Benefits of Pista

All I could remember about pistachio nuts from my school days was a bunch of green tinged nuts in the hands of senior girls. I was 12-years-old then and hardly knew that nuts are of so many varieties such as cashew nuts, almonds, peanuts and more.

As I had was a bleak memory of these nuts, I never really bothered to buy them from stores, until I received a gift pack with various flavours of them one Diwali. All thanks to my dad for introducing me to these delicious sources of energy.

Pistachio belongs to the family of cashews and is a rich source of energy and antioxidants which contains vitamins, minerals and electrolytes. When compared to other nuts, they are an excellent source of Vitamin B, Copper and Potassium. Pistachios are used in preparing many Indian sweets, Kulfi and the sweet pastry — Baklava.

According to research, they help in lowering Low Density Lipoprotein (LPL) cholesterol and increase good cholesterol levels in the body. They are a good choice for diet conscious people. I have used them in making following oats cookies as oats provide soluble fiber which is helpful for regulating blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter - 130 gms
• Palm or Cane sugar - 3 tbsp
• All-purpose flour - 60 gms
• Whole wheat flour - 60 gms
• Rolled oats - 120 gms
• For toppings:
• Pistachios - 75 gms

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 170 degree Celsius. Slightly grease the baking tray and dust using the flour.
• Beat the butter until it turns creamy, add sugar and beat it thoroughly.
• Add flour and oats and gently mix to form a dough. Divide the dough into small portions and press them over scattered pistachios. Now they are ready to  be baked.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until it becomes crispy. Leave them aside to cool before you take a bite of these delicious cookies.
• These cookies will taste similar to the digestive cookies we get in market. Enjoy these cookies along with a cup of tea.
• Note: For more flavour, you can use pista milk essence.
• (Nimmy Prem is a baking enthusiast and a food blogger at kitchensizzler.com)