Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spread the raw pistachios on a baking sheet and toast for 7 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden—this brings out their natural oils and deepens the flavor. While they cool slightly, sift together the flour, salt, and matcha powder in a medium bowl to remove any lumps and ensure even distribution of the matcha throughout the dough. I like to sift the matcha separately first, then combine with the flour, since matcha can clump easily and won't distribute well if added last.

Once the pistachios have cooled enough to handle, finely chop them into 1/8-inch pieces—you want distinct pieces that add texture, not a powder. Add the chopped pistachios to the bowl of flour mixture from Step 1 and stir gently to combine, ensuring the pistachio pieces are evenly distributed throughout. Set this dry mixture aside.

In a separate large bowl, beat the softened butter with the 1/2 cup powdered sugar for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This creaming process incorporates air into the butter, which helps the cookies achieve a tender, delicate crumb. Add the blue gel food color if using—just a tiny amount goes a long way and will give the dough a subtle pale green hue that complements the matcha and pistachios.

Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture from Step 2 to the creamed butter mixture from Step 3, mixing on low speed or by hand until just combined. Add the dry ingredients in two or three additions rather than all at once—this prevents overmixing and keeps the dough tender. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see streaks of dry flour; overworking the dough at this stage will result in dense, tough cookies.

Using a teaspoon or small cookie scoop, portion the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart—these cookies don't spread much, but you want room for air circulation. Bake at 350°F for 17 minutes until the cookies are set but still slightly tender to the touch; they should feel firm around the edges but still have a bit of give in the center. I find that slightly underbaking them by a minute or two keeps them tender and cake-like rather than hard and crisp, which is the hallmark of a great Russian tea cake.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to set up, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cooled, roll each cookie in powdered sugar for dusting until fully coated, working in batches if needed. The cookies can be rolled in sugar immediately after baking while still warm for a thicker, more rustic coat, or after they've cooled completely for a more delicate finish.