Happy Valentine’s Day to all!! I am not really into this type of “celebratory days” but I must send a shout out to my little sister Valentina as St. Valentine is her namesake!

I have a fabulous recipe to share with you all today: Chocolate Shortbread with Pistachios!!! You must thank my relative Neda for it as she demanded that I should make her a chocolate cake and give it to her at the family gathering that we were invited yesterday.  The ironic thing is that she didn’t show up yesterday so I sent it home with her husband Hungry Tiger. Neda, you owe me one!!!! haha!!

I am no expert when it comes to chocolate cakes, so I went over to my absolute favorite website Joy of Baking. Whenever I need baking recipes that’s the first place that I go because each and every recipe I have made from Joy’s website has been fabulous. Low and behold I saw this shortbread recipe and I knew that I had to make it!! Us Persians love our pistachios! This recipe is super easy to make and you can whip it up in no time! Allow me to also say that chocolate and pistachios go really well together!!

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg yolk

Glaze:
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup unsalted pistachios

Preheat your oven to 350º. Make sure that your butter is at room temperature. Beat butter and sugar for about 2 to 3 minutes until nice and smooth.

Add egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating.

In another bowl add flour, cocoa powder and salt. You can either sift or whisk the ingredients. I went for the quicker and easier method: whisk!

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well until you get a dough consistency.

Spray the bottom of a tart pan with removable bottom, or a cake pan with removable bottom, with baking spray or just butter the bottom. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 23 minutes.

In the mean time toast the pistachios.

Melt chocolate and butter in a stainless steel bowl placed over a pot with simmering water.

As soon as you take the short bread out of the oven place it on a cooling rack and remove the outer ring. Immediately pour the melted chocolate over the shortbread and evenly spread it all over.  Sprinkle the pistachios on top and gently press them down onto the melted chocolate.  Let cool!