In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, cardamom, sumac, dried lemon zest, and finely chopped pistachios. Set aside.

In a mixer bowl place butter and powdered sugar. With the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.

Reduce speed to low and add flour and pistachio mixture, beating just until dough starts to come together. Do not overmix or the cookies will be tough.

Form dough into a ball, then flatten slightly to form a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, until firm enough to roll.

Note: If you don’t want to use the dough right away, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to a month, then thaw overnight in the fridge.

Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften slightly for easy rolling. On a lightly floured surface (or between 2 pieces of parchment paper), roll the dough to a ¼-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch rounds, hearts, or Minnesota shapes using a cookie cutter and place them on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Note: If at any point the dough becomes too warm, place it back into the fridge for a few minutes. Re-roll the remaining scraps and repeat.

Place sheets of cookies in the freezer or fridge for at least 30 minutes, until firm, so that they will be less prone to spreading.

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies appear golden brown at the edges. Baking time will vary and may take longer depending on the size of your cookies and the design of your pans. Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place white melting chocolate wafers in a microwave-safe bowl and melt in 30 second increments, stirring between each until smooth and glossy.

OR You can melt your chocolate over a double boiler by placing half of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, then place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Add remaining chocolate and remove bowl from heat. Stir occasionally until smooth and glossy.

Dip half of each cookie in the chocolate. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Working quickly before the chocolate hardens, decorate with your favorite dried edible flower sprinkles, pistachio nuts, and gold flake (optional, but really adds a stunningly simple touch). Put the sheet pan of cookies in the fridge for a few minutes to harden the chocolate when you're all done decorating.

Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week. These baked cookies also freeze well in an airtight container for up to 2 months.