My inspiration for this recipe came from a holiday issue of Bon Appétit magazine. These cookies are quite festive: The bright-green pistachios resting atop a glistening bed of dark chocolate are truly stunning. I recommend cutting the shortbread with a hot knife wiped clean after each cut for the most striking presentation.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
- ½ cup coconut palm sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups Kamut flour, or ¾ cup einkorn flour and ¾ cup Kamut flour
- 8 ounces Maple-Sweetened Chocolate or a store-bought bittersweet chocolate bar (70% to 80% cacao), finely chopped
- 1 cup chopped salted pistachios
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of a 13-by-9-inch metal or glass baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang around all sides. Grease the foil to prevent the shortbread from sticking.
- In a large bowl using an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, coconut palm sugar, and sea salt until light and creamy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, beat in the vanilla. Gradually add the flour on the lowest speed and mix well. The dough will be very sticky. Using a spatula, scrape it into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake until cracked and golden, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely, about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven again to 375 degrees F. Scatter the chopped chocolate evenly over the shortbread. Place in the oven for 2 minutes, just long enough to melt the chocolate. With a spatula, evenly smooth the chocolate all over the cookie. Sprinkle with the pistachios and more salt if desired. Let the chocolate cool and solidify, about 20 minutes. Gripping the aluminum foil, carefully lift the shortbread out of the pan, slide it from the foil onto a cutting board, and cut into bars. I recommend cutting into 1-by-3-inch bars, but you can cut to any size you prefer.