What is it about spring and pistachios?! It must be the green—they hardly cross my mind until about March, and then I find them (and color!) especially irresistible. Using salted, roasted pistachios in these cookies balances the jammy sweetness of Turkish apricots and mellow white chocolate, an intriguing flavor and texture combination bound together by a chewy buckwheat oatmeal dough. There’s something wholesome about them, which means that they’re slightly dangerous to have around…they seem appropriate for breakfast, they’re the perfect afternoon pick-me-up, and there’s so much going on that you always need one more bite. Enjoy!
Buckwheat Pistachio, Apricot, & White Chocolate Cookies
yields around 1.5 dozen
Ingredients:
100 g (generous 3/4 cup) buckwheat flour
3/4 t kosher salt
1/4 t baking soda
25 g (1/4 cup) tapioca flour/starch
1/8 t cinnamon
pinch of cardamom
80 g (1/4 c + 2 T) light brown sugar
50 g (1/4 c) granulated sugar
90 g (1 cup) old-fashioned rolled oats
4 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped
60 g (1/2 c) roasted, salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
65 g (1/2 c) quartered Turkish dried apricots*
114 g (1 stick, 1/2 c) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
*Turkish apricots are unsulphured, which means they’re darker, softer, and sweeter than the brighter, more “tart” and easier-to-find California variety.
Directions:
Whisk together the buckwheat flour, salt, baking soda, tapioca flour, brown sugar, and sugar together in a medium-large bowl. Add the sugar and whisk to combine, manually breaking down chunks of brown sugar if necessary. Whisk in the oats. Finally add the white chocolate, pistachios, and apricots and stir with a spatula to disperse evenly throughout the dry mixture.
In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour into the dry mixture, and stir until a homogenous dough comes together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate (or freeze) for about 2 hours, or up to a few days.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into balls about 1.5” in diameter and set 2” apart on the prepared sheet. Flatten slightly with your palm, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the tops are puffed and the edges are golden.
