Winter calls for warm drinks and homemade treats, and this Pistachio Hot Chocolate with Pistachio Cookies recipe is the perfect combo to cozy up at home. Long used in Italian kitchens, pistachios bring a gentle nuttiness that works well in baked goods and drinks alike.
This drink has a white chocolate base that gives it a luscious texture and adds balance to the flavor profile, without being overly sweet. The pistachio cookies filled with white chocolate ganache play with contrasts: nutty and sweet, and crunchy and creamy, resulting in a well-rounded taste. The cookies can also be enjoyed without the filling, or half dipped in chocolate with a sprinkling of sea salt.
Pistachio Hot Chocolate with Pistachio Cookies
Hot chocolate: Makes 3 cups. Prep time - 10 minutes
Pistachio Cookies: Makes approximately 2 dozen. Prep time - 20 minutes
White Chocolate Granach: Enough for 2 dozen cookies. Prep time - 10 minutes
Ingredients:
Pistachio Hot Chocolate
2/3 cup 2/3 heavy cream
1 cup 1 milk
1/3 cup 1/3 condensed milk
1/2 cup 1/2 pistachio paste
5 oz. 5 white chocolate
pinch of salt
- Pistachio Cookies
1 cup 1 chopped pistachios
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. 1/2 sugar
1 cup 1 all purpose flour
5 oz. 5 butter, cold and diced
- White Chocolate Ganache
9 oz. 9 white chocolate
3 oz. 3 heavy cream
pinch of salt
Pistachio Hot Chocolate Instructions:
- In a medium pot, combine heavy cream, milk, condensed milk, and salt. Bring to a simmer, over medium heat, stirring often.
- Add the white chocolate and pistachio paste to the pot and bring to a boil, whisking constantly to incorporate the paste well into the mix.
- Chef Tip: for an extra smooth texture, strain mixture into a bowl to remove any unblended pistachio paste and blend with a hand blender.
- Serve right away with a dollop of whipped cream and chopped pistachios.
- Pistachio Cookies Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a food processor place chopped pistachios, sugar, and flour and pulse until incorporated and pistachios.
- Add diced, cold butter and pulse until the butter is grain-sized and dough looks crumbly.
- Transfer mixture into a bowl and work it with your hands to finish incorporating until it forms into a smooth dough.
- Portion dough into ½ oz balls and place on parchment-lined sheet pan. Freeze until firm.
- Bake from frozen for approximately 15 minutes until lightly golden around the edges.
- White Chocolate Granache Instructions:
- Melt the chocolate on a double boiler, set aside.
- Bring cream and salt to a simmer and pour on chocolate, mixing gently just until combined.
- Cover with plastic pressed directly on top of the surface and let cool until thick enough to be able to pipe it. To speed up the process, place on an ice bath and stir continuously until thickened.
- Place on piping bag with a plain round tip (or just cut the tip of the bag off) and pipe all over ½ of the cookies. Sandwich together with another half.
- Place finished cookies in fridge for aprox 10 minutes, until the ganache hardens, then serve.
Notes
- Chef tip: Baking time and temperature will vary by oven, so it’s best to bake one test cookie and then adjust temperature and baking time for the batch.
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