Method

Sift the flour with the salt and confectioners' sugar.  Add the butter and knead lightly to make a dough.  Knead in the ground pistachios and shape the dough into a disc.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for about 1 hour at cool room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch and use a 2 1/2-inch cutter to cut out 24 - 28 rounds.  If the dough breaks while rolling, just press it back together again.  Use a metal spatula or a thin plastic scraper to lift the rounds so that they stay in one piece and retain their shape.  Arrange the rounds on the lined baking sheets.  Re-knead the trimmings lightly and roll out again, as necessary.

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until they just begin to turn golden brown around the edges.  Carefully lift them off the baking sheet with a metal spatula and transfer to a cooling rack.  They will still be quite soft but will firm up as they cool.  Bake the second sheet of rounds as before.

When both batches have cooled, make the glaze.  Put the chocolate and milk in a saucepan with a thick base over low heat and stir very gently until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is homogenous.  Sandwich the cookies with the jam and glaze the top of each pair generously with the chocolate mixture.  Garnish with whole pistachios.

Makes 12 - 14 sandwich cookies

Reprinted with permission from Warm Bread and Honey Cake: Home Baking from Around the World, by Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra , published by Interlink Publishing click for book review

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