Cardamom & Pistachio Cookies

Cookies? Biscuits? I had to pause and think for a minute which category these little gems belong to. What’s the difference between biscuits and cookies? Here in England we have something called scones. Scones are fluffy and delicious and I have never thought about calling them anything else but scones. Because scones are scones you know? But then I have seen on many blogs scones being called biscuits. Whaaaaaaaaat. Mind melt. So not only there are scones and there are biscuits and there are cookies but also there is such a difference between not only what people from different countries call something but also what individuals call it. It’s gets so incredibly confusing! When I asked Christoph what he thought these were he said: “I think cookies as they are soft inside. Biscuits have a harder consistency. No? Erm. I think. Gosh I don’t know”. So there you go folks, that’s how I decided these were cookies. That and the fact for me biscuits are more like this. But for you they may be biscuits. Or something else entirely! But regardless of what you call them they taste incredible. Make them. Eat them. And then you can decide what they are for you. There is nothing like a tasty cookie or biscuit with a warm cup of coffee – or tea – to lift your spirits. It’s quite a comforting ritual, whether you are a biscuit dunker or a cookie muncher. Or both. Or a mix. Or neither. Wait, no that doesn’t work… Oh and the cardamom. It’s one of my favourite spices despite the fact I had never used in baking before. The very first time I got hooked on cardamom in baking was when I went to visit my best friend in Sweden many years ago and she had a box of cardamom biscuits. It was love at first bite. I think I pretty much ate the whole tub. I brought one home and then my friend send me more in the post. Obsessed right? But man they were delicious. She has since moved from Sweden so no more cardamom biscuits for me. Sad times. Since then I have been wanting to bake my own version of cardamon cookies/biscuits. And I was reminded of this by a few cardamom blog posts I have seen recently. Et voilá! It all came together in these Cardamom and Pistachio Cookies. Craving sorted. One word about cardamom though: it has a very strong flavour. I adore that but for some it might be too much which is why I added a note on the amount of cardamom to use here. For me it was perfect but you might want to use less. If you are unfamiliar with it I would recommend starting with a little bit first. And if you love it as much as I do you can up it in your next recipe. Cardamom & Pistachio Cookies Ingredients: 100g soft butter 125g sugar 220g self-raising flour 1 egg 4 tbsp of ground pistachios 1tbsp (or less according to taste) of ground cardamom Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Get your cardamom pods and remove the seeds setting them aside. Blitz the seeds so that it is all nice and ground. The smell is divine! Mix the butter with the sugar. Add you egg, 3 tbsp pistachios and all the cardamom. Sift in the flour. Mix it all in together so it forms a nice even mixture. This is when you can use an ice cream scoop to make sure that your cookies will all be the same size. I don’t have one so my cookies were not exactly the same but close enough 😛 Scoop little bits of dough on a lined tray, spacing them as they grow a little. Press down with the palm of your hand and sprinkle with a little of the leftover pistachios. Bake for 10-14 min depending on your oven and how you like your cookies. I’m taking these to this week’s Fiesta Friday, co-hosted by  Loretta @ Safari Of The Mind and Caroline @ Caroline’s Cooking, to enjoy with a delicious cup of coffee and a chat! Much love xoxo