These crispy Kesar Pista Shortbread Cookies are loaded with Indian flavors and are perfect to make for the upcoming festive season (vegetarian).

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About Kesar Pista Cookies

Kesar Pista Shortbread Cookies are buttery, delicious, melt-in-mouth cookies loaded with kesar (saffron) and pistachios.

These cookies are eggless and come together in no time using simple ingredients.

Serve them with your evening masala chai and coffee or as snacks for festivals like Diwali, Holi, etc.

These are also great to carry for your travels or road trips, pack for school or office lunch box, or gift as a homemade food gift for friends.

You can double or triple the recipe for a bigger crowd.

Ingredients

Flour – This recipe uses all-purpose flour (maida).

To make the cookies healthier, you can replace half of the all-purpose with whole wheat flour (atta).

Saffron – Use good quality saffron threads for the best flavor.

Pistachios – Sliver the pistachios to add to the cookies. Avoid using salted pistachios, they won’t work in this recipe.

Butter – Use unsalted cooking butter to make these cookies.

Powdered Sugar – Powder the regular sugar in a grinder and use it in the recipe.

You will also need cardamom powder and dried rose petals.

Measure the ingredients correctly for the best result. I use standard cup and spoon measurements to measure my ingredients.

Refrigerating the dough before cutting it into pieces is important for the butter to set well.

Store these Kesar Pista Cookies in an airtight container for about a month. Close the lid tightly after every use.

These crispy Kesar Pista Shortbread Cookies are loaded with Indian flavors and are perfect to make for the upcoming festive season.

5 from 1 vote

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Vegetarian

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 20

Resting Time: 30

Total Time: 55

Servings: people

Calories: 157kcal

In a large bowl, whisk the softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the saffron soaked in milk and whisk again for a minute.
Add all-purpose flour, cardamom powder, dried rose petals, and pistachios to the bowl and bring everything together using your hands or a silicon spatula to make a soft dough.
If the dough looks dry, then add a tablespoon or two of milk.
Divide the dough into half. Roll each half into a tight 10" round or squarish log.
Place the logs carefully on a parchment-lined baking tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180C).
Cut each log into ⅛-inch thick slices. Shape the pieces using your fingers and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking tray keeping some distance between each piece.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are light golden in color.
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. They will crisp up as they cool.
Make all the cookies in the same manner.
Store the cooled cookies in an air-tight jar and serve!