ingredients:

• 1 stick butter, softened (113 g or ½ cup)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 g)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp almond extract (optional)
• 1 cup all purpose flour (120 g)
• ⅓ cup ground pistachios (60 g)
• 1 tsp salt
• Pistakio Creamy pistachio spread about 1 tsp per cookie and more to drizzle
• pomegranate seeds (about 75 kernels), to garnish
• mint (2 leaves per cookie, about 48)
• ½ cup powdered sugar (65 grams)
• 2 tbsp pomegranate juice

instructions:

1. preheat the oven to 350ºF and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
2. in a standing mixer, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar with a paddle attachment. once light and fluffy, add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat again.
3. add the flour, ground pistachios, and salt, and mix until just combined.
4. form small balls of dough (about ¾ inch wide) and place on the baking trays, leaving a couple inches between each cookie. press your thumb down into the center of each ball, to leave an indent.
5. optional: chill the imprinted dough for 10-15 minutes to firm up the butter.
6. spoon about 1 tsp of the pistachio spread into the indent of each cookie.
7. bake the cookies for 14 - 16 minutes, one tray at a time, until the cookies are slightly golden and the bottoms are a light brown. allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking tray, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
8. in a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and pomegranate juice until completely smooth. optionally, pour it into a piping bag and snip a small hole for drizzling, or just use a spoon.
9. with the cookies still on the wire rack, generously drizzle the pomegranate glaze on each cookie, followed by a drizzle of the pistachio spread.
10. garnish each cookie with 2-3 pomegranate seeds and mint leaves to resemble holly berries. store in the fridge.