TWD: Ginormous Strawberry and Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies

Winter must have read my haiku because it looks like it has finally left the Northern Hemisphere.

You can all thank me later.

But in all seriousness, it seems that the dreary days of rain, sleet, snow, and holing up at home until the thermometer passes 40F on a consistent basis are over.  Birds have returned North, singing their lovely songs as they perch on tree branches adorned with tiny green buds.  I can hear the sounds of children playing on the streets of Manhattan below.  I can run outdoors and feel the cool breeze of the Hudson River caress my face as I run along Riverside Park, or smell the nascent flowers as I join the joggers in Central Park to get my daily dose of cardio.  The only thing missing are the sounds of lawnmowers mowing and the smell of fresh cut grass, but unfortunately there is very little grass in Manhattan, so I'll just have to recall those scents and sounds from my childhood memories. Or find a patch of grass and wait until someone comes and mows it, but that would just be weird. 

 

I have recently stocked up on delicious, fresh strawberries that only cost $3.50 a pint ($3.50 a pint!) from the vegetable carts on the street.  They are one of my favorite things about this city. I can buy crappy strawberries at the supermarket for $6.00 a pint ($6.00 a pint!) or I can get them from the wily vendor on the street corner who always tries to get me to spend more money by offering me a taste of a cherry, then placing a whole bag of cherries in my hand to get me to buy them, but I'm smarter than that and resist his advances. So away I walk with my deliciously inexpensive strawberries, humming to myself as I walk back to my apartment, passing young mothers on their daily walks with baby carriages in tow and dogs trailing by their sides.

I love Spring. 

These are the perfect spring cookie.  I wanted to change the flavors from raspberry and hazelnuts to strawberries and pistachios to celebrate the oncoming of the new season.  I followed the traditional route and cooked some strawberry jam, spooned it into the depths of the cookie, and waited for it to cool so it would become deliciously smooth and slightly chewy to contrast with the soft crunch of the cookie, but I also decided to macerate some strawberries and pool the freshly macerated strawberries into the thumb-made canyon of the cookies. Now THOSE were extraordinary.  The sweet, juicy strawberries still had a little texture and were absolutely phenomenal.  If me trying this cookie were a daytime commercial, little cartoon birds would have flown around my head as I raised my head and took a deep breath and smiled as I chewed as the voiceover artist spoke my inner monologue. But beware, they need to be eaten right away, because the macerated strawberries will make the cookies soft and they will fall apart.  But eating them right away was fine by me. 

 

Happy Spring. :) 

 

Check out Mike of Ugly Dude Food for the recipe and don't forget to look at the rest of TWD!

Comments

[vibi]

Pistachios must have been really nice in those... plus it gives them a nice tender greenish colour! Perfect for Spring!

[Amy]

We have to eat all of your strawberry and pistachio cookies quickly, eh? Twist my arm! Those look fantastic.

[Leslie]

You made your own jam. Of course you did. I'm glad you are getting to experience spring!

[Cathy]

These look delicious! Perfect way to usher in spring (please God let it be here for good!) I love the pistachio/strawberry combo!

[Alta]

These sound so delicious! I'll help you eat them!

[jenn (Bread + Butter)]

I've been making non-wintery eats lately, too. I think we're all ready for winter to be over. Fabulous cookies. Definitely worthy of the Spring fever waiting to happen.

[Mike]

Another nut in my freezer that needs to come out - pistachios... brilliant! These look fabulous - and I agree - the perfect spring cookie!

[Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction]

Very pretty! They look like spring on a plate. :)

[Lauryn]

Happy Sring to you too! I love the changes you made to these! They look absoutely wonderful!!

[Rebecca]

Those strawberries are gorgeous! The fruit carts were one of my favorite parts about living in NYC.

[Mary]

They look amazing! I love pistachios and those are very spring-y. I used almonds and lemon curd, but I was thinking about rhubarb, cause that's a sure sign of spring too!

[Mimi]

I love the fresh strawberries in the cookies.
Mimi

[DailyChef]

Fresh strawberries! Pistachios! And best of all...ginormous cookies! I love everything about this recipe :)

[Julessomeone]

Those look delicious! And I love the strawberry/pistachio combo.

[CB]

Oooh pistachios! and strawberries... Yum! I'm definitely gonna have to give that one a try. Please don't think less of me but I had to look up "macerate" in the dictionary. I mean like I knew what it meant. It was on the tip of my tongue but I couldn't quite come up with the definition in my own words. Macerate- verb (used with object): to soften or separate into parts by steeping in a liquid. Now it's my word of the day! HA HA!
-CB
http://iheartfood4thought.com

[Jennifer]

Didn't you get my message? As I passed through New York on Saturday, I flung some blue skies and sunshine and warmer temps off the George Washington bridge in your direction.:) I brought them all the way from sunny North Carolina.:)

Your thumbprints look jammalicious!

[carolina little]

T, you did it again! Your posts just are awesome! I love your site.

[Romaine]

Pistachios?? Inspired!

[Sara Tea]

I love pistachios AND strawberries. What a great concept. Gotta try these asap. You are the best for inspiration!

[Carol Peterman]

Yum. We don't get beautiful strawberries for $3.50 a pint at street stalls this time of year in Seattle. After the winter you have been through you deserve a little fresh berry heaven!