Ingredients
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1 cup roasted and salted pistachio kernels
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1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
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1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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1/4 tsp almond extract
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1/4 tsp salt
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30 chocolate kisses
Steps
1
Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment. In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until very finely chopped but not pasty.
2
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream the butter and ½ cup confectioners’ sugar 2–3 min., until fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed, mix in the flour, ground pistachios, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt until mixture just forms a dough.
3
Remove wrappers from the chocolates. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Press 1 chocolate piece into each ball, then cover completely with dough, reshaping into balls. Place on prepared cookie sheets 1½–2 inches apart.
4
Bake 11–13 min., until cookies are set and bottoms are very lightly golden, switching positions on racks halfway through. Let cool 10 min. Place remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar in a shallow dish. While still slightly warm, gently roll each cookie in sugar to coat. Cool completely on a wire rack, then roll again in sugar. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Tips
To make ahead, freeze the baked and cooled cookies (without the confectioners’ sugar) in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Toss them in confectioners’ sugar after thawing.
