Pistachios, white chocolate and cranberries make a lovely combination. Inspired by those flavours, these soft pistachio kisses are made from a tender sponge filled with a white chocolate buttercream, studded with chopped pistachios and dried cranberries.
This recipe is straightforward and quick to prepare, perfect for sharing at gatherings or enjoying on your own when you want a sweet-and-savoury treat.
PISTACHIO KISSES
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 15-20
Ingredients
- Kisses
- 130g self-raising flour
- 30g cornflour
- 50g caster sugar
- 40g pistachios (crushed or ground)
- 125g butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Filling
- 75g butter, room temperature
- 45g white chocolate
- 135g icing sugar
- Pistachios, diced (for sprinkling)
- Dried cranberries, diced (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the room-temperature butter and caster sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
- If needed, de-shell and pulse the pistachios in a food processor until finely crushed.
- Sift the self-raising flour and cornflour into the butter mixture, then add the ground pistachios.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Spoon or pipe tablespoon-sized mounds of batter onto the prepared trays, leaving space between each. For a rustic look, drop dollops with a spoon.
- Bake for 8–10 minutes, depending on size, until the cookies are soft to the touch and the edges begin to golden.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the filling, melt the white chocolate using a double boiler: place the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until smooth and then set aside to cool slightly.
- Beat the 75g room-temperature butter in a mixer for about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally, until light and creamy.
- Add the icing sugar in two additions, beating about 2–3 minutes between each addition until fully incorporated and smooth.
- With the mixer on medium, slowly pour the slightly cooled white chocolate into the buttercream. Once combined, increase the speed briefly to create a silky smooth filling.
- Pipe or spoon a small dollop of white chocolate buttercream onto the flat side of half the cookies. Sprinkle chopped pistachios and diced dried cranberries over the filling.
- Gently sandwich with the remaining cookies, pressing until the filling reaches the edges. Store in an airtight container for up to several days.
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