Lemon Pistachio Sandwich Cookies

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Lemon Pistachio Sandwich Cookies

These sweet and tart Lemon Pistachio Sandwich Cookies are perfect for Christmas! The buttery pistachio shortbread cookies are kissed with a touch of cardamom to make them even more unique, and then filled with a creamy lemon frosting.

Prep Time: 1 40

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 2

Servings: 30 cookies

Calories: 190kcal

Author: Nicole Gaffney

Ingredients

For the Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
⅓ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom optional
2 teaspoons lemon zest Meyer lemon, if possible
1 teaspoon lemon juice Meyer lemon, if possible
⅔ cup shelled pistachios very finely chopped, divided
2 ½ cups flour

For the Cream Filling

8 ounce cream cheese room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest Meyer lemon, if possible
2 ½ - 3 tablespoons lemon juice Meyer lemon, if possible
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom optional

Instructions

Make the Cookies

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the salt, cardamom, lemon zest, and lemon juice, then beat until incorporated.
Mix in ⅓ cup pistachios (reserve the rest for rolling), then add the flour and mix on low speed until just incorporated.
Wrap dough in plastic, then refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 325℉ and line two sheet pans with parchment.
Roll out dough to about ¼-inch thick (you want the cookies to be fairly thin), then use a round 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as you can. Transfer to sheet pans, leaving about ½ inch between cookies. Reroll and cut dough scraps until you've used it all up.
Bake cookies for about 15-20 minutes, rotating pans halfway throughout. Remove when they are light golden brown, then let cool completely.

Filling and Assembly

Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar, one cup at a time, until smooth. Mix in salt, lemon zest, 2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, and cardamom. Taste and add more lemon if you want it tangier. Transfer to a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off (after filling).
Place the remaining chopped pistachios on a small plate. Pipe about a tablespoon of filling onto the center of a cookie, then place another cookie on top and gently press down to seal. Roll the edges in chopped pistachios, then set aside and repeat with the rest. Let cookies sit without moving for about 1 hour to let the filling harden.
Cookies will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

Rest the dough for at least an hour for a tender, evenly baked texture.
Roll out the dough thinly for delicate, crisp cookies.
Cool cookies completely before filling so the frosting doesn’t melt.
A piping bag makes filling easy, but a zip-top bag or small spatula works fine too.
Store filled cookies in a single layer or with parchment between layers to avoid smudging.

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