Slice-and-Bake Pistachio Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup shelled raw pistachio nuts
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse until they are chopped very fine, stopping before they turn dusty or begin to break down into a paste. Scrape them onto a rimmed baking sheet and set them aside.
2. For the dough, measure the flour into the food processor by scooping it with the measuring cup, then leveling the top with the dull side of a butter knife. Measure the sugar the same way, or weigh your ingredients instead. Add the salt and pulse a few times, just to combine the dry mixture. Cut the butter into a few pieces, scatter it over the flour mixture, and pulse only until crumbly. In a small bowl, use a fork to blend the yolk with the vanilla so they combine more easily, then add the mixture to the food processor, using a rubber spatula to get every bit from the bowl. Pulse in about 15 long bursts, stopping when the dough gathers into large, damp clumps. If the dough still looks dry or refuses to clump, leave it at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes so the butter can soften a bit more, then pulse again.
3. Tip the dough onto the counter and bring the clumps together with your hands into a ball. Knead it against the counter once or twice, just until it holds together and looks smooth; don’t overdo it. The dough should be smooth and pliable, like firm modeling dough. Cut it in half with a bench scraper or knife. Roll each half under your palms into a smooth log 13-to-14-inches long and 3/4-inch wide. Halve both logs once more so you have 4 shorter logs.
4. Coat the logs one at a time in the chopped pistachios, pressing gently so the nuts cling to the dough all around.
5. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least an hour. The logs may also stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or be frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw them overnight in the fridge before baking.
6. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. With a small sharp knife, slice the chilled logs into 1/4-inch rounds. If some pistachios slip off, press them right back onto the dough. Space the cookies 1-inch apart on the baking sheets.
7. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the pistachios around the edges just start to brown. The cookies should be firm and set, but not golden. Slide the parchment, cookies and all, onto wire racks and cool completely.
8. Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.