My Aunt Dina always has a batch of these tucked away in a stainless-steel tin in the kitchen. There’s a considerable amount of tense anticipation around the table at teatime until she opens it and hands them out, and then it feels as though the world is put to rights again. Their texture is similar to shortbread, but it’s more like taking a bite out of a sweet little sugar-spun pistachio cloud. They’re light, airy, and perfectly complement a cup of tea.
Makes 25
½ cup shelled pistachios
1 cup cold unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rice flour
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
a small pinch of salt
zest of 1 orange
¼ cup chopped dates
2/3 teaspoon ground cardamom (or finely ground seeds from 10 pods)
Blitz the pistachios in a food processor to a coarse texture, or grind with a mortar and pestle. Dice the cold butter and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the flours, all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the salt, orange zest, dates, and cardamom. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the blitzed pistachios to decorate, then add the rest to the bowl.
Rub the butter through the flour mix with your fingers, and slowly bring the dough together using your hands. Knead it until the dough is smooth, but don’t overwork it. Divide the dough into two, then roll each piece into a log shape around 2 inches in diameter. Wrap up in plastic wrap and pop in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour to firm up.
Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking pans with wax paper. When the dough is ready, take it out of the fridge and unwrap. Using a sharp knife, cut ¼-inch slices from the log and lay them 1½ inches apart on the baking pans (they will spread when they bake).
Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and ground pistachios, then bake for 20 to 25 minutes, keeping an eye on them. You want them to be a pale gold color, not browned.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool before removing from the pan.
