GLUTEN-FREE PISTACHIO COOKIES
YIELD
12 cookies
INGREDIENTS FOR COOKIES
=2¼ cups Roasted, American pistachios – use divide
=1 cup Granulated sugar plus more for sprinkling
=2 Large egg whites
=1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
=2 drops Green food coloring – optional
FOR FILLING
=½ cup Dairy free dark chocolate chips
=1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COOKIES
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line two baking sheets with Silpat mats or parchment paper.
=Roughly chop ¼ cup of the pistachios and reserve for garnish. Place the remaining 2 cups of pistachios in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process the pistachios until they turn into a paste, this will take 2 or 3 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times during the processing.
Add 1 cup sugar to the pistachio paste and process in long pulses until combined. Add the egg whites, vanilla and food coloring if using and pulse to combine. You should have a thick batter. Using a small ice cream scoop or two teaspoons, drop the cookies onto the prepared pan, spacing two inches apart. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a little granulated sugar and the reserved chopped pistachios. Gently press the pistachios into the cookies.
=Bake for 12 – 14 minutes for chewy cookies, 15 – 17 minutes for crispy cookies. The cookies should be lightly browned around the edges. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
=Top half of the cookies with granulated sugar, chopped pistachios and a bit of dried cranberry or cherry. Leave the other half of the cookies plain.
FOR FILLING
Place the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 – 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until just melted. Keep the chocolate in the warm bowl and stir in the vanilla. It may start to seize up a little, that’s ok, just keep stirring until smooth again and thickened. Let cool. The chocolate will thicken more as it cools.
=Spread some of the cooled chocolate on the flat side of the plain cookies. Top with a cookie that has the chopped pistachios and cranberries or cherries, flat side down.
GLUTEN-FREE DAIRY FREE SUGAR- FREE CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI
YIELD
=2 dozen biscotti
=INGREDIENTS
=2½ cups Pastry quality gluten-free flour blend
=½ teaspoon Kosher salt or fine sea salt
=2 teaspoons Baking powder
=2 Eggs
=¼ cup Olive oil
=½ cup Agave
=2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
=1 Lemon, finely zested and juiced
=1½ cups Roasted, American pistachios
=1 cup Dried cranberries
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 300˚ F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Put the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on low to combine. Add the eggs, olive oil, agave, vanilla, lemon zest and juice. Start the mixer on low then turn it up to medium to mix in the ingredients, scraping down the sides of the bowl once. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries. Divide the dough evenly putting half on each of the prepared baking sheets and, with wet hands, shape into logs or ovals about 9 by 3 inches.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the dough feels firm to the touch and is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 350˚ F. Cover each log with a doubled over tea towel. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Remove the logs from the baking sheet. Using a thin, sharp knife cut the biscotti into ½ inch pieces on the diagonal. Place the biscotti back on the baking sheets and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden browned.
GLUTEN-FREE PISTACHIO CRISPS
YIELD
=6-8 appetizer servings
INGREDIENTS
=1½ cups All-purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
=1½ teaspoons Xanthan gum
=1 tablespoon Dry active yeast
=1 envelope Unflavored gelatin
=1½ teaspoons Kosher or fine sea salt, use divided
=½ teaspoon Agave nectar, sugar, or honey
=6 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil, use divided
⅔= cup Hot tap water
=½ cup Roasted, American pistachios
=¼ cup Brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400° and line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
Combine the flour, xanthan gum, yeast, gelatin, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, agave (sugar or honey), and hot water in a bowl . Mix on low with an electric mixer using regular beaters or whisk attachment (not dough hook or paddle attachment) until combined. Scrape down the bowl once. Turn the mixer to high and mix for 3 minutes. The dough may clunk around in the mixer at first then soften up, this is fine. The dough will be soft and sticky.
Dust a work surface with a more all-purpose gluten-free flour blend or white rice flour and knead the dough a few times until it is smooth and no longer sticky. Divide dough into two equal portions. Roll each portion of dough out very thin to fit the baking sheet. Brush 2 tablespoons of olive oil on each piece of dough, going all the way to the edges.
Finely chop the pistachios and combine with the remaining teaspoon of salt and brown sugar. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the dough. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until crispy and browned. Break into pieces.
PISTACHIO GELATO – GLUTEN-FREE, DAIRY FREE
YIELD
=1 quart
INGREDIENTS
=2 cups Roasted, unsalted whole American pistachios – use divided
=¼ teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
=2 tablespoons Cornstarch
=¾ cup Granulated sugar
=1 teaspoon Freshly squeezed lemon juice
=Green food coloring – optional
INSTRUCTIONS
=Put 1 1⁄2 cups of pistachios in a bowl and cover completely with water, soak for 1 – 8 hours. Drain and rinse pistachios in a strainer under cold running water until the water runs clear.
=Chop the remaining ½ cup pistachios with the salt in a food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
=Put the soaked pistachios in a blender with 2¼ cups of water. Process for 2 – 3 minutes or until the mixture is very smooth. It should be the consistency of very heavy cream. If too thick, add a little more water and blend.
=Take ½ cup of the pistachio cream and mix with the cornstarch until completely blended. Pour the rest of the pistachio cream into a large saucepan, combine with the chopped pistachios and sugar and cook over medium-high heat until it just starts to boil. Add in the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. The mixture should be the consistency of pudding. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. If you want the color a little greener, stir in some green food coloring drops, a few drops at a time, until if becomes the desired shade of green.
For a smooth gelato, push the mixture through a strainer into a bowl or for a chunkier texture just scrape the mixture into a bowl. Top with a piece of plastic wrap placed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let the mixture cool to room temperature then refrigerate for about 2 hours or until cold.
=Put the mixture into an ice cream machine and process for 20 – 25 minutes or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Can be eaten immediately or stored in the freezer in an airtight container. Take out of the freezer for about 5 minutes to soften before serving.
Note – if you make this recipe with salted pistachios, leave the additional salt out of the recipe.