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Sourdough Shortbread Cookies with Soft Wheat and Pistachios
A good cookie on a cold winter’s day along with a warm cup of cocoa or coffee is the best! In the holiday season’s hustle, the smell of freshly baked cookies brings comfort and joy to home. My Sourdough Wheat Shortbread Cookies with pistachios incorporate a unique blend of flavors and nutrition to a traditional holiday treat.
This shortbread cookie recipe blends two wholesome ingredients: soft wheat berries and tangy sourdough discard. While these may seem like unexpected additions, they enhance the shortbread cookies, both in flavor and nutrition.
Why Soft Wheat Flour?
I like a dose of healthy with my indulgences. Adding whole wheat helps me feel good about what my family eats. And these sourdough shortbread cookies with pistachios can handle the extra wheat.
Soft wheat brings an intriguing texture to shortbread, imparting a subtle nuttiness that perfectly complements the rich, buttery base of classic shortbread. The lower protein and less gluten strength of soft wheat make it a great flour for cookies. Besides adding depth to the flavor, soft wheat berries offer additional nutrients, including fiber and essential minerals.
Note: Soft wheat is synonymous with whole wheat pastry flour.
Sourdough Discard for Cookies
Beyond the delightful tang it brings, using discard in baking reduces waste. I hate to throw out discard. Even though it is meant to be discarded when feeding your starter, I like to toss mine into another bake and make the most of it. Furthermore, discard introduces beneficial probiotics to doughs, fostering a gut-friendly element to these delectable treats.
If you don’t have a sourdough starter, use equal amounts of flour and liquid to replace the weight. For example, you could incorporate AP flour with sour cream, yogurt, milk, or water.
Turbinado Sugar Roll
Don’t skip rolling the shortbread cookie dough in turbinado sugar. The rim of sugar adds texture and flavor to these cookies. The crispy sugary crunch of the turbinado balances the tang from the butter and sourdough in the cookies. And since my shortbread recipe is low in sugar, the cookies can handle a touch of sugar on the edges. If you wish to get fancy, you could use a naturally colored decorating sugar.
Nutritional Benefits from Pistachios, Wheat & Sourdough
Rich in healthy fats, pistachios lend a satisfying crunch and a boost of antioxidants. Soft wheat berries contribute dietary fiber, aiding digestion and providing a spectrum of essential nutrients for a wholesome indulgence. Lastly, sourdough discard adds to gut health through probiotics (by creating more digestible dough) and fiber.
My recipe for sourdough wheat shortbread cookies with pistachios was inspired by Karen DeMasco’s Pecan Shortbread cookies from her 2009 cookbook The Craft of Baking. Her recipe is more traditional with all-purpose flour, but she also incorporates pecans and an entire vanilla bean. If you have the luxury of having a vanilla bean on hand — by all means use it! It imparts an amazing flavor.
Holiday Shortbread Cookie Gift Ideas
These sourdough shortbread cookies make wonderful gifts for neighbors and friends, especially during the holidays. Wrap the pistachio shortbread carefully in clear cellophane bags tied with festive ribbons or place them in decorative cookie tins lined with parchment or doilies. You could even gift the frozen dough for others to make at their leisure.
Regardless if you plan to gift these cookies or keep them to yourself, sourdough shortbread cookies are the perfect indulgence. Not just for their delightful taste, but also for the wholesome goodness they bring.
Pistachio shortbread cookies are great with a steaming cup of chai, hot chocolate, coffee, mulled wine, or even a glass of wine.
While my sourdough wheat shortbread cookies with pistachios are touted as “healthy” alternatives to traditional shortbread, don’t forget a mindset of moderation. Be it that these are so delicious, it is hard to only eat one!
Let us know what you think, and while you’re here why don’t you check out some of our other desserts and sourdough recipes?
Sourdough Wheat Shortbread Cookies with Pistachios
Ingredients
- 75 g pistachios 2/3 cups coarsely chopped
- 140 g unsalted butter 10 tablespoons, 1 1/4 sticks
- 70 g confectioners’ sugar heaping 1/2 cup
- 2 pinches vanilla bean powder 1/4 teaspoon
- 2 grams vanilla bean paste 1/2 teaspoon
- 3 grams fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon
- 85 grams sourdough discard 1/3 cup
- 135 g soft wheat berries ground into flour, or substitute 1 cup wheat pastry flour
- 60 g all-purpose flour 1/2 cup
- 25 g turbinado sugar 3 tablespoons, for coating outside of cookie dough log
- 1 large egg yolk lightly beaten (for turbinado sugar to stick to dough log)
Instructions
- Chop pistachios until coarsely chopped. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla bean powder, vanilla bean paste, and sea salt until fluffy for about 3 minutes.
- Gradually add the sourdough discard, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Combine the soft wheat flour and all-purpose flour in a separate bowl.
- In 3 batches, add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined at a low speed.
- Fold in the chopped pistachios until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap or parchment on the counter and place the dough on it. Shape it into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the log and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm.
- Preheat your convection oven to 325°F (165°C). For a conventional oven, 350°F (175°C) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Brush the outside of the dough log with the beaten egg yolk. Roll the log in the turbinado sugar until coated.
- Cut the log into slices about 1/2 inch thick and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes for convection or around 20 minutes for conventional or until the edges are lightly golden. If using multiple baking sheets, rotate in the oven from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Sourdough Tang/Substitution: The addition of sourdough discard lends a subtle tanginess to these cookies, complementing the nutty pistachio flavor. If you do not have sourdough starter, substitute equal amounts flour and water.
- Texture and Flavor: Soft wheat flour introduces a pleasant texture, balancing the richness of the buttery shortbread.
- Chilling Time: Refrigerating the dough log before slicing helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.
- Freezable Make/Ahead Dough: This cookie dough can be frozen for up to a month.
- Customizable Thickness: Feel free to adjust the thickness of the cookies for your preferred texture—thinner slices will be crisper, while thicker ones will offer more chewiness.
- Customizable Nuts: If you’d like, substitute pecans or walnuts for the pistachios. You may also omit the nuts altogether.
