Lemon Pistachio Pretzel Cookies

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sweet butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated or chopped
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 -2 tablespoon water
• 1/3 cup pistachios, chopped

Recipe

• 1 in a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter at medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
• 2 add the confectioners sugar and lemon peel,continuing to beat until combined.
• 3 beat in the egg and lemon extract.
• 4 beat in as much of the flour as you can using your mixer. when no longer able, use a large wooden spoon to mix in the rest by hand.
• 5 divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. chill for 30 to 60 minutes.
• 6 pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• 7 after chilling, take each disk and roll into a 12 inch long log. snip each log into 24 1/2 inch pieces.
• 8 take each cookie nugget and roll into an 8 inch long rope. form a pretzel shape by bringing the piece together to form a circle with about a 1 inch tails on either side. take each of the ends and cross it over the circle and attach to the opposite side. press lightly to seal.
• 9 place the "pretzels" 2 inches apart on baking sheets lightly treated with cooking spray. bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. remove from pan and let cookies cool on a rack.
• 10 to prepare the glaze, mix together the confectioners sugar, lemon juice and enough water to achieve a glaze consistency. brush each cookie with the glaze. while the glaze is still wet, sprinkle chopped nuts on top.
• 11 let stand until glaze has set.