Chef notes
This recipe is for Mimouna, a celebration that marks the end of Passover in Moroccan Jewish culture, Chaya Rappoport, culinary manager at Jewish Food Society, tells TODAY. It's all about enjoying sweet desserts to begin eating leavened food again. Ruth Stulman, who created the recipe for these cookies, grew up baking them in Rabat, Morocco. She continued the tradition when her family moved to Virginia, inviting the whole neighborhood to partake. Mimouna is a beautiful moment of joy and freedom, and these cookies are delicate, light and crunchy — plus, they're gluten-free and Passover approved!
Technique tip: The cookies keep nicely in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Swap option: You can substitute rosewater for orange blossom water or even vanilla extract if you prefer. I also like drizzling these with chocolate and flaky salt!
Ingredients
- 2½ cups raw pistachios
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon rose water
Preparation
1.Put the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Transfer the nuts to a large bowl, add the sugar and salt, and stir to mix.
2.Whisk together the egg, egg yolk and rosewater, then pour into the nut mixture, and stir to blend. Chill the cookie dough for about 30 minutes.
3.Place the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4.To shape the cookies, scoop up 2 heaping teaspoons of dough for each one and drop in a single mound onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between the cookies.
5.Bake until lightly golden and slightly browned around the edges, 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pans top to bottom and front to back about halfway through the cooking time. Let cool on a wire rack.
