PISTACHIO FINGERS

By gaster16

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine (3/4 stick), softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg separated
• Water
• 3 squares semisweet chocolate
• 1/4 cup shelled pistachios chopped

Preparation

Step 1

In small bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat butter or margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, add flour, vanilla, salt, egg yolk and 1 tablespoon egg white. Beat ingredients until well mixed, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. (dough may be crumbly.) With hands, knead 1 teaspoon water at a time into dough until mixture holds together.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spoon dough into decorating bag with large ribbon tube (about 1" wide). Pipe dough into 4" lengths, about 1" apart, onto ungreased large cookie sheet. In cup with fork, mix 1 tablespoon water and remaining egg white, gently brush cookies with egg white mixture.

Bake cookies 8-10 minutes until golden. Carefully remove cookies to rack to cool.

In heavy 1 quart saucepan, over low heat, heat semisweet chocolate squares until melted. Cool chocolate 10 minutes, for easier piping. Spoon melted chocolate into decorating bag with medium writing tube (about 1/4" diameter). Pipe chocolate in 1/2" wide strip, down center of each cookie, leaving 1/2" edge at each end of cookie. Sprinkle chocolate with chopped pistachios. Place cookies on waxed paper to let chocolate dry.