Fantastic GF Pistachio Cookies

We visited the Desert Botanical Gardens here in Phoenix this week and I just had to share. This is part of the Chihuly exhibit going on until May. It's simply incredible. The glass work is amazing, and it's such a sight to see when everything at the garden is blooming. Quite a tremendous sight. I urge anyone in the area to see it, and when his exhibit comes to your town, don't miss it. Now on to the food.

Thanks to my good friend Sherri, I now have a wonderful new cookie. I made these in just about 30 minutes and brought them to book club tonight. Everyone raved and I don't blame them, they are wonderful, simple and very delish! I did add a little vanilla, a little agave, and white chocolate garnish to the recipe, but I think everything tastes better with a little chocolate, don't you? But you're welcome to leave it out if you're not a chocolate fan. And I made a few with semi-sweet chocolate also, even though they are not in the photo. Those went over pretty big. They're a cinch to make and so tasty. Give them a try.

GF Pistachio Cookies
3 cups of pistachios, ground up in a food processor (but not to a paste, just coarsely ground)
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 tsp gf vanilla extract
1 tsp agave nectar
1 cup gf white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Grind nuts, leaving a few out if you don't have extra to stick on the top of each cookie.
3. Add sugar, vanilla, agave and egg whites to nuts and mix thoroughly.
4. Put mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes, or freezer for 20. You can even leave them overnight if you want, but you just want it cold and easy to handle.
5. Shape mixture into small balls and roll in a little sugar (optional) and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. This is important cuz' these will stick without the paper.
6. Press the cookies down flat, poke a pistachio in the center.
7. Bake 12-15 minutes, depending on how big they are. You'll see the edged looking pretty brown.
8. Let them cool as you melt the chocolate in the microwave. Nuke for 20 seconds, then stir. Nuke another 20 seconds and stir again. This should be enough time to melt it all. I put the chocolate in a small, resealable plastic bag, cut the tip off and use it to pipe onto the cookies.
9. You can place the cookies in the fridge to firm up the chocolate. I had to do this to make it to book club on time, but I'm sure they cool on their own in time.


Enjoy!