Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

Grind dark or bitter chocolate in a mill into fine crumbs.

Pour the flour, chocolate chips, and powdered sugar onto the work surface. Pour the egg yolks into the center. Egg yolks make the dough more crumbly than a whole egg. Do not add baking powder — the dough should maintain its shape during baking.

Add soft butter and quickly knead the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

While the dough is chilling, prepare the pistachios. Shell them, pour boiling water over them for 1–2 minutes, then rinse with cold water and remove the skin. Dry on a paper towel.

Grind the prepared pistachios in a mill into fine crumbs.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide it into 30 equal pieces. Knead each piece well in your hands — it will become soft like plasticine, and the chocolate will mix better. Divide each piece in half and roll two bars about 15 cm long.

Intertwine two sticks into a braid and close them into a circle, forming a wreath. Place the wreaths at an angle to each other and roll them across the table with your palm forward, so that the braid rotates clockwise.

Place the wreaths on a baking sheet. Mix the egg yolk with a tablespoon of water and brush the cookies with this mixture. Sprinkle with ground pistachios.

Place in a preheated oven for 10–12 minutes at a temperature slightly below medium. Do not bake longer — the chocolate flavor will become less pronounced.