Cherry-Pistachio Icebox Cookies are slice and bake checkerboard cookies with alternating cherry and pistachio flavors.
Cherry-Pistachio Icebox Cookies
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
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For today I have put together a recipe for checkerboard cookies using cherry and pistachio that was inspired by a Betty Crocker recipe for black and white squares using chocolate. I liked the idea of doing cookies in reds and greens so it worked out well for me.
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These are some of my favorites of the season (although there are several). It’s not nearly as hard to make as it might seem. I do recommend getting parchment with grids printed on them- Reynolds has some but not all the boxes say so, so look for it. Once you cut the size square it isn’t a big deal to pat the dough out to that size, and then cut and stack then chill and slice.
I use the squeeze bottles of Wilton cookie icing because they are easy enough to warm, open the nozzle and draw the squiggles, then close the top to save the extra icing for later. Very easy. I know I had a lot of cookies to do, so having something ready made was a relief, and who isn’t busy this time of year looking for a little bit easier of something to do? But if you like mixing your own, I applaud you.
Tomorrow I will be back with Eggnog Snickerdoodles. I had planned to do a Red Velvet Bundt cake on Thursday, but am scratching that because of too many desserts here. I’ll squeeze in one of the other recipes I have set aside- will decide that by tomorrow and let you know. If you have been waiting for me to post something I have set back, give me a yell and I can try to give it preference. Until next time-
~Sue

Cherry-Pistachio Icebox Cookies
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cherry extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- red and green food colors
- 1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios
- 1/4 cup chopped candied glace cherries
- 1 bottle Wilton white cookie decorating icing
Instructions
- Cream together butter and sugar in an electric mixer; add egg and beat until smooth.
- Mix in the flour and salt until smooth; turn out and divide in half.
- Place half back into the mixer, working in the cherry extract and enough red color to achieve a nice pink; add cherries to dough and work in, then set aside.
- Rinse the mixer bowl and add the other half of the dough; work in the vanilla extract and enough green color to achieve a nice green, then mix in pistachios.
- Roll out each piece of dough onto a 6"x 5" rectangle of parchment paper (some brands have grids printed on them and it states that on the box- I do recommend the ease of using that).
- Stack the dough on top of each other, doesn't really matter which goes first, and peel off the paper.
- Cut that section in half and reverse the color, stack it on the bottom dough. Then repeat.
- Refrigerate the dough on its parchment for several hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cut the dough into 1/4" slices and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes or until just lightly browned at the edges.
- Allow to cool completely on the parchment (which you can slide onto a wire rack after a couple of minutes to free up your pan).
- Drizzle with white cookie icing as desired. Use the Wilton or make your own- I like the ease of it, and the tip and that I can save the unused portion for cookies later instead of throwing out the extra. Let the icing set up for 45 minutes or so to harden.
Notes
Nutrition
Day 11
- Cherry Pistachio Icebox Cookies from Palatable Pastime
- Chocolate Covered Cherry Snowballs from Cooking With Carlee
- Easy Cannoli Cookies from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Manju from A Day in the Life on the Farm
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These cookies look so pretty and festive for the holidays.
Beautiful cookies.
What beautiful cookies! I definitely need to add them to my must try list!
These sound delicious! I love pistachio and cherry together. I never thought to make cookies, though.