Chocolate Pistachio Fingers Recipes

CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO FINGERS

Steps:

• 1. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until blended.
• 2. Add almond paste and egg yolk and beat until light and fluffy. (If the almond paste isn't breaking down grab the dough with your hand. The heat of your hand will melt the almond paste sufficiently to be able to incorporate it completely.)
• 3. Blend in flour a little at a time to make a smooth dough.
• 4. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours ( or up to 2 weeks)
• 5. Turn out onto a lightly floured board.
• 6. Divide into 8 equal pieces. ( easy way to do it. is to divide in half, then divide those again in half until you have 8 equal pieces.)
• 7. Roll each piece into a 12 inch rope, cut each rope into 2 inch lengths. Place onto parchment covered cookie sheets.
• 8. You can put these fairly close together. 1/2 an inch apart.
• 9. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degree oven until edges are light brown. The top of your cookie will still be white.
• 10. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• 11. TOPPING DIRECTIONS
• 12. Melt chocolate chips either in a double boiler or in the microwave on medium. Stirring every minute or two.
• 13. Dip both ends in the chocolate and then in the pistachios.
• 14. Place on wax paper until they cool completely.
• 15. These can be stored for up to 2 months in a cool dark place.

CHOCOLATE AND PISTACHIO WHIRLIGIG BUNS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine 8 tablespoons butter and the milk, and place over low heat until lukewarm, stirring to melt the butter. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, combine 5 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast. In a medium bowl, beat eggs lightly, and then whisk in milk mixture.
• Using a mixer with a dough hook, or by hand, stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Knead dough for 7-8 minutes until smooth and springy, adding more flour by the tablespoon if necessary to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Form into a ball, and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 30 minutes.
• Line bottom of a 13-by-10-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• Punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a rectangle about 22 by 12 inches.
• To make filling, dollop the remaining 8 tablespoons softened butter over the dough and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the butter. Chop pistachios until splintery, and sprinkle evenly over dough. Top with chocolate chips, pressing the chocolate and nuts gently into the dough. Starting from longest side, carefully roll up dough so it looks like a long sausage. Cut dough into 20 slices, each 1-inch thick, and arrange with a cut side up in pan.
• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush buns with beaten egg, and let them sit in a warm place until puffed up and spongy to the touch, about 15 minutes. Bake until buns are risen and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in the pan at least 30 minutes, then cut and serve warm.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a baking sheet; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs; beat until well combined, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary. Add flour mixture, and stir to form a stiff dough. Stir in pistachios and chocolate chips.
• Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet; form into a slightly flattened log, about 12 by 4 inches. Bake until slightly firm, about 25 minutes. Cool about 5 minutes. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.
• On a cutting board, using a sharp serrated knife, cut biscotti diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices. Arrange biscotti, cut sides down, on baking sheet, and bake until crisp but still slightly soft in the center, about 8 minutes. Serve with pistachio ice cream.

MILK CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO TART

Steps:

• Coat a 9-inch fluted round tart pan with a removable bottom with cooking spray. Make the crust: Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, chopped pistachios, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add sugar, and beat until pale, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and add vanilla, then flour mixture; beat until just combined and dough holds together when pressed between 2 fingers. Press dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Roll out dough to an 11-inch round, 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Press dough into bottom and up sides of tart pan. Trim excess dough flush with edges of pan using a knife. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Bake until firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely; reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• Meanwhile, make the pistachio paste: Pulse pistachios, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until mixture begins to clump together. Add oil, and pulse until smooth and pastelike. Spread evenly into bottom of cooled tart shell, pressing firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup until flat and smooth.
• Make the filling: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until almost boiling; pour over chocolate. Let stand for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in egg until combined. Place tart shell on a baking sheet, and pour in filling. Bake until just set, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool. Garnish with finely chopped pistachios.

CHOCOLATE-PISTACHIO COOKIES

Steps:

• Make filling: Bring 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved; set aside.
• Put egg yolks in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk by hand until yolks are warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Fit mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix yolks on medium speed; pour in sugar syrup. Raise speed to high; mix until mixture is cool and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium; drizzle in melted chocolate. Refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.
• Make cookies: Put pistachio paste and rest of sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Mix in the egg white, vanilla, and salt.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a small (about 1/4 inch) plain round tip (such as Ateco #10). Pipe 1-inch rounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing about 1 inch apart.
• Bake cookies until firm and golden around edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer on parchment to a wire rack, and let cool completely.
• Place cookies, bottom sides up, on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Spread 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chocolate filling on bottom of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies. Freeze 1 hour.
• Make glaze: Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add shortening; stir until combined. Let cool, stirring, until mixture is lukewarm.
• Using a chocolate fork or regular fork, hold 1 cookie at a time above bowl of chocolate glaze. Spoon glaze over cookie, letting excess drip back into bowl. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Garnish with slivered pistachios. Refrigerate until set, 5 minutes.

PISTACHIO CREAM CHEESE FINGERS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, dry pudding mix, baking powder, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. Cover dough, and refrigerate for at least one hour for easier handling.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Shape teaspoonfuls of dough into finger shapes, about 1 1/2 inches long. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 9 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set and very lightly browned on bottoms. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• In small saucepan over low heat, melt together chocolate and shortening, stirring constantly until smooth and well blended. Drizzle a small amount of chocolate over each cookie. Allow the chocolate to set before storing.