Nutella-Pistachio Icebox Butter Cookies

“Suckers,” I chuckled to myself without a hint of sympathy for the poor victims.

I was watching a story on the evening news about people who had had their emails and/or social networking accounts broken into by hackers. Admittedly, this could happen to anyone but a few had done things like used their names as their passwords or used a password that was obvious in another way.

So, I am embarrassed to admit that part of me was kind of thinking that they got what was coming to them. Out of caution, I immediately got up and changed the passwords on my email accounts – regularly changing your email passwords is evidently a great way to keep hackers at bay.

Now if you’re thinking my response to these poor people displayed a stunning lack of compassion, don’t worry the email security karmic gods would soon make sure that I didn’t go unpunished.

As I logged into one of my email accounts a few days later, I was puzzled when my access was denied for entering the incorrect password.

This can’t be I thought to myself, “I’ve had this password for years. I know it’s correct.” That’s when I remembered the hacker story and how I had changed the password to throw any would be hackers off of my trail. The only problem was that now I couldn’t remember what the new password was.

I would spend the next few days going through countless words, old street addresses, names of favorite grammar school teachers and names of hated grammar school teachers…all to no avail. I’m such a sucker.

After I gave up and cried uncle, it took me three long days to convince my email provider that I was indeed me (and not one of those hackers that was on the evening news).

Moral of the story…show compassion for your fellow man, cause karma will bite you in the you know what.

Let’s talk Nutella-Pistachio Butter Cookies.

The inspiration for these cookies came from Zoe, the editor of one of my favorite blogs. A few weeks ago she suggested that I post a recipe using Nutella, the delicious Italian chocolate-hazelnut spread. I thought it was an amazing idea. I just needed to find the right recipe for a little inspiration.

Just a few days ago I came across a recipe for Icebox Butter Cookies in Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. I was struck by the photograph in the cookbook. The cookies looked light and buttery. I’m not sure what an ‘icebox’ butter cookie is but these cookies are more like sandies: light, buttery and crumbly.

Because they are so light and not overly sweet they’re the perfect match for the sweet, chocolaty and rich flavor of the Nutella. -a very yin yang kind of thing.

I think they’re fabulous.

If you get a chance to give them a try, let me know what you think.

(Disclaimer: I realize that my dry sense of humor doesn’t always translate well in the written word. Just to be clear, I am not mocking victims of internet hackers. The butt of the joke is actually my favorite target…me.)

NUTELLA-PISTACHIO ICEBOX BUTTER COOKIES

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup granulated sugar, plus ½ cup for rolling

1 large egg

½ TSP almond extract

2 ½ cups 2 TBL sifted all-purpose flour

¾ cups chopped unsalted pistachios

1 TSP kosher salt

130z jar of Nutella

In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and ¼ cup of granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add egg and almond extract, and beat to combine. Add flour and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add chopped pistachios until combined.

Turn dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half and roll each piece into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment paper (or plastic wrap), making sure to cover ends completely. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350˚F, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Let dough stand at room temperature until soft enough to slice, about 15 minutes. Roll dough logs in remaining ½ cup of sugar, coating them evenly, and slice into ¼” thick rounds. Place about 1” apart on prepared sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies have cooled, spread about 1 teaspoon of Nutella on the bottom side of one cookie and top each with another cookie, creating a sandwich.

Makes about 30 sandwich cookies (60 single cookies)

Tagged as: chocolate, Cookies, Nutella