Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

Homemade Wedding Favor Ideas

Chocolate Pistachio Cookies are perfect if you are after some homemade wedding favor ideas.

You can make these a few days before the wedding without any worries just store them in an airtight container so that you don't end up with soft cookies.

I like to cover the container with plastic cling wrap making it drum tight to be doubly sure that it is completely airtight.

This cookie wedding favor would be best packaged a day or two before the big day. Or you can make these ahead of time by freezing the shaped rolled cookie dough balls.

Flatten the balls slightly before freezing and when you want to bake them simply place onto the baking trays frozen and bake as instructed below give them a few minute longer in the oven.

Makes 27 chocolate cookies

For the Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

125g (4.4 oz) butter

2 tablespoons castor sugar (super fine sugar)

1 1/4 cups self raising flour

1/3 cup full cream milk powder

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

125g (4.4 oz) dark chocolate, melted, allow to cool slightly

For the topping

125g (4.4 oz) extra dark chocolate

30g (1.06 oz) extra butter

1/2 cup chopped pistachio nuts (or nuts of your choice)

Making Chocoate Pistachio Cookies

Preheat oven 175C (375F)

1. Combine the butter and sugar in a small bowl, beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

2. Stir in the sifted flour and milk powder and condensed milk and then the cooled melted chocolate mix well, use your hands if you need to ensure that everything is well combined.

3. Next roll rounded teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls. What I like to do is to weigh each ball, making them about 20g (0.7 oz) each. By weighing the dough you will know that you will be getting the same size cookie.

4. Place each of the balls on to a baking tray lined with parchment paper spacing them about 5cm (2 inches) apart as they do spread slightly during cooking.

5. Bake for about 12 minutes or until just firm.

6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the tray before carefully lifting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

7. For the topping add the chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt mixing well until combined.

8. Using a teaspoon spread the tops of the cookies with the chocolate mixture then dip into the nuts.

 

To present the cookie wedding favors as pictured above you will need:

• Cellophane bags about 13cm X 18cm (5 inch X 7 inch) in size
  
  
• Thin white cardboard cut to 10.5cm X 11.5cm (4 inch X 41/2 inch) to act as a base for the cookies.
  
  
• 4 pistachio cookies per bag
  
  
• Plastic cling wrap
  
  
• Sticky tape
  
  
• Thin florist wire or strong thread
  
  
• Decorative ribbon

1. Place four chocolate pistachio cookies on the cardboard rectangle and completely cover and seal with the plastic cling wrap. By using the cling wrap it will stop the chocolate from smudging onto the cellophane bags which will keep them clean and presentable.

2. Place the wrapped cookies into the cellophane bag all the way to the bottom and fold the excess cellophane at the top to the back of the bag and secure in place with some sticky tape.

3. Next wrap some decorative ribbon around the bag going over all four sides tie the ribbon into a knot in the center of the cookies leaving two long ribbon tails.

 

 

 

4. Make a six loop bow (see Bow Tying Basics - The 1-2-3 Bow) tie the bow securely with some thin florist wire or strong thread, leaving two ribbon tails.

 

 

 

5. Place the bow onto the center of the ribbon on the cookie wedding favors and using the two long tails (from step 3) tie securely into place with two knots.

Trim the four ribbon tails into a "V" to finish.