Lemon-Pistachio Wreaths

190 Ratings
  • 5 33
  • 4 63
  • 3 48
  • 2 39
  • 1 7

Pistachios help make these cookies look festive for the holidays.

Martha Stewart Living, December 2006

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Recipe Summary

Yield:
Makes about 4 dozen
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter and granulated sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

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  • Preheat oven to 350. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a generous 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch round fluted cutter, cut out wreaths. Reroll scraps, and cut out. Cut out centers of wreaths using a 7/8-inch round cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake until just golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks.

  • Stir together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Dip surface of each cookie in icing, and sprinkle with pistachios. Let set on wire racks.

Cook's Notes

Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

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Reviews (16)

190 Ratings
  • 5 33
  • 4 63
  • 3 48
  • 2 39
  • 1 7
Martha Stewart Member
12/13/2018
These are the bomb! I added dried cranberries with the pistachios on top to give it a festive look and it added great flavor too. I make these every year and they are the most loved cookie among my friends and family.
Martha Stewart Member
12/05/2013
I followed the recipe exactly today and am a tad disappointed. The dough, as others have said, was very crumbly at rolling time, even after some kneading. Upon persevering, I managed to make 30 wreaths, 3 of which fell apart once cooked. When making the wreaths, definitely cut the inner shape out once the cookie is already on the baking tray or it will all break. I may find another cookie dough recipe and make this again, as the result looks very pretty, though I haven't iced mine just yet!
Martha Stewart Member
12/23/2012
The cornstarch is correct and the dough turned out nicely for me, without the addition of milk. 4 dozen isn't going to happen though. Am decorating with chopped pistachios and chopped bits of dried cranberries. Overall, a simple and flavorful recipe that I will remake.
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Martha Stewart Member
12/23/2012
I found this cookie dough to be very hard to work. It was crumbly and there's no way I would ever get 4 dozen cookies. It took me hours to make and decorate. I won't make these again.
Martha Stewart Member
12/18/2010
Thank you so much for the tip about the dash of milk! Same thing happened with my dough (too crumbly to even form in a disk). I added the milk and the dough is fine!
Martha Stewart Member
12/11/2010
Also found this dough impossible to roll out as it was too flaky. I put it back in the mixer and added a dash of 2% milk which fixed it. I chopped the pistachio more than coarsely and it worked. Pretty colors and delicate flavor.
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Martha Stewart Member
12/09/2010
I agree with turkeymim. The dough is dry and difficult to work with. I couldn't get 4 dozen cookies out of this recipe, even rolling it out thinner than suggested. The lemon glaze recipe is off as well. Coursely chopped pistachios are too big for such a thin, delicate cookie. Cute idea, but did anyone test it? I may use a traditional cut-out cookie recipe to make similar looking cookies.
Martha Stewart Member
11/24/2010
We had so much difficulty rolling tis dough out! It was soo dry and crumbly! Any suggestions? We did follow the directions to a tee.
Martha Stewart Member
12/26/2008
Super easy and delicious. I made a few modifs : I swapped 25% of flour with almond powder, made the icing with lime and sprinkled not only pistachios but candied orange peels and dried blackcurrant. Beautiful and dellllicious :p Great recipe !!
Martha Stewart Member
12/23/2008
These cookies are fantastic! Easy to make, beautiful, and delicious. Making the icing very runny, and scraping off the excess from the top dip keeps the icing from being overwhelming.
Martha Stewart Member
12/19/2008
I find when I'm making cookies with a cutout center, I put the whole cookie on the baking sheet and cut out the center and remove from there. It makes it easier to maintain the overall shape if they are delicate. Also using kitchen tongs (my FAVORITE tool) works well for dipping the frosting. Dip with tongs in your dominate hand and flip onto rack with other one.
Martha Stewart Member
12/19/2008
I found these very easy to make and a wonderful departure from the usual. Roll the dough inside a large zip lock bag (cut two sides open) and it's a cinch. Delicious, easy and beautiful! To answer the question below, I used the recipe as written and it came out great, so I assume that means the cornstarch amount is correct.
Martha Stewart Member
12/18/2008
These cookies are amazing, especially if you want a break from chocolate and caramel! My mother and sister both shared them at work and said they were gone within five minutes. I also spread the icing instead of dipping. For the lemon glaze, I added a little vanilla extract to give it a richer flavor. Yum!
Martha Stewart Member
12/18/2008
These cookies are amazing, especially if you want a break from chocolate and caramel! My mother and sister both shared them at work and said they were gone within five minutes. I also spread the icing instead of dipping. For the lemon glaze, I added a little vanilla extract to give it a richer flavor. Yum!
Martha Stewart Member
12/17/2008
I haven't made these yet but when getting the ingredients together I just want to dbl check on the amount of cornstarch...Is it correct?
Martha Stewart Member
12/14/2008
These were pretty simple to make but I spread icing on rather than dipping as it was messy to dip. A little time consuming but easy and very impressive and delicious.
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