Cardamom Cookies with Lemon and Pistachios

These cardamom cookies are one part exotic flavors and one part comfort food. Studded with pistachios and fragrant with lemon zest, they're perfect for dunking in milk and fancy enough to serve at high tea.

Jump to:

• What is cardamom?
• Making Cardamom Cookies
• Key Ingredients & Substitutions
• Helpful Tips
• Variations
• To dunk, or not to dunk, your cardamom cookies?
• Serving Ideas
• Storing & Freezing
• More Cardamom & Pistachio Treats
• 📖 Recipe

What is cardamom?

Cardamom is a spice made from the seeds of a particular family of plants, native to India.

In fact, India was the world's largest producer of cardamom until the late 20th century, when its growing popularity led other countries to increase production.

Cardamom has a unique flavor and aroma that is hard to describe. It has a bit of citrus flavor - like lemon or orange - combined with an earthy, woodsy quality.

The distinctive flavor complements both savory dishes, like traditional curries, and sweet desserts - like these cardamom cookies!

Making Cardamom Cookies

As with the chai shortbread cookies I shared a while ago, these cookies are wonderfully fragrant, thanks to the addition of lemon zest and cardamom.

And I think, in addition to their beautiful buttery taste, it's the scent of lemon and cardamom that makes them so good that it's difficult to stop at one.

This recipe is very simple, as far as cookie recipes go. The only real secret here is to use high-quality ingredients!

The cardamom itself is the most critical ingredient to get right. When I'm able, I like to buy mine at a local Indian grocer. I find I get the best prices there and I can count on it being really flavorful and aromatic.

I've also had good luck with the Simply Organic brand spices.

Whichever brand you choose, be sure to check the date. Spices truly do lose flavor over time - so this is not the time to dig out that expired bottle from the back of your pantry.

If you can't smell the cardamom anymore - it's not going to taste very good in your cookies.

The other important ingredient here is the pistachios! Most grocery stores carry pistachios these days.

Personally, I like to buy the pre-shelled kind. It saves me a ton of time, and saves my fingers from the pain of peeling all those nuts! For a deeper, toastier flavor, give them a quick roast first using one of these 7 ways to roast pistachios.

Just a note, if you are going to make these cookies, and you should, the fragrance and full flavor isn't fully realized until the day after baking.

They really need a day for the cardamom and lemon zest to infuse their heady aroma. Alternatively, you could make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight before baking.

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

• Butter. Use good-quality butter at room temperature so it blends evenly into the dry ingredients. If your butter is salted, cut the added salt back to a pinch. For a vegan version, swap in firm vegan butter sticks rather than a soft tub spread, which makes the dough too soft to slice.
• All-purpose flour. Spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off, or weigh it (about 250 g), so the cookies stay tender rather than dry. A 1:1 gluten-free baking blend works too, though the cookies will be a little more delicate.
• Confectioners' sugar. Powdered sugar is what gives these cookies their fine, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread texture. Granulated sugar will work in a pinch, but the cookies will be crunchier and slightly gritty.
• Ground cardamom. The star of the show, so make sure it's fresh and fragrant. If you have whole green cardamom pods, grind the seeds from about a dozen pods for the best flavor you'll ever get from this spice.
• Lemon zest. Zest only the bright yellow part of the peel; the white pith underneath is bitter. Orange zest is a lovely swap if you'd rather lean into a warmer, sweeter citrus note.
• Pistachios. Shelled, unsalted pistachios are ideal. If all you can find are salted ones, skip the added salt in the dough. Roughly chop them so you get pretty green flecks and a little crunch in every bite.

Helpful Tips

Don't overwork the dough. Pulse the food processor only until the dough starts clumping together. Overprocessing warms the butter and toughens the cookies. No food processor? Beat the butter and sugar together with a mixer, then mix in the flour, spices and pistachios by hand.

Chill the log until it's firm. Give the wrapped dough log at least 30 minutes in the fridge. A cold log slices cleanly and the cookies hold their round shape in the oven instead of spreading.

Slice with a sharp knife and keep turning. Give the log a quarter turn after every slice so it stays round rather than flattening on one side. If a piece of pistachio makes a slice crumble, just press the cookie back together; the dough is very forgiving.

Watch the edges, not the tops. Shortbread stays fairly pale on top, so it's easy to overbake. Pull the cookies out as soon as the edges turn lightly golden, usually around the 10-minute mark in most ovens.

Be patient. These cookies taste good on day one, but they taste great on day two, once the cardamom and lemon have had time to mellow and bloom. If you're baking for a party, make them a day ahead.

Variations

• Orange cardamom cookies. Swap the lemon zest for the zest of a small orange for a warmer, sweeter citrus flavor.
• Rose and pistachio. Add ½ teaspoon of rose water with the butter for a floral, Middle Eastern-inspired twist that pairs beautifully with cardamom.
• Chocolate-dipped. Dip half of each cooled cookie in melted dark chocolate, then sprinkle with finely chopped pistachios before the chocolate sets.
• Sugar-edged. Roll the chilled dough log in coarse turbinado sugar before slicing for sparkly, crunchy edges.
• Lavender. Replace the cardamom with a teaspoon of finely chopped culinary lavender, like in these lavender shortbread cookies.
• Vegan. Use firm vegan butter sticks in place of the butter. Everything else in the recipe is already plant-based. For another dairy-free option, try these vegan shortbread cookies.

To dunk, or not to dunk, your cardamom cookies?

Are you a dunker?

Dunking or dipping cookies, or biscuits as my Australian friends call them, is something many of us love.

In fact, mention dunking among a group of friends and it's likely to raise debate over the best ways to dunk, and the best drink to dunk your cookies in.

For me that is without doubt a cup of tea. For my hubby it's coffee, and for others it might be milk, or even an ice-cold glass of Coke. (Eck!)

While dunking a cookie in Coke isn't something I'm likely to try anytime soon, did you know there is scientific proof that dunking actually makes cookies taste better?

A while ago I came across this article, where the one and only inquisitive Heston Blumenthal set out to prove scientifically whether or not dunking really does impact flavor. And it does! We were right all along.

So next time you're looking for something sweet to dunk, why not give these buttery, crumbly and fragrant pistachio and cardamom cookies a try?

Serving Ideas

These cookies were made for a hot drink. Serve them with a pot of black tea, a mug of chai or a cardamom-spiced latte, and let everyone dunk to their heart's content. A cold glass of milk (dairy or plant-based) is just as good for the kids.

With pistachio and cardamom both such cozy fall flavors, they're a natural fit for autumn get-togethers and holiday cookie boxes. Their pale gold color and green pistachio flecks look lovely on a cookie platter next to darker chocolate cookies, and they travel well, so they make a thoughtful homemade gift.

For an easy dessert, crumble a couple of cookies over a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lemon sorbet, or serve them alongside a bowl of poached pears or fresh berries.

Storing & Freezing

Store the cooled cookies in an airtight tin or container at room temperature for up to a week. Like most shortbread, they keep beautifully, and the flavor actually improves after the first day. There's no need to refrigerate them.

Both the dough and the baked cookies freeze well. Wrap the unbaked dough log tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing, and add a minute or two to the baking time. Baked cookies can be frozen in a single layer, then transferred to a freezer container for up to 2 months; thaw them at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.

More Cardamom & Pistachio Treats

If you love these cardamom cookies, be sure to check out these other desserts featuring cardamom and pistachios:

• Blood Orange Madeleines with Pistachio and Cardamom
• Pear, Chocolate & Cardamom Cake
• Caramelised Orange and Cardamom Upside-Down Cake
• Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

📖 Recipe