square pan 8 x 8 inch

Ingredients:

• 125 g (½ cup + 1 tablespoon) butter , softened
• 125 g (½ cup + 2 tablespoons) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100 g  (½ cup + 2 tablespoons) all purpose flour
• 1½  teaspoons baking powder
• 50 g finely ground almonds (almond flour)
• 2 tablespoons powdered freeze-dried canberry
• 7 tablespoons finely ground unsalted pistachios
• few drops food colouring  – red and green

Assembly:

• 250 g raw marzipan mass (store bought or homemade – recipe here)
• 3-4 tablespoons apricots jam

Prepare the pan: grease with melted butter. Cut the parchment paper into a 8 x 14 inch rectangular. Fold the paper in half widthways then open out and push up the centre fold to make a pleat as tall as the pan. Line the base of greased pan with the paper so the pleat is placed exactly in the middle (creating a wall between two halves of the pan and dividing it to two separated containers – see last picture). Preheat oven to the 350°F.

In a bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and baking powder, mix well. Divide the mixture in half. Add almond flour and powdered cranberry to one portion, mix until combined. Add pistachios to the second portion, mix until combined. If both mixtures are to pale and you wish more intensive colour add few drops of food colouring – red to the cranberry one and green to the pistachio one. Spoon prepared mixtures into the pan – one to each separated part. Bake for 20-25 minutes (until the wooden skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean). Leave in the pan for few minutes then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Roll out the marzipan thinly. Heat gently the jam until it spreads easily. Cut both sponges in half lengthways to make four strips – two red and two green. Brush one long side of each cake with heated jam. Place onto the marzipan one red sponge and one green sponge in that way they touch together with brushed sides. Brush with jam the upper surface of sponges and place onto the remaining sponges touching their brushed sides. Alternate colours. Brush all outer sides of built cake with jam. Wrap the marzipan neatly around the cake and seal it on the bottom edge. Cut off the excess of marzipan. Serve in slices.

24 cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (minus 1 tablespoon) butter, softened
• ¾  cup turbinado sugar
• 1 tablespoons agave syrup (or other plant based syrup)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons buckwheat flour
• 7 tablespoons rice flour
• 125 g rolled oats
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 100 g finely chopped unsalted pistachios
• 100 g dried cranberries, chopped

In the bowl of a stand mixer place the softened butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in plant syrup, egg and vanilla extract, mix together. Add both flours, baking powder, salt and oats, mix until combined. Add pistachios and cranberry, mix just until incorporated.

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a large cookie tray with parchment paper.

Take walnut sized pieces and roll them into a ball between your palms. Place each ball onto the prepared tray. Do not keep them very tight because they will slightly rise in the oven. Flatten each ball slightly and bake the tray for 15 minutes until cookies are golden brown. Just after baking cookies will be still soft, let them rest on the tray for about 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

24 cookies (but it depends on moulds size)

 Ingredients:

• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut syrup (or other plant syrup)
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 ½ cup finely ground pistachios
• ¼ cup buckwheat flour
• pinch of salt
• 3 egg whites (from large eggs)
• 1 teaspoon rose extract

Icing:

• ½ cup icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoon pistachio crumbles

Grease moulds (I recommend steel) with butter, place on the baking sheet and put into the freezer.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Melt butter in a saucepan and cook for further 10 minutes until changes the colour to brown and starts to smell ‘nutty’. Remove from the heat, stir in coconut syrup and set aside to cool slightly.

In a bowl combine sugar, pistachios, salt and flour. Add egg whites and rose extract, mix with a spoon. Slowly add butter with syrup and mix until combined.

Fill moulds to the ¾ capacity. Place with baking sheet to the oven, reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake for 15 minutes (until tooth pick inserted into center comes out clean). Remove from the oven, unmould and cool on a wire rack.

Make icing: grind rose petals to powder. Combine the powder with icing sugar, stir in water and mix until smooth, thick but still liquid mixture. Pour over the top of each cookie and sprinkle with pistachio crumbles.

3 sandwich tins ø 7 inch

 Sponge:

• 4/5 cup butter, softened
• 1 ¼ cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of 1 lime (exactly 2 tablespoons)
• 1 ½ cups cake flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup Greek yoghurt, plain
• ½ cup finely chopped pistachios

Frosting:

• 250 g lingonberries jam (available in Ikea stores)
• 375 g mascarpone cheese
• 200 ml whipping cream

Preheat oven to 330°F. Line tins’ bottoms with parchment paper.

Sponge: in the bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add eggs, beating after each addition. Add lime juice and zest along with the last egg. Mix the flour with baking powder and gradually add to butter mixture alternate with yoghurt. When the dough is ready add pistachios mixing shortly just until incorporated.  Divide the mixture evenly among tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes (until the wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean). Cool on a wire rack.

Frosting: beat cream until stiff peaks. Gradually add mascarpone cheese and mix together. Add lingonberries jam and mix shortly until homogenous mixture.

Set aside 2 tablespoon of frosting for decoration. Place the first sponge on the plate and spread ¼ of frosting on it, cover with second sponge. Spread ¼ of frosting on it and cover with the third sponge. Spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of the cake. The rest of the frosting place in a piping bag and pipe small rosettes on the top of cake and partially on sides.  

round spring pan 9 inch

 Ingredients:

• 2 blood oranges
• 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar

• ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (125 g) butter, softened
• ¾ cup (150 g) sugar
• zest of 1 blood orange
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (250 ml) Greek yoghurt (natural)
• 1 ¼ cups ground pistachios (I used unsalted)
• 1 cup (160 g) all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Important: cake should be baked in spring pan (zipped). In the oven orange juice will drip off the pan (place baking sheet on the lower oven shelf) what causes in pretty look and proper structure of the fruits. If the pan would be tight the juice would stay inside and cook fruits which fall apart.  

