Avocado Lime Pistachio Cookies With Green Tea Icing

Okay so maybe you are thinking she has finally gone off the deep end, as you read the name of the cookies for this post.  But there is a reason for my madness.

  Once again, I am entering the dessert baking challenge over at Dessert Wars.  The theme for the month of March is green.  They have given two lists of ingredients, one traditional and one nontraditional, known for their green color, and the challenge is to come up with a dessert that contains an ingredient from each list.  How fun is that? 

 As soon as I saw the ingredient lists the wheels started turning in my head.  At least something is working up there...lol  Anyway, immediately cookies with pistachios came to my mind because my friend, Denise, and I had just been talking about pistachios.  Then I thought, "lime pistachio cookies", "that sounds pretty good."  I also remembered Monet of Anecdotes and Apple Cores talking about how you can substitute avocados in place of butter in some recipes; so that is how I came up with the idea to add an avocado (Thanks Monet).

  But though I already used three ingredients from the traditional list of green items, I still had not chosen an ingredient from the nontraditional list which was the more challenging one, and then I saw the green tea and thought this might make a nice addition to an icing for the cookie.  So I got my ingredients and set out to make my cookies.  I was a little worried because I was not sure how all of the flavors would work together, but luckily, to somewhat of a surprise to me, they came out great. 

The avocado flavor is not noticeable in the cookie, but I think it gives the cookie a slightly creamier texture, if that is possible for a cookie, than if I had just used all butter or shortening, and just the idea of replacing some of the fat with a healthier avocado sounds pretty good.  The limes give the cookie a great citrusy flavor with a little pop of nutty crunch from the pistachios.  A very delicious cookie.  The green tea mixed with powdered sugar for the icing gives the icing a nice, sweet zing that compliments the cookie without overpowering the citrusy lime flavor.  The lime zest and pistachios are also flecked throughout the cookie adding a nice look to the cookie and a hint of what is inside.  I am quite pleased with the results.  My husband even gave them a big thumbs up, and he was very reluctant to try them after hearing the strange list of ingredients.

To make these cookies:  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 ripe avocado (about 1/2 cup), 1 stick of butter, and 1/2 cup of vegetable shortening.

  Mix until light and fluffy, about five minutes.

  Add 1 beaten egg and the juice and zest of two limes.  Mix well.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of cake flour, 2 cups of all purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon of baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. 

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture.  Mix well.  Add 3/4 cup of finely chopped pistachios.  Mix until well incorporated. 

Take heaping teaspoonfuls and roll them into balls.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

 Use your fingers to flatten the balls and shape into circles about 1/2 inch thick by about 2 inches wide.

  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  These cookies stay fairly light.  They are done when the bottoms are light golden brown.  Allow them to stay on the cookie sheet for a minute or two and then transfer then to a cooling rack.

The cookies look nice and taste great without the icing too.

For the icing, steep two bags of green tea in one cup of boiling water for about three minutes.  Place 2 cups of powdered sugar in a bowl and add one tablespoon of the steeped tea.  Mix well.  Add more tea very slowly until the icing is the consistency of a thin cake batter.  I used about two tablespoons of tea.  Spread icing on cooled cookies.

  Allow the cookies to sit for a little while for the icing to harden up a bit.  Note:  If you are not a fan of green tea, you can also make the icing using a little water and some lime juice and zest.

Avocado Lime Pistachio Cookies With Green Tea Icing The Garden of Yum
Printable recipe
     
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1 stick of butter, softened
1 ripe avocado cut into cubes (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup of vegetable shortening
1 egg, beaten
The juice and zest of two limes
2 cups of cake flour
2 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cups of finely chopped pistachios


Green tea icing:
2 cups of powdered sugar
2 green tea bags
1 cup of water
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.


In a large mixing bowl, mix together the sugars, butter,avocado and shortening on low until combined (about one minute). Then mix on medium for another three minutes until fluffy. Add one egg, beaten, and the juice and zest of two limes. Mix well.


Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture. Mix well. Add the pistachios.  Mix well.
Take heaping teaspoonfuls of dough and roll into balls. Place on cookie sheet two inches apart, flatten, and form into circles. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms are lightly golden brown. The tops will stay fairly light. Remove from oven. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for one minute. Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool.


To make the icing, steep two bags of green tea in one cup of boiling water for two to three minutes.  Place powdered sugar in a bowl.  Add one tablespoon of the steeped tea.  Mix well.  Slowly add up to one more tablespoon of the tea until the icing is the consistency of a thin cake batter.  Add more tea or powdered sugar as needed. Spread on cookies.

The prize package for the winner of Dessert Wars includes:
Whisk and cupcake necklace from Moon and Star Designs
Beanilla sampler pack of vanilla beans
Lenox personalized musical cupcake
1,000 ideas for decorating cupcakes, cookies, & cakes
Organic Valley $50.00 gift certificate
Organic Prairie $50.00 gift certificate
Theme Kitchen $50.00 gift certificate
BEKA cookware crepe pan

I am also sending this to Sweets For A Saturday.  Click on the link to see some delicious recipes.