Almond Pistachio Cookies with Saffron Icing

We had invited a couple of friends over for dinner yesterday, and, for a change, the men had the pleasure of cooking, while the women had to make do with the consolation prize of spreading out on the couch and watching a movie. The food was delicious, but the kitchen was left a complete and utter mess.

So, after spending half the night cleaning up, my kitchen looked again like "my" kitchen. And to celebrate the spring cleaning, I made these cookies today. As I have mentioned in a previous post, saffron is my absolute favourite spice. It combines very well with Almonds and Pistachios, the flavor as well as the colour. 

Ingredients 

140 gram - whole wheat flour (atta)

5 tbsp - sunflower oil

7 tbsp - low fat milk

6 tbsp - muscovado sugar / castor sugar

1/4 tsp - vanilla essence

1/4 cup - almonds, blanched and sliced thinly

1/4 cup - pistachio, coarsely powdered

1/4 tsp - bicarbonate of soda

a pinch of salt

Icing - 2 1/2 tbsp castor sugar, a few drops of warm milk and a few strands of saffron.  (mix everything together)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degree C and line a baking tray.
2. Mix together the oil, milk, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl.
3. In another bowl, mix together the flour, almond slices pistachio, salt and bicaarbonate of soda.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the liquid mixture and mix lightly with a wooden spoon. Do not overmix.
5. Scoop 1 tsp of the mixture and roll into balls. Place them on the lined baking tray, spaced well apart and flatten slightly.
6. Place the tray in the centre of the oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of a cookie, comes out clean.
7. Let the cookies cool in the tray for 5 minutes and then transfer them on a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Drizzle the icing on the cookies. Leave to set.

Makes 15 cookies

These Cookies were ready in a jiffy, looked pretty, and were an absolute melt in the mouth...

These Cookies goes to Sara's Cakes and Cookies Event

and to Mahimaa's Kitchen Cakes and Cookies Event.

Enjoy!