Calling on all pistachio fans, because these Pistachio Brownies will make your day! A love child of white chocolate and pistachios, they bring brownies to an absolutely different level!
Lately, I have developed a bit of brownie obsession. My White chocolate and cherry brownies were featured a few weeks ago, as well as few more twisty recipes WIP. So, do watch this space! These Pistachio Brownies are amazing, as they combine all the best from white chocolate, sweet buttery notes with the nuttiness of pistachios. Like my good friend described it after trying – these are finger-licking delicious!
I like to think about blond brownies as an extension of traditional brownies, where white chocolate and add-ins are the ones that make the party happen. With pistachios in the mix, the oozing of the taste is far greater.
In the beginning, I was not really sure how to deliver my vision. With these kinds of products, the intensity of nutty taste is always an addition, rather than a dominant. Obviously, this is not what I want to settle for. So, as a solution, instead of just adding chopped pistachios into the batter, I prepared pistachio custard. As if I was about to make pistachio ice cream. Why? Two reasons. One, it really helps to release more flavor, and two – it adds even more moisture and softness to the final product.
Of course, if you love indulgence as I do, and you want to get absolute maximum flavor – add a splash of almond essence. The reason for this is that in tiny doses flavor profile of almond is quite similar to pistachio. Product developers and flavorists often use this trick to enhance pistachio notes in desserts.
With these brownies here, you will not get a milky chocolate-forward taste. It will be all about pistachios… So let’s crack on!
To make this easier, check out my Pistachio Brownies YouTube tutorial down below.
Pistachio Brownies Recipe
You want more pistachio, do you? Well, this match was made in heaven - White chocolate & Pistachio brownies. So soft, full of flavor, and 100% delicious! And these have even more pistachio taste, thanks to a little trick we used...
Ingredients
Custard:
- 90 grams Chopped Unsalted Pistachio
- 150 grams Milk
- 20 grams Sugar
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 1 gram Almond Essense
- !Batter:
- 85 grams Plain Flour
- 140 grams Unsalted butter
- 180 grams White Chocolate
- 90 grams White Sugar
- 2 Medium Eggs
- 2 grams Table Salt
- 6 grams Vanilla paste
- Adding all Pistachio Custard
- Green food colorant to your choice (optional)
Add-in:
- Unsalted pistachio for decoration
Instructions
- I suggest you start with pistachio custard because it requires a chilling step. You can catch up on the rest of the prep while custard is cooling down
- Now, crush pistachios with 10g of sugar using a blender to get to 1/4 of their original size. After that, add milk and crushed pistachios into the pan. Simmer on medium heat, while mixing constantly, until starts to boil. Take off from the stove, and add almond flavor.
- Whisk 2 egg yolks with the remaining 10g of sugar.
- Add Milk/Pistachio mixture to the egg yolks while mixing. Give it a good stir and put it back into the pan. Now you are ready to cook the custard.
- Keep it on low heat, mix regularly with heat resistant spatula. In 3-5 min you will see the custard thickening. Take the pan off the stove and let it cool until room temperature.
- Now you have time to work on your main batter.
- Mix flour with 1/4 of sugar and salt. This step allows getting easier distribution of flour in the final batter
- In a separate bowl, start whisking eggs with the rest of the sugar, until light foam. Best to use eggs when they are at room temperature, so you are avoiding quick thickening of fat & chocolate during the next stage.
- Melt your butter in the microwave, using heat resistant bowl. To make this easier - chop your butter into small pieces. I normally do it in 3 stages, each about 30 s (800 W), and mix with a spatula in between. Once melted - leave it aside, while melting chocolate in the same way in a separate bowl. Combine butter and chocolate, and mix well until fully combined
- Now it is time to add butter/chocolate mixture into the bowl with eggs and sugar. Mix it well with a spatula until smooth, and then add your dry ingredients. Keep mixing until you get a smooth batter
- Now, when everything is well mixed, the last step is to add cooled pistachio custard and vanilla paste. You can also add green food colorant at this stage, but it's optional
- Transfer final batter into the tin, and use a spatula to even the surface
- Lastly, I recommend decorating the top of your blondie with chopped pistachios. Trust me, it will only make it better
- Now, when your blondie batter is ready for bake, place it in the preheated oven with no fan for 30-40 min at 175 °C/320 °F. Please, note, that you may need to change your baking time if your tin is a different size. For this recipe, I used 18cm round paper tin (7 inches). Use a wooden stick to check readiness - it should come out dry.