Grease the pan with butter and line with parchment paper (sides and bottom). Grease again (sides and bottom - over the paper) and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Slice oranges (in zest) thinly. Place half circles on the side around the perimeter and place half circles on the bottom around the perimeter. Place whole slice in the middle of the bottom. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs (one at the time) and mix together. Add orange zest, mix together. Add yoghurt and pistachios, mix together. Add flour with baking powder, mix until incorporated. Spoon the cake mixture carefully over oranges. Bake for 1 hour (until the wooden skewer inserted into center comes out clean). Remove from the oven, leave in pan for 5 minutes.  Then remove cake from the pan and transfer to the cooling rack placing cake upside-down (oranges up). Cool completely. Cooled cake is very easy to be cut (even orange zest part).

30 biscuits

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 100 g unsalted pistachios
• 100 g dark chocolate

• 2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F and line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust it with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Chop finely pistachios and chocolate. Place in a bowl and stir in flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer place egg and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix in melted butter and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to the eggs mixture still mixing on medium speed until the dough is smooth. The dough will be very thick. When is ready, remove it from the bowl and divide into two equal pieces. Roll each on a floured surface with your hands to shape a roll 2 inch in diameter. Place both rolls on prepared tray, dust with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and bake for 20-25 minutes until rise and become hard.

Cool completely on tray.

Once the rolls are cooled slice them using serrated knife into 3/8 inch wide slices. Place biscuits onto the tray (you can use the same tray and paper as previously). Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes until dry to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

1 tart ø 10 inch or few smaller tarts

Base:

• 2/3 cup softened butter
• 7 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons ground black sesame seeds
• 2 cups flour

Frangipane filling:

• ½ cup softened butter
• ½  cup + 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
• 120 g finely ground unsalted pistachios (skinned)
• 1 egg

Adds:

• 2 blood oranges, peeled and sliced

Shortbread base: in the bowl of a stand mixer place the softened butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in egg and sesame seeds, mix together. Gradually add flour still mixing on medium speed until the dough forms a ball (the sides of the bowl should be almost clean). The amount of flour you need could vary because of flour type. If the dough is still very soft and does not shape a ball add more flour, one tablespoon at the time. When is ready, remove it from the bowl, wrap in a cling film and let cool in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours.

Make frangipane filling: mix all ingredients together until became thick and smooth mixture.

Cooled pastry place on a lightly floured surface and roll out into 1/5 inch thick square pan size. Fill pan/s with prepared pastry and press to place properly. Pour the frangipane mixture over pastry base and smooth evenly. Put all over oranges sliced thinly. Place the tart/s in the fridge until the oven is heated.

Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes (smaller tarts for 20 minutes). Cool after baking on a wire rack.

4 x ø 4.5 inch or 1 x ø 10 inch

 Ingredients:

• 100 g pistachios
• 4 egg whites
• ¾ cup (150 g) superfine sugar
• 100 g white chocolate, chopped
• 100 g vanilla wafers

 Frosting:

• 200 ml whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar
• halved, peeled peaches (fresh or canned)
• blackberries

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Grease and line base and sides of pan/s.

Beat egg whites and ¼ cup sugar with an electric mixer until firm peaks form. Add remaining sugar and beat on high speed for 8 minutes until dissolved. Chop finely pistachios and chocolate in food processor. Crumb wafers with hands into fine pieces. Stir pistachios along with chocolate and wafers into egg whites foam. Mix gently with rubber spatula. Spoon mixture into pan/s. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.

Make topping: beat cream and icing sugar a with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

Remove cake from pan, transfer to a serving plate. Spread the top with whipped cream.  Finish with peaches and blackberries. Sprinkle with pistachio crumbles.

25 cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ teaspoon rose water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ cups flour
• 100 g finely chopped unsalted pistachios

 Icing:

• ½ cup icing sugar
• 2 tabespoons finely ground dried rose petals
• 4 tablespoons warm water

In the bowl of a stand mixer place the softened butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in golden syrup, rose water and egg yolk, mix together. In a separated bowl mix together flour, pistachios and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture still mixing on medium speed until the dough forms a ball. When is ready, remove it from the bowl, wrap in a cling film and let cool in the fridge for ½  hour. After this time remove the dough from the fridge and unpack the foil. Flat the dough lightly and roll on a floured surface with your hands to shape a 2 inch diameter and 10 inch length jelly-roll. Pretty shaped roll wrap again in a cling film and place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large cookie tray with parchment paper.

Once the roll is cooled becomes to be stiff and easy to cut. Slice it into 3/8 inch wide slices. Place cookies onto the prepared tray. Do not keep them very tight because they will slightly rise in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes until slightly browned on edges. They will be tender after baking and become harder when cooled.

Make the icing: mix all ingredients together until thick but still liquid. Add more water if needed. Pour the icing over cookies.

12 buns

 Dough:

• 3 cups flour
• pinch of salt
• 3 teaspoons dried yeast
• ¾  cup lukewarm milk
• ½ cup sugar
• ¼  cup minus 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons freeze-dried spinach (powder)

Filling:

• 100 g pistachios
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2-3 tablespoons icing sugar

Make dough: in a medium bowl mix together yeast, half of milk and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand for 15 until frothy. Add butter to the rest of milk in the saucepan and heat gently until butter melted but the mixture could not be hot. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, remaining sugar and salt. Add yeast mixture, egg, vanilla extract and milk with butter. Mix on medium speed until dough is smooth (8-10 minutes) and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If dough does not pull away from the bowl, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the mixture remains too dry and crumbly, add lukewarm water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once the dough is ready divide