Pistachio Cherry Smore Bars Recipes

PISTACHIO-CHERRY S'MORE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-in. pan with foil, letting ends extend up sides; grease foil., Mix cracker crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle evenly with cherries, baking chips and pistachios. In a small bowl, mix milk and orange zest; drizzle over top., Bake 20 minutes. Top with marshmallows; bake until top is golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Lifting with foil, remove from pan. Cut into bars.

PISTACHIO-CHERRY SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Pulse the butter, sugar, honey, egg yolk and vanilla in a food processor until creamy, scraping down the processor with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the flour and pistachios and pulse until the dough just comes together, 4 to 5 pulses.
• Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper and knead until uniform. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a compact log, about 1 inch in diameter. Wrap the logs individually in parchment paper or plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 3 weeks.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the logs into 1/4-inch-thick rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are firm and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon cherry preserves on the undersides of half of the cookies, then sandwich with the remaining cookies. Store in an airtight container 2 to 3 days.

CHERRY-PISTACHIO NOUGAT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly coat baking pan with nonstick spray. Line with plastic wrap, leaving a 1" overhang on all sides. Set aside.
• Spread out pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring once, until just beginning to turn light golden brown in spots, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Coarsely chop and set aside.
• Combine sugar, honey, and 2 tablespoons water in a small deep heavy saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of pan. Increase heat and boil until thermometer registers 252°F, about 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, beat egg white and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
• With mixer running, gradually stream hot syrup into egg whites. Beat until meringue is thick, has tripled in volume, and has cooled slightly, 10-12 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add cherries and pistachios to meringue; mix nougat with a rubber spatula to distribute evenly.
• Place one 8x8" sheet of rice paper (or 8x8" sheet of parchment paper sprayed with nonstick spray) in the prepared pan. Transfer nougat to pan, spreading in an even layer. Top with second sheet of rice paper (or 8x8" sheet of parchment paper sprayed with nonstick spray). Using an offset spatula, press the nougat into an even layer. Let stand at room temperature until set, about 2 hours.
• Using overhang from plastic wrap, lift nougat out of pan and transfer to a work surface; discard plastic. Run a large sharp knife under hot tap water; wipe dry. Cut nougat crosswise into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 10 pieces, occasionally reheating knife under hot water and wiping dry. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

CHERRY PISTACHIO BARK

Steps:

• Line a 15x10x1-in. pan with foil; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chips and candy coating; stir until smooth. Stir in the cherries and pistachios. Spread into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. , Using a sharp knife, score surface of candy, making diamond shapes about 1/8 in. deep. Refrigerate 40 minutes longer or until set. , Cut along scored lines into diamonds. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

PISTACHIO-CHERRY-PINEAPPLE MARSHMALLOW DESSERT

Steps:

• Stir together instant pistachio pudding mix, frozen whipped topping, mini marshmallows, fruit cocktail, crushed pineapples, and maraschino cherries in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

CHERRY PISTACHIO BARK

Steps:

• Line 15x10-inch pan with sides with waxed paper. In small microwavable bowl, microwave cherries and water uncovered on High 2 minutes; drain.
• In 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat baking chips and candy coating over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove from heat; stir in cherries and nuts. Spread in pan.
• Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Cut with 3-inch tree-shaped cookie cutter (or desired shape). Store tightly covered at room temperature.

PISTACHIO AND CHERRY BOMBE

Steps:

• In a food processor, grind the pistachios and granulated sugar into a fine meal.
• Transfer pistachio meal to a medium bowl; add the zest, honey and egg whites and combine the ingredients using your hands until fully integrated.
• Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, pressing evenly until about 1/3-inch thick, and bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. The mixture should still be soft and pliable, like the center of a chewy cookie, with some color on top. When you poke it with your finger, the dent should remain.
• Line a 10- to 12-inch, freezer-proof bowl (about 4 quarts) with parchment paper and plastic wrap, allowing enough overhang to cover the top of the bowl. Set aside about one-third of the biscotti dough (this will form the bombe's base later) and press the remaining dough into the bowl while the dough is still warm. (The layer should be as even and thin as possible, ideally about 1/3-inch thick.) Set aside until completely cooled to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, roll out the remaining biscotti dough into a rough circle between two pieces of clean parchment paper. It should be about 1/3-inch thick. Trim it to fit the opening of the bowl. Set aside to cool completely.
• Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan, cook the cherries with the granulated sugar over medium heat for 10 minutes; they should be sweet and soft with a good amount of liquor. Set aside to cool completely.
• Remove 2 pints of ice cream from the freezer to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. When the biscotti bowl has cooled and the ice cream is easily scoopable but not at all runny, spoon 2 pints of ice cream into the center of the pistachio bowl and spread evenly with a spatula in the bottom and up the sides, about 1-inch thick. Place a nesting bowl or any smaller bowl in the center and use the bowl to tamp the ice cream down. Transfer the large bowl to the freeze to chill until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• Remove another pint of ice cream from the freezer and let soften 10 minutes at room temperature. In a medium bowl, fold the cooled cherries and their juices into 1 pint of ice cream, leaving some pockets of vanilla. Spoon this mix into the center of the biscotti bowl (which is now covered with a frozen layer of plain vanilla ice cream). Freeze until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• Spread the remaining 1/2 pint vanilla ice cream on top of the cherry layer. Cover the top of the bowl with the rolled-out remaining biscotti and tamp down. Freeze at least 8 hours, or overnight.
• To serve, turn the bombe out onto a plate. Sift confectioners' sugar on top. Using a Microplane, grate pistachios all over the top of the bombe. More cherries are a lovely garnish. Slice and serve immediately.