Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 4 ounces salted shelled pistachios, ground to a paste in a food processor (about 1 cup)
• 1 large egg
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pinch coarse salt
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
• slivered unsalted, shelled pistachios (optional)

Recipe

• 1 make filling:
• 2 bring 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved; set aside.
• 3 put egg yolks in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. whisk by hand until yolks are warm to the touch, about 2 minutes.
• 4 fit mixer with the whisk attachment. mix yolks on medium speed; pour in sugar syrup.
• 5 raise speed to high; mix until mixture is cool and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• 6 reduce speed to medium; drizzle in melted chocolate.
• 7 refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.
• 8 make cookies:
• 9 put pistachio paste and rest of sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
• 10 mix on medium speed until smooth.
• 11 mix in the egg , vanilla, and salt.
• 12 preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 13 transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a small (about 1/4 inch) plain round tip (such as ateco #10).
• 14 pipe 1-inch rounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing about 1 inch apart.
• 15 bake cookies until firm and golden around edges, about 10 minutes.
• 16 transfer on parchment to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
• 17 place cookies, bottom sides up, on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. spread 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chocolate filling on bottom of half of the cookies. sandwich with remaining cookies.
• 18 freeze 1 hour.
• 19 make glaze:
• 20 melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. remove from heat.
• 21 add shortening; stir until combined.
• 22 let cool, stirring, until mixture is lukewarm.
• 23 using a chocolate fork or regular fork, hold 1 cookie at a time above bowl of chocolate glaze. spoon glaze over cookie, letting excess drip back into bowl.
• 24 transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
• 25 garnish with slivered pistachios.
• 26 refrigerate until set, 5 minutes.
• 27 cookies can be refrigerated in single layers in airtight containers up to 3 days.