I especially like to bake on weekends. Last Friday night Mom and I found a recipe for a shortbread with nuts that looked good. It calls for pistachios but we substituted hazelnuts so we wouldn’t have to do all that shelling. The dough is made in the Cuisinart, which I’m now learning to use. You use a round pan to bake them in. Cut them into triangles as soon as they are out of the oven and when they’ve cooled, eat one right away. Make sure to offer one to your sister and your mom and dad.
–Liza

Salted Pistachio Shortbread
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019807-salted-pistachio-shortbread

Salted Pistachio Shortbread

By Alison Roman

• YIELD 24 wedges
• TIME 35 minutes

This is one of those rare doughs that’s better when made in a food processor. Dense, buttery, salty and nutty, the cookies call for pistachios, but swap in walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, if you prefer. One thing to note: These cookies are best sliced after baking, not before. Fresh out of the oven, the cookie is very tender and easy to cut. Do it almost immediately, as the baked cookie hardens quickly. The result is an extremely pleasing arrangement of crisp-edged triangles that may look just a little like a Danish modernist interpretation of a Christmas tree.

INGREDIENTS

• ¾ cup/95 grams shelled, raw pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts
• ⅓ cup/40 grams confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting (optional)
• ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick)
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ cups/95 grams all-purpose flour
•  Nonstick spray or softened butter, for greasing
•  Flaky salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Process pistachios in a food processor until finely ground. Remove 2 tablespoons and set aside.
3. Add confectioners’ sugar, butter and salt and pulse until well combined. Add flour and process until a slightly sticky dough forms (if your food processor is having trouble here, just dump dough out onto a counter or a bowl and mix by hand until no dry spots remain).
4. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan or tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick spray or softened butter and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
5. Press dough into the pan into an even layer (you can use your hands, or use the bottom of a measuring cup to press dough into an even layer). Dust with confectioners’ sugar and sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons ground pistachios and flaky salt.
6. Bake until cookie is just golden around the edges and dough is baked through, 17 to 22 minutes.
7. Once cookie is out of the oven, remove from springform or tart pan. Dust with more confectioners’ sugar, if you like. Before it cools, slice cookie into 24 thin wedges (start by cutting the circle into quarters, then slice each quarter in half, then each half into thirds to get nice, thin triangles.
8. Let cookies cool completely before transferring them (they will be soft and easily broken if moved before cooled).

Tip

• Cookies can be made  2 days ahead, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container at room temperature. These can also be rolled into balls or crescents and baked like a traditional Mexican wedding cookie, if you like.