PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD SANDWICHES

Pistachio Shortbread Sandwiches image

We tasted these melt-in-your-mouth morsels at a Christmas party several years ago, and I have since tweaked the recipe to include pistachios. The cookies disappear so quickly at parties, you just might have to watch the plate-and check the kids' pockets! -Lorraine Caland, Shuniah, Ontario

Provided by Taste of Home

Time 40m

Yield about 1-1/2 dozen.

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1-1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups ground pistachios
Confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup apricot preserves
OPTIONAL GLAZE:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons lemon juice

Steps:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in pistachios., Preheat oven to 300°. On a surface sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. fluted round cookie cutter dusted with confectioners' sugar. Place cookies 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges begin to brown, 18-20 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Spread preserves on bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. If desired, combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 314 calories, Fat 19g fat (9g saturated fat), Cholesterol 34mg cholesterol, Sodium 131mg sodium, Carbohydrate 33g carbohydrate (17g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 5g protein.