PISTACHIO WREATH CUTOUT COOKIES

Start to finish: 2 hours (1 hour active)

Makes 24 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup shelled raw pistachio meats

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup candy melts (any or multiple colors)

Colored sugars, decorative sprinkles and small candies

In a food processor, combine the flour, pistachios, salt and baking powder. Pulse until the nuts are finely ground.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar and almond extract. Mix on medium until creamy. Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

Form the dough into a disk, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

When the dough is chilled, heat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray or line them with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to slightly less than 1/4 inch thick. Using a 3-inch fluted round cookie cutter, cut 24 rounds from the dough, combining and rerolling the scraps once. Use a 1-inch fluted round cutter to remove the center from each round of dough.

Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.

When ready to decorate, place about a quarter of the candy melts in a glass measuring cup and microwave on high in 20-second intervals, stirring between, until melted and smooth. The melted candy can be spread, spooned or drizzled over the cookies. You also can overturn the cookies and dip the top sides in the melted candy.

Working somewhat quickly (while the candy coating is still soft), sprinkle decorating sugars, sprinkles and other candies over the wreaths. Repeat by melting additional candy melts, drizzling and decorating until all of the cookies are finished. Allow the cookies to harden completely, then store between layers of parchment paper in an airtight container.

Nutrition information per cookie (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 147 calories; 95 calories from fat (65 percent of total calories); 11 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 21 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 1 g fiber; 43 mg sodium.