Coconut Pistachio Cookies

It's "Sweet-Tooth" Saturday so I thought I'd share one of my favorite cookie recipes from my new cookbook, Quick-Fix Vegan. These flavorful Coconut-Pistachio Cookies have a sublime elegance about them, owing to their snowy white color with flecks of green pistachio.  They mix up quickly in the food processor, then you just roll out the dough and cut it into your favorite shapes. Recipe tester (and baker extraordinaire) Lea Jacobson (who also took this photo) came up with the idea of  using a pastry cutter to cut the dough into squares (or rectangles) which was quicker and easier than using a cookie cutter -- and no wasted dough scraps. For variations, you can use nuts other than pistachios, and, you can use a gluten-free flour blend to make these delectable cookies gluten-free.

Many thanks to all who are already enjoying their copies of Quick-Fix Vegan.  Please help me spread the word about this new book by posting reviews on Amazon or B and N, as well as on your blog and Facebook.

Coconut Pistachio Cookies

I love the elegant look of these white cookies with flecks of green pistachio. And their taste is sublime. You can cut them in any shape you want, or simply roll the dough into a rectangle and use a pastry cutter to cut squares — quick, easy, and best of all, no waste.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegan butter, at room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup chopped pistachios

1/3 cup flaked coconut

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

In a food processor combine the sugar, cream cheese,  and vegan butter, and process until smooth and well blended. Add the flour and baking powder, and process until well combined. Do not overprocess. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the pistachios and coconut. 

Mix well then transfer the cookie dough to a flat work surface between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment.  Roll out to 1/2-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter, pastry cutter, or small drinking glass to cut out the cookies and arrange them on the cookie sheets. 

Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool for several minutes before serving.

Makes about 2 dozen

Oops, Ms. Mitzki just reminded me that it's also "Caturday" and time for another lovely kitty photo: