Salted White & Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

I've been baking hella cookies lately. I also can't stop saying hella. Yeah, I don't know what that's all about, but it's happening and even though I cringe every time I say it, I can't stop. The other day I was mistaken for being from the Bay Area, so we can let my excessive "hella" usage slide. 

Okay um... cookies! Yes, that's what were talking about! So I've been baking hella cookies over the past few months because I've been so busy that I don't have: a) the time or b) the patience to bake and frost a lovely three layer cake or make a pie with complete with little fall leaf designs cut out in the crust. I'm starting to think that my teachers convened a devised a special plan to make my life a living hell by extending my original one week of midterms to four consecutive weeks of absolute bullshit. FOUR. WHOLE. WEEKS. Yeah, I'm totally considering dropping out at this point and funding the rest of my life through a series of impromptu bake sales because #sugar. So yeah, this post is super rant-y and conversational but just deal with it, my mental capacity has taken a serious hit so my writing style is definitely more in the vein of "word vomit" than my usual "absurd-story-about-an-absurd-cake-that-doesnt-make-sense-but-kinda-does" act. 

Sorry, but you guys are stuck with yet another cookie recipe for the time being. Wait. Did I just apologize for giving you guys a cookie recipe? Especially one that's hella next-level. 

When I was in New York, I had an epiphany that came in the form of a pistachio cookie at Maison Kayser. I took two bites and I knew that I had experienced something extremely important, so I decided to remake this cookie immediately when I got home. I had a huge chocolate chip cookie taste testing sesh this summer and discovered that the famed Jacques Torres/New York Times cookies actually is the best chocolate chip cookies recipe, even though I hoped I could developed a recipe to dethrone it and award myself the title of Chocolate Chip Cookie King. (It's a real fantasy I have.) Out of 9 other chocolate chip recipes, that one was the surefire winner. To make these cookies, I decided to make a batch of the trusty Jacques Torres dough, but then added hella pistachio paste, hella melty white and dark chocolate chunks, and hella chopped pistachios. Guess what I topped them with. Yep, none other than hella Maldon sea salt flakes. 

How were they? You guessed it. HELLA DELICIOUS. No but really, hella-ness aside, these cookies are amazing and I'm preeeetty sure they're gonna be making the rounds at holiday parties in the coming months. Pin these now, you won't regret it. 

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Salted White & Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies 

(adapted from this) 

• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
• 1 2/3 cups bread flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup pistachio paste (homemade or store-bought) 
• 10 oz. high-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped 
• 6 oz. high-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup roasted and shelled pistachios, chopped 
• sea salt flakes (I love Maldon)

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla and pistachio paste. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

Scoop 3.5-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly (or generously, like me!) with sea salt flakes and bake until golden brown but still soft, about 18 to 20 minutes at 350F. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. 

Pistachio Rose Water Cake

Every year, I find myself underestimating how much I love Easter. Growing up, I never got too excited over Easter, but in the past few years, I've routinely found myself freaking out once all of my favorite Easter candy hit the shelves. Seriously, I've eaten way too many white chocolate m&m's and mini cadbury eggs that it's kind of disgusting. I've inhaled so much sugar in the past few weeks, that — get ready for it — I'm actually feeling sick of sugar. I think this is a first. I feel blasphemous even admitting this. I guess you really can have too much of a good thing. 

Sugar, if you're reading this, please forgive me for not telling you to your face. It's just, I think I need a little space right now. Consider this relationship open. 

Anyways, back to Easter. Though we usually have a family crawfish boil, we decided to switch it up this year. This year: a giant homemade Mediterranean feast. It was pretty damn legit if you ask me. My mom slaved over a roasted leg of lamb and yogurt-marinated chicken with lemony greek potatoes. Homemade hummus with not-homemade pita. Oops. Rice pilaf loaded with pine nuts and grilled asparagus. 

And as if that wasn't enough, we had TWO desserts. My mom made Galaktompoureko, a creamy Greek custard pie with phyllo that's soaked in orange syrup. Then I made this cake. Can we get a moment of silence for this cake, please. 

Thank you. 

I've been having horrible cravings for pistachio and rose water since the winter. I've even made a couple of cakes that all turned out to be not what I was looking for. But then, it dawned on me that I could take one of my favorite yogurt cake recipes, add some pistachio paste to it, and call it a day. After months of trying to find the perfect pistachio cake, I have finally satisfied my craving. This is it. The cake is light and moist with the most perfect crumb. (Really though, I've never made a cake that had such a perfectly-balanced crumb before.) The pistachio is flavorful throughout and pairs perfectly with the rose water glaze without being overpowering. And god, was it simple.

There's nothing too fancy needed for this recipe, save for pistachio paste. You can make your own pistachio paste at home in your food processor or purchase a jar of the good stuff online like I did. 

Okay, if I don't shut up about this cake I swear I'm going to want sugar again. I've got a busy week ahead of me. I go back to school tomorrow, but then I'm off to Florida for a wedding on Wednesday. I can't even begin to express how excited I am to be at the beach for an extra extra-long weekend. 

Brb y'all, I'll be back with some crazy recipes for you next week! In the meantime, make this and freak out like I did. 

Pistachio Yogurt Cake

• 2 1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup greek yogurt (I used half plain, half vanilla)
• 1/2 cup pistachio paste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9" round cake pans or a bundt pan. 

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until blended. Mix in vanilla. 

Mix in half of the dry ingredients, then half of the yogurt, then the remaining half of the dry ingredients, and then the rest of the yogurt. Stir in the pistachio paste. 

Pour the batter into prepared pans. If using 9" rounds, bake for 30-40 minutes. If using a bundt pan, bake for 50-55 minutes. Cool and remove from pan(s). 

Rose Water Glaze 

• 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 1/2 tsp. rose water

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together until a glaze is formed. Drench over the base of the cake. (Note: Poking holes in the cake makes it super yummy too!) Top with crushed pistachios. Serve.