Chewy Sugar Cookies with White Chocolate, Pistachios & Cherries

CHEWY SUGAR COOKIES with WHITE CHOCOLATE, PISTACHIOS & CHERRIES

12/16/2018

If you love chewy sugar cookies, you are going to ADORE these buttery Sugar Cookies with White Chocolate & Pistachios! These are chewy and thick bakery-style sugar cookies that you will fall in love with, bite after bite! Drizzle with white chocolate, and sprinkle with a few chopped pistachios and dried cherries and these are sublime!

Sugar cookies are the perfect Christmas cookie, and we make more than a few varieties each year - bakery style, old-fashioned, chewy, decorated with buttercream or royal icing, and lots of sprinkles! But these Chewy Sugar Cookies with White Chocolate, Pistachios & Cherries may be the most perfect of them all! Start with a perfect soft and chewy cookie that is wonderful all by itself, but the ribbons of white chocolate and a pop of green and red color from the pistachios and dried cherries take these to a new level. They disappeared faster than I could put them out!

Sugar Cookies with White Chocolate, Pistachios & Cherries

For perfect Chewy Sugar Cookies, start with Pure & Simple Ingredients....

Unsalted Butter
Granulated Sugar
Fresh Eggs
Pure Vanilla Extract
All-Purpose Flour
Cornstarch
Cream of Tartar
Baking Soda, Baking Powder & Salt
Good Quality White Chocolate (Ghirardelli or Guittard)
Lightly Salted Fresh Pistachios
Dried Cherries

Like most good cookies, you will want to prepare the cookie dough the day before you intend to bake them. This allows the flavors and ingredients to mingle and create the perfect texture! Don't overbeat your butter and sugar, as the extra air this pumps into the cookie dough will cause your cookies to rise high and fall flat when you bake them.

A good chill overnight, a roll in granulated sugar and these will bake into the softest, chewiest sugar cookies ever.

Chewy Sugar Cookies with White Chocolate, Pistachios & Cherries

Once your cookies have completely cooled, drizzle with melted White Chocolate, and then sprinkle right away with chopped pistachios and dried sweet cherries. So colorful and so good - this new recipe disappeared like yesterday. Double batches next time!

What is your favorite kind of sugar cookie?

Chewy Sugar cookies with White Chocolate, Pistachios & Cherries

CHEWY SUGAR COOKIES with WHITE CHOCOLATE, PISTACHIOS & CHERRIES

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (8 oz.) unsalted butter (softened)
1-1/2 cups (320g) granulated sugar
1 large egg (room temperature)
1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
1-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-3/4 cups (390g) all-purpose flour (sifted & spooned to measure)
1 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

For Decorating:
4 ounces white chocolate (good quality – Ghirardelli or Guittard)
½ cup chopped pistachios (lightly salted variety)
1/3 cup chopped dried cherries

HOW I MAKE THESE:

1. Set butter and eggs out on counter to come to room temperature.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. BE CAREFUL not to overbeat your butter and sugar, as overmixing will add too much air into the butter. This air, when baking your cookies, will cause the cookies to rise and then fall flat.

4. Blend in eggs and egg yolk until well blended, add in vanilla.

5. Add half of the flour mixture at a time, and mix on low speed just until combined; add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined.

6. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the cookie dough from the fridge 10 minutes before you want to start baking, and keep the dough chilled between batches.

8. Using a medium cookie scoop (OXO 40 – 1-1/2 tablespoon size), roll into balls. Roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar and place on prepared pans, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 11-13 minutes - edges should be set and just starting to turn golden brown. Baking time may vary according to the size of your cookies.

9. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on cookie sheet before removing.

10. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over lightly simmering water or in a microwave at 50% power in 30 second increments, until melted.

11. Drizzle the white chocolate over one half of each cookie, immediately sprinkle with chopped pistachios and a few chopped dried cherries.

12. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze.

YIELD: 36 cookies

NOTES: These freeze well for up to 2 months – simply layer in single layers on parchment paper – I usually use the same parchment paper that these baked on – simply cut to the size of your container and load it up!

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