I love nuts. I love cookies. When you put those two things together, how can you NOT win? As an added bonus, this particular recipe yields cookies which are dense and crispy, just slightly softer than a biscotti. For a tea drinker/dipper, this kind of treat is nothing but perfection.

I found the recipe in an old cookbook from a Texas chapter of Junior League (random, I know), and I am a big, big fan.

Here's what you need:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
5 cups cake flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1 7-ounce bag shredded coconut
2 cups shelled pistachios
4 cups cornflakes, crushed

This baking adventure was instigated by my daughter, so she had the pleasure of crushing the corn flakes.Beat the butter and sugars together until creamy, then add the eggs and continue beating.In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to it's well mixed.Gradually incorporate the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. This was close to the capacity of my bowl, so we had to go slowly and had to scrape the dough out of the beater!At this point, we divided the dough between the two bowls (the one which had held the sugar and the one with the flour). Add the corn flakes and nuts and using your hands, knead into the dough.Shape the dough into logs and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm. After the dough chills, using a serrated bread knife, cut into slices. Place cookies 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart on a non-stick cookie sheet (or use a silpat as below) and bake at 325 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before moving to a wire cookie rack.Brew up some tea and enjoy!!

Pistachio Cookies