Pistachio cookies

I'm late, late, late!!! Chinese New Year is only a week away. So many things I have yet to do, need to do but still haven't got to do. This time round, I feel that time is ticking furiously unlike last year where we had a month of rest from the festive Christmas mood. I have so many to-bake items on my list but I haven't really gotten to do them. One or two I tried to test bake but failed. I might or might not have time to try them again.

I found this interesting but yet delectable cookie recipe from The Little Teochew who got it from Trissalicious. Mind you, if you were to mention this cookie, remember to say that it's the Trissalicious pistachio cookie ;) Remember you've got to give something its due when you've got to give. See my modifications or notes in blue.

Ingredients:

• 90g and 100g Pistachios (raw, shelled) 
• 100g almond meal (which is also finely ground almonds)
• 120g caster sugar
• 50g egg whites (from around 1 to 2 eggs)
• Green food colouring (optional)

Method:

1. Lightly toast the pistachios for around 10 minutes or less in a preheated oven at 160 degrees celsius. Once it browns, you can take out the toasted pistachios. Chop Grind the first 90 grams of pistachio finely (you can use a food processor for this) and the other 100 grams of pistachios roughly. 
2. In a bowl place the finely chopped 90g of pistachios, almond meal, sugar and egg whites. Mix well (you can add a few drops of food colouring now if you wish) until you form a paste.
3. Scoop the cookie batter and form into little balls, (at this point, if you find the batter too sticky add a little bit more almond meal to the paste) then roll them in the remaining 100 grams of pistachios.
4. Place them on baking sheet, around 2 cm apart and bake for around 13 minutes at 170°C (fan forced).
5. Dust with icing sugar when cool.

Do they look festive enough? As I didn't put any green colouring, the pistachio cookies look a tad brown. But I guess natural should be better than any form of artificial colouring which is not something that I like. I tried one and did like the taste of it with the nutty aroma from the pistachios. Beware that this can be quite addictive too!

I'm submitting to this to Bake Along #57 organized by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce of kitchenflavours and Lena of Frozen Wings.