugar in skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring twice, for 13-15 minutes, or until tender but not limp. Drain apples and cool. To assemble tart, overlap apple slices in pastry shell in a spiral pattern, starting at the edge and working in. Beat jelly with spoon until nearly smooth. (If using apricot jam, force through sieve, then beat.) Spoon jelly evenly over apples. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pistachios in a ring around edge of tart. Remove tart from pan before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

PISTACHIO SUGAR COOKIES

1/2 c. butter
1 lg. egg
1 1/4 c. sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 c. finely chopped pistachios

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture and mix well. Chill dough thoroughly. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut with cookie cutters and arrange on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top; press down lightly. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes or until edges start to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 3 dozen.

PISTACHIO-CHOCOLATE MINT COOKIES

1 c. oleo or butter (softened)
1/2 c. Crisco
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar (light)
2 lg. eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. unsifted flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. chocolate mint chips
1 c. pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter, shortening, sugars and eggs and vanilla until well blended. Gradually beat in flour, salt and soda until well mixed. Fold in chips and nuts. Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. (If cookies brown too fast, lower heat.) Cookies can also be made smaller.