All ingredients ready? Let's begin!
First, you’re going to need to harvest the pine needles. Make sure that they are clean and dry. If they were treated by any pesticides, rinse them in water first a few times. Then, using a food processor or a coffee grinder, grind up the pine needles to a fine dust.
Cream together the pine needles, butter, sugar, orange zest, lemon zest, and salt.
Gradually add the flour and stir well after each addition.
Divide the dough into two equal portions. Roll them into cookie logs that are about 1 ½” thick in diameter.
Roll the cookie logs into parchment paper and then wrap the logs with plastic wrap.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. You can even freeze the logs for further use at this step.
Preheat the oven to 350F when you are ready to bake.
Combine the extra sugar and pine needles in a small bowl.
Remove the logs from the refrigerator and unwrap. Sprinkle the edges of the cookie log with the extra sugar and pine needles.
Slice the dough into about ½” cookies.
Place the cookies on a cookie tray so that they spaced evenly.
Bake for about ten minutes or until the edges turn light brown.
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the tray for 2-3 minutes.
Then, place the cookies on a cookie rack to cool completely.
Cookies are best stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for about one week. Alternatively, you can freeze the pine needle cookies for up to three months.