Pistachio Cherry Sandwiches Food

PISTACHIO CHERRY MELTAWAYS

Steps:

• In a stand mixer, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, pudding mix, and flour. Mix until combined. The mixture may seem dry at first but will come together after beating.
• Add the almond extract and green food coloring if you want the cookies with a brighter green color.
• Finely chop the maraschino cherries. Using a paper towel pat the cherries removing all of the juice and excess liquid. You want to make sure you dry all of the red juice or you may turn your cookies a not so pretty color. Gently mix in the chopped cherries being careful not to overmix because the color will start to bleed.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Take a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place cookie on the cookie sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet. Once completely cooled sprinkle or roll cookies with additional powdered sugar.

CHERRY-PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Using a stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar together until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating each egg fully before adding the next. Add the vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Stir in the dried cherries and pistachios. Cut the dough in half and place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Shape into 2 logs, each about 12 inches long.
• Bake until just starting to brown at the edges, about 20 minutes. Cut each log on the diagonal into 1/2-inch-wide slices. Place the slices back on the baking sheet. Bake on the first side for 5 minutes. Remove, turn the biscotti over to the second side and bake until the biscotti are crisp, an additional 5 minutes. Let cool.

CHERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon on medium speed for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, gradually add the 2 whole eggs, the egg yolk (reserve the egg white), and vanilla and mix until combined, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry mixture to the butter-sugar mixture, mixing only until combined. Scrape down the bowl and beater and make sure all the ingredients are combined. Stir in the pistachios and cherries.
• Roll the dough into a ball on a well-floured board and cut in half. With floured hands, roll each piece into a cylinder about 11 inches long by 2 inches in diameter and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pan.
• Place the reserved egg white in a bowl and beat with a whisk for 15 seconds. Brush the logs with the egg white (save the rest!) and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of turbinado sugar. Bake for 45 minutes, until lightly browned (the logs will be soft). Cool for 30 minutes.
• Turn the oven down to 275 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. With a serrated knife, slice the biscotti 1/2 inch thick at a full 45-degree angle. Place the slices cut-side up on the prepared sheet pans. Brush them with the egg white and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, turning each slice once, until browned and fully baked. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

PISTACHIO CHERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIE TOWER (KRANSEKAKE)

Steps:

• Beat together the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined. Add the vanilla and mix until just combined.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground pistachios and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, beating just to combine. Add the dried cherries and mix just until combined; the mixture will look crumbly. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead few times with your hands until the dough comes together. Divide into 3 pieces and form each piece into a disk; wrap with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll the dough, one disc at a time, to 1/3-to-1/2-inch thick. Cut 2 rounds with a 6-inch cutter. Cut the center from each with a 4-inch cutter to create rings. Then cut 2 rounds with a 5 1/2-inch cutter and use a 3 1/2-inch cutter to create rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 5-inch cutter and use a 3-inch cutter to create rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 4 1/2-inch cutter and use a 2 1/2-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 4-inch cutter and use a 2-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 3 1/2-inch cutter and use a 1 1/2-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 3-inch cutter and use a 1-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter and 2 rounds with a 2-inch cutter, leaving them whole. You may gather and reroll the scraps up to 2 times if needed but you will need to chill the dough before rerolling.
• Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch of space in between. Bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown, about 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies completely on a wire rack before assembling.
• When ready to assemble, stack the two 6-inch ring cookies atop each other, using the white Royal Icing to adhere to one another creating a sandwich. Repeat with the other like-size cookies so they are all in 2-cookie stacks.
• To assemble the tower, pipe white icing on the bottom of the stack of 6-inch cookies and set it on a decorative platter (the icing will help it adhere). Decorate the cookies with swags of red icing and add the next-largest sandwich. Continue decorating with swags of alternating colors of icing and stacks of cookies in descending sizes. Finish with the solid rounds on top.
• Add the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; turn on low to combine. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, beating with the mixer on medium speed until the icing is thick and glossy but soft enough to pipe. Divide among 3 bowls, tinting one red, one green and leaving one white. Transfer the icing to plastic piping bags; snip off the corners.

PISTACHIO, CHERRY AND CHOCOLATE TART

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the biscotti, butter and sugar in a food processor. Blend until the mixture forms moist crumbs that stick together when pressed. Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until golden and feels firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Spread the cherry preserves over the cooled crust leaving a 1/2 to 1-inch border.
• For the filling: Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the dried cherries and 1/2 cup of the pistachios. Pour the chocolate filling over the cherry preserves and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup pistachios on top. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours or preferably overnight.
• Loosen the tart from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the edge. Unmold the tart and transfer to a serving plate. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt flakes, if using. Cut into wedges and serve.

CHERRY PISTACHIO PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• Put the cherries, pistachios and brown sugar in a food processor and pulse until a fine crumb forms (take care not to over process or the filling will clump together). Set aside.
• Put the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, baking powder and salt and beat for another minute. Lower the speed to medium and add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time; beat until smooth. Cover and place in the fridge to chill, about 1 hour.
• Divide dough the in half and flatten each into squares. Put one portion of dough in between two 12-by-12-inch sheets of parchment paper dusted with flour. Roll out into a 1/8-inch-thick square. Remove the top parchment sheet and sprinkle half of the cherry-pistachio filling evenly across the dough. Pat into an even layer. Tightly roll into one large log (using the parchment to help you). Trim the ends and then roll the exterior in a mixture of sprinkles to coat. Repeat with the remaining dough, filling and sprinkles. Tightly cover in fresh parchment and refrigerate overnight (preferred) or at least 4 hours, until the dough is firm.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
• Remove and uncover the dough logs and slice with a very sharp knife into 1/4-inch-thick pinwheels. Arrange about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until slightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack. Store for up to 3 days in an airtight container, or freeze cookies for future use, up to 2 weeks.
• Enjoy!

CHERRY PISTACHIO COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and orange zest. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and cream of tartar; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in cherries and pistachios., Divide dough in half ; shape each into an 11-in.-long roll. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate at least 2 hours or until firm., Preheat oven to 375°. Unwrap and cut dough crosswise into 1/2-in. slices. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Frost cookies with melted white chocolate; let stand until set., To Make Ahead: Dough can be made 2 days in advance. Wrap in plastic and place in a resealable bag. Store in the refrigerator., Freeze option: Place wrapped rolls in a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze. To use, unwrap frozen logs and cut into slices. If necessary, let dough stand 15 minutes at room temperature before cutting. Bake as directed, increasing time by 1-2 minutes. Decorate as directed.