Pistachio Latte Sandwich Cookies

I don’t know how I’ve lived for so long without a Costco membership. My partner and I got one recently and our weekly Costco trip (on Mondays in the late afternoon to be exact) is always a highlight of my week. The one thing that makes or breaks my Costco trip? The free sample stations. I will shamelessly try everything Costco is sampling that day and I might even get seconds (embarrassing, I know) if I really liked the product. My latest free sample that evolve into an obsession — Pisti Pistachio Cream. The lady at the booth was giving out quartered pieces of whole grain toast smothered in the nutty, dark green cream and I took two (of course). It was so lovely on toast but I had other plans for it. I knew I wanted to use it primarily for baking and will make a piece of pistachio toast snack while I wait for those cookies to bake.

If you’ve been following along for the past year, you’ll know that I’ve been obsessed with my Peanuts cookie stamps. Apparently many of you have been too, because it’s constantly sold out at Williams Sonoma! I always keep an eye on when they restock so I can let you know. (Psssst. they’ve restocked!). In the past few months I have many several versions of these sandwich cookies: strawberry cheesecake (recipe), chocolate with dulce de leche, pumpkin with nutella for fall, and cookie butter with sprinkles for Christmas (recipe). This is a springtime version of the cookie. I know that spring is still 18 days away but I’m more than ready to bid farewell to the winter. The main star ingredient in these cookies is pistachio and we’re using it two ways in the cookie: ground pistachios in the shortbread dough and pistachio cream for the centres. Adding ground pistachios to the shortbread dough gives it a beautiful green colour as well as nutty flavour. It also makes the cookie even more tender. After the pistachio cookies have been stamped and baked, we’re piping a ring of coffee cheesecake cream and filling the centres with a big dollop of the pistachio cream. The cookies are great at room temperature but my favourite way to enjoy them is after they’ve been chilled in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes. When they’re chilled, the texture of the cheesecake cream is like actual cheesecake, and who doesn’t love two desserts in one?

Pistachio Latte Sandwich Cookies

The main star ingredient in these cookies is pistachio and we're using it two ways in the cookie: ground pistachios in the shortbread dough and pistachio cream for the centres. After the pistachio cookies have been stamped and baked, we're piping a ring of coffee cheesecake cream and filling the centres with a big dollop of the pistachio cream.

Makes 12 cookies

By Amy

Ingredients

Pistachio Shortbread

• 160 g (2/3 cup and 2 tsp) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 90 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 210 g (1 3/3 cup) all-purpose flour
• 80 g (1/2 cup) roasted pistachios
• 1/2 tsp salt

Coffee Cheesecake Cream

• 125 g (1/2 block) cream cheese, room temperature
• 55 g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 180 g (1 1/2 cup) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt

Pistachio Cream

• 80 g (1/4 cup) pistachio cream

Instructions

Pistachio Shortbread

• Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla at medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
• In a food processor, blitz pistachios until it becomes a fine flour.
• Add flour, ground pistachios, and salt and mix on low speed until combined.
• In between two sheets of parchment paper, roll out dough to ¼-inch in thickness. Lightly flour the cookie stamp/cutter and press. Transfer cut outs to prepared baking sheet, placing cookies 2 inches apart.
• Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer for 10 minutes. Freezing cut out cookies before baking will help preserve the design and shape of the cookies.
• Bake until the edges are lightly golden brown, about 12 – 14 minutes.
• Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.

Coffee Cheesecake Cream

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, about 1 – 2 minutes.
• Add icing sugar, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Turn on mixer on low speed and mix until ingredients are combined. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until mixture is completely smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute.

Assembly

• Turn over half of the cookies, they will be the bottom cookies.
• Pipe a ring of cofffee crean on the bottom cookie. This will act as a barrier for the pistachio cream centers.
• Take half a heaping tablespoon of pistachio and fill the centre. Sandwich the top cookie and press lightly. Repeat with remaining cookies until all cookies are filled.
• Serve at room temperature or chilled (which is what I prefer!).