Ingredients
⅔cuppistachios,shelled
⅔cupbrown sugar,packed light or dark, divided
2½cupsall-purpose flour,spoon & leveled plus more for rolling out
½tspbaking powder
1tspground cinnamon
½tspsalt
1cupunsalted butter,softened to room temperature
1large egg,at room temperature
1½tsppure vanilla extract
½cupraspberry jam or jelly
2tbspconfectioners’ sugar
Preparation
Place the pistachios and 1/3 cup of the brown sugar in a food processor. Pulse into a very fine crumb. Set aside.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and remaining brown sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute.
Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.
Add the flour mixture and the ground pistachio mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined.
Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, gently flatten into discs, and wrap each in plastic wrap.
Chill the discs in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
Remove 1 disc of chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. Generously flour a work surface, as well as your hands and the rolling pin. The dough may become sticky as you work, so keep extra flour nearby to use as needed.
Roll out the disc until 1/4-inch thick. Using a 2-inch round or fluted cookie cutter, cut dough into circles. Reroll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Repeat with the second disc of dough. You should have about 64 circles.
Using a 1-inch round or fluted cookie cutter, cut a hole into the center of the cookies.
Arrange the whole circles and the donut cookies 2-inch apart and on separate baking sheets.
Bake the whole circles for about 11 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges, and bake the donut cookies for about 10 minutes.
Rotate the baking sheets halfway through the bake time. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
Dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar, then transfer all of the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before assembling.
Spread 1/2 teaspoon of jam on each whole cookie. Carefully top each with a donut cookie and press down gently to create a cookie sandwich.
Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
