Welcome to Class of Cookie 2023: A (deliciously) special project where Mumbai-based chef Prateek Bakhtiani, Head Chef at Ether Atelier Chocolat invites ten of his closest friends-of-food and asks them to share a ‘comfort cookie’ recipe each.

If you're looking for a sweet treat to serve at a celebration, your search ends with chef Dean Rodrigues’s version of the comfort cookie. An executive pastry chef at the Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts India, Dean’s recipe with orange flower water and honey makes for a flavourful indulgence; meanwhile pistachios add a nutty note. This cookie is guaranteed to fill your home with a warm, delicious aroma; and your heart with joy.

Makes: 9 Cookies

Per cookie serving: 50g

Shelf Life: 5–7 Days

Tasting Notes: Pistachio, orange flower water, honey, salt

Ingredients

50g butter, unsalted

150g icing sugar

10ml honey

5ml orange flower water

1 egg, about 50g

25g pistachio paste

110g all-purpose flour

4g baking powder

3g salt

50g pistachios, finely chopped

To Decorate (optional)

whole pistachios

sea salt, coarse

pistachio paste, additional

praline

raspberry crumble

Preparation: 

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, icing sugar, honey, and orange flower water.

2. Next, add in the egg while continuing to cream the mixture.

3. Add the pistachio paste and keep blending, until well combined.

4. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the finely chopped pistachios and fold in all the ingredients until a firm dough is formed. Scoop and shape the dough into your preferred size. 

5. Press each cookie-shaped dough into the whole pistachios and sprinkle a little coarse sea salt on top. Alternatively, you can decorate the cookies with the whole pistachios and sea salt when they are baked and hot out of the oven.

6. Place these on a baking tray and bake in an oven at 180°C for 8–10 minutes.

7. Remove the tray from the oven. While the cookies are still hot, pipe the pistachio paste or praline as desired. You can also sprinkle the cookies with raspberry crumble for a vibrant, fruity contrast.

8. Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving.

   
   

Dean Rodrigues is the Executive Pastry Chef at the Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts India, where he specialises in chocolates, modern French pastries, and plated desserts. An alumnus of the Institute of Hotel Management, Mumbai, Dean is one half of the winning team at India Pastry Cup, 2019.

Prateek Bakhtiani is an alumnus of Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, where he learnt the art of pastry making. He has served as a chef at several Michelin-starred restaurants in France, Belgium, and the United States.

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