AllSpice Pistachio-Chocolate Dipped Cookies – Blue Ribbon State Fair Winner!

This recipe won first prize in our 2017 State Fair Cookie contest!

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/3 Cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 egg, beaten
2-1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp Blood Orange Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Granulated Honey
1/2 tsp Nutmeg, Ground
3/4 Cup pistachio nuts, finely chopped

For the Chocolate Dip:
3/4 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 brick paraffin wax
1/4 Cup pistachio nuts, ground

STEPS

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar. Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until the butter melts. Remove pan from heat.

Stir in vanilla extract and olive oil, then allow mixture to cool for 15 minutes.

Add the beaten egg, flour, spices, and cocoa powder to the butter-brown sugar mixture, stirring until ingredients are all incorporated. Stir in the 3/4 Cup pistachio nuts. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Divide cookie dough in half. Lightly flour a work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll our each half of the dough to a thickness of 1/4.” Use a floured cookie cutter to cut small, simply-shaped cookies from the dough. (I typically make small circles.)

Place cut-out cookies on a greased cookie sheet, spaced about 1″ apart. Bake each batch for 9 minutes, or until cookies are firm. Remove baking sheet from oven, allow cookies to cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet before using a spatula to transfer cookies to cool completely on wire racks.

To make the chocolate dip: In a double boiler, melt semisweet chocolate chips and paraffin wax over low-to-medium heat. Dip 1/2 of each shaped cookie into the melted chocolate, and then roll the coated edge in ground pistachios.

Place dipped cookies back on wire rack and allow chocolate coating to cool before serving.