Today is my 29th birthday.
Just so you all know, I will perpetually be celebrating my 29th birthday … and today marks my seventh 29th birthday celebration. 😉 I decided a few days ago, that I needed to celebrate a little early this year, by baking some of my all-time favorite cookies. And I was not about to bake anything on my birthday (this day is reserved for coffee, Christmas music, watching movies with my kids, and general laziness…at least, however much laziness one can actually achieve with 3 kids who demand your attention every second of the day…two of which are dealing with lovely earaches). So needless to say, I’m glad I took time earlier this week to make myself some birthday cookies.
While I’m on the subject, may I ask…why do we call them cookies?! They aren’t cooked. They are baked. In the oven. This is something that has eluded me for several years. So much, in fact, that in our house, Mountain Man and I call them bakies. We haven’t trained our monkeys kiddos to call them by their proper name yet. We are fully aware of the stigma society places on those of us on a higher level playing field, and we just don’t want to subject our kids to that ridicule so early in their lives. That is something that will come soon enough.
And if you took any of that seriously, relax… and go make these “cookies”. It’ll be the best thing you do this week. I promise.
Now, these bakies are not what you would call “healthy”, but by being extra picky with your ingredients, they make an extremely delicious and semi-guilt free treat. Plus, if your kids are anything like my Nugget, and cringe when they see “green” in their food, then you’ll be able to keep these all to yourself, without having to go through the rigamarole of hiding them. Mom win!
These bakies are the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and crunchy and chewy. The first time I made these, was kind of an act of desperation, when I found out the bag of pistachios I purchased were unsalted. Yuck. I don’t know about you, but I can’t just kick back, and chow down on plain, unsalted pistachios.
So I took to the never-let-me-down-before Pinterest for some pistachio recipe inspiration. Now, I’m of the camp that nuts, in general, do not belong in desserts. Walnuts in brownies? Shame on you. What a way to ruin perfectly good brownies. (I’m looking at you, Chick-fil-a) But for some reason the idea of these “cookies” actually appealed to me. I took a leap of faith and I am so glad I did! They quickly became a favorite of mine and Mountain Man’s, and they have scored a spot on the ever-coveted Crunchy Mountain Life Family’s dessert rotation.
- 3/4 cup chopped, unsalted pistachios (shells removed)
- 1 cup chopped dark or semi-sweet chocolate (we love the Enjoy Life brand)
- 1 1/2 cup white whole wheat King Arthur flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter - room temperature
- 1/4 cup organic raw cane sugar
- 3/4 cup packed organic light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- sea salt for sprinkling on top of cookies
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer if preferred), cream together butter and sugars, until fluffy - approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Add egg and vanilla and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Turn mixture to low and slowly add the flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
- Add pistachios and chocolate, and stir to combine.
- Spoon out and roll dough into tablespoon size balls, and place on baking sheet, placing them at least 2 inches apart.
- Sprinkle the dough balls with sea salt, and bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool about 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy!
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to get your feedback and hear how you liked these bakies!! If you post a picture of this, use the hashtag #CrunchyMountainLife so I can find your recipe pictures! <3
