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I love this time of year because all things pistachio start to appear in grocery stores 😊 Pistachio is a flavor I can’t get enough of. It’s mildly sweet and has a slight almond flavor. Sometimes they are salted but can be enjoyed raw, and they have this lovely pastel green color when used in recipes. Most commonly, pistachios (or pistachio flavoring) are used in breakfast/brunch or dessert type dishes. You can however use them on top of salads or perhaps in a pasta dish like Pistachio Fettuccine. Pistachios can be on the expensive side, but I think they are worth the cost and make you appreciate cooking with them that much more!
I have a handful of pistachio themed recipes to share with you today:
- Pistachio Bread
- Pistachio Pudding Bars
- Pistachio Cookies
- Pistachio Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Pistachio Bread is the perfect breakfast item because it can be enjoyed at home or on the go. It’s not too sweet and has a light pistachio flavor. It can be served warm or room temperature, add a little butter or enjoy it plain. It’s super moist and the perfect bread recipe.
The recipe makes one loaf and can be found here.
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a loaf pan. I like to use Crisco shortening to grease the pan but cooking spray should also work fine.
Add the sugar, eggs, and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well combined. Add the milk, pudding, baking powder, and salt, and mix until well combined. Add the flour and mix until well combined and no white streaks remain in the batter. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and spread into an even layer.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the loaf pan then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely. If you’re anything like me, you will sample a warm slice shortly after removing from the pan…for quality control purposes 😊
Slice, serve, and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container, once completely cool.
The recipe can be found here. If you have a recipe for a light glaze, that would be perfect to drizzle over the top.
Pistachio Pudding Bars are rich and creamy, and the perfect dessert for company! The bars are easy to make and are packed with flavor. The crust is a combination of flour, butter, and walnuts but you could substitute a graham cracker crust if you prefer. Next is a layer of elevated pistachio pudding and the top is a layer of whip cream. For as rich as these bars are, they are also light and refreshing. It’s a dessert served cold so it’s perfect on a hot summer day.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the crust by adding flour and cold, cubed butter to a mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers (I prefer to use my fingers) to blend together. There will be some larger chunks of butter in the mixture and that’s OK. Add the walnuts and stir to combine. Pour this mixture into a 9×13 baking dish and press into an even layer. The crust is fairly thin so if you want a thicker crust, I would double the recipe (for the crust only).
Bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven and let cool completely. I sometimes put the baking dish in the fridge to cool faster so I can continue with the recipe.
Next, make the cream cheese layer. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 cup of cool whip to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth. Pour into the baking dish and spread in an even layer on top of the crust.
Next, make the pudding layer. Add the milk and pistachio pudding to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip for 1-2 minutes on low-medium speed until well combined and thickened. Pour into the baking dish and spread in an even layer on top of the cream cheese layer.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours but up to overnight.
When ready to serve, spread the remaining 2 cups of cool whip evenly over the pistachio layer. Top with chopped pistachios (optional), slice, serve, and enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, covered.
The recipe can be found here.
Pistachio Cookies are very moist and chewy, and quick to make! They are made with pistachio pudding which enhances the flavor and adds to the soft texture without making them too dense. The pastel green color makes these perfect for spring or perhaps to serve on St. Patrick’s Day or for Christmas.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by adding the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, pistachio pudding, almond extract, vanilla extract, and 4-5 drops of food coloring. Mix until well combined. The pistachio pudding will tint the cookies green but it’s not enough to get the pale green color of the cookies and that’s why I add food coloring. You can omit the food coloring if you prefer.
Add the flour and mix on low speed until combined. You don’t want to see any streaks of white flour in the dough.
Roll into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze for 15-20 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour. This will help the dough firm up and be easier to work with.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a 1 ½ – 2 Tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the dough and roll it into a ball. Place on the baking sheet and repeat until all the dough has been used. Leave a little space between each cookie on the baking sheet. Press down slightly on each ball of dough with the palm of your hand or bottom of a glass. You don’t want to completely flatten the cookies, simply press them down so they are no longer a ball shape.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to turn light brown. Let cook for about 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container, once completely cool.
The recipe can be found here.
Pistachio Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting is one of my favorite dessert recipes! It’s a wonderful combination of flavors with light and airy cupcakes that have a hint of sweetness and a tangy frosting. These will be a crowd pleaser for sure! Bonus? They are incredibly simple to make, and you probably already have most of the ingredients at home.
The recipe can be found here.
Start by preheating the oven according to the “cupcake” direction on the back of a box of yellow cake mix (or use white if that’s what you have on hand). Add 18 cupcake liners to a muffin tin and use more than 1 muffin tin if needed.
Prepare the box cake mix according to package instructions (you’ll need water, oil, and eggs). Add the pistachio pudding and stir to combine. If you are OK with the color, you can move on to the next step. If you want a more vibrantly colored cupcake, add 4-5 drops of food coloring, and stir to combine.
Fill the cupcake liners about ¾ full. Bake as directed on the back of the box. The cupcakes are done when the center is set and when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Add the cream cheese (softened) and butter (also softened) to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well combined. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
Add the frosting to a piping bag or Ziploc bag and snip off part of the corner. Pipe on top of each cupcake. Completely optional – top with chopped pistachios.
Enjoy immediately! Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
The recipe can be found here.
If you like pistachio as much as I do, you’ll love these recipes. Simple to make, don’t require a lot of time to prepare, and taste great! I think pistachio seems like such a spring or summer flavor but I for one this it should be enjoyed year-round!
If you are interested in a few more pistachio recipes, here are links to other recipes I’ve posted in the past. Enjoy!
Happy Cooking!
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