Have you ever heard of a cookie swap? I’m not sure how it works because I’ve never been invited to join one nor do I know anyone who has. Rather than look it up, I like to imagine that every member of this swap brings their cookies and they exchange them with one another in some amusing way. Is there a game involved? Can you steal another participant’s cookies like the gift exchange game? I’m sure of one thing though… If I brought these to a swap, I’d probably want to keep mine but if it’s about swapping recipes and impressing your friends however, I’ve got us covered with this one.
First off, I’ve never met a baklava I didn’t like and same goes for the cookie version or it’s other popular spin-off, Baklava ice cream. The cookie is filled with minced pistachios, honey and warm spices such as cinnamon, cardamom and cloves which acheive the exact flavour of a traditional baklava filling. But we all know, it isn’t just about the filling but the buttery filo dough as well. Well we’re in luck because this cookie is made with deeply flavourful brown butter, bringing the cookie as close as it can be to it’s namesake, with a little hit of salt which enhances all of the flavours.
What adjectives come to mind with this cookie? – Beautifully complex, sweet, balanced, grown up.
Baklava Cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 6oz bag shelled raw pistachios coarsely chopped
- 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar divided (1/4 goes in the pistachio mixture)
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt + 1/4 tsp, divided
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp. ground Cloves
- ½ cup honey
- 2½ cups 344 g all-purpose flour Using weight measurements is always more accurate
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Sugar topping:
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- A pinch ground cloves
- 1/2 cup sugar (remaining from above ingredients)
- ¼ cup crushed rose petals
- 2 Tbsp Butter, melted For brushing on cookie tops
Instructions
Directions:
- Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Cook 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often with a heatproof rubber spatula, until it turns light amber and foaming starts to settle, about 5 minutes. Pour into a large heatproof bowl, scraping in any browned bits stuck to bottom of pan. Let cool until warm, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pulse one 6-oz. bag shelled raw pistachios
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ½ tsp. kosher salt, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground cardamom, and ¼ tsp. ground cloves in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl.
- Stir in ½ cup honey with a clean spatula. Add 1 Tbsp. water and stir until homogenous and mixture maintains its shape. Scoop out 1 level tablespoonful portions of nut mixture; roll into smooth balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill in freezer 20 minutes. (Note: scoop a level tbsp or even less so that you don't run out of filling for all of the cookies)
- Meanwhile, whisk 2½ cups (344 g) all-purpose flour, ½ tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. baking soda, and remaining ¼ tsp. kosher salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. Whisk 1 Tbsp. water into warm melted butter, then add 1 1/2 cups (350 g) granulated sugar and whisk until well combined, about 2 minutes. Add 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract; stir until smooth. TIP: Use an electric mixer to make it easier. When the mixture is well combined and has lightened in colour, it’s ready.
- Add dry ingredients and combine fully using a rubber spatula until no dry areas remain.! Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to hydrate in the fridge for 20-30. This will produce a softer, chewier cookie.
- Remove pistachio fillings from the freezer.
- Scoop out 2-tablespoonful portions of dough; roll into smooth balls. (Or use a 2tbsp ice cream scoop) Working one at a time, flatten a ball of dough between your hands and place a ball of nut mixture in the center. Gently fold dough up and around to encase; smooth out dough. Divide between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2″ apart.
- Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until mostly flat and golden around the edges, 14–16 minutes. Remove from oven and firmly tap baking sheets on counter.
- Combine sugar & spices in a small bowl. In another small bowl, add about 1/4 cup rose petals if using. Melt 2tbsp of butter.Using a pastry brush, brush cookie tops lightly with butter and quickly sprinkle tops with sugar & spice mixture. Next, sprinkle on the rose petals. Optional, drizzle cookie tops with light whisps of honey + top with chopped pistachios.
Notes
Recipe based on a recipe published in Bon Appétit mag.
2 responses to “Honey, I’m Nuts for Baklava Cookies”
Is this a copy of the Bon Appetit ones that they brought out for Christmas 2023? LOL
Yes it is although I modified it slightly and I recommend fridge time for the dough to hydrate. Game changer!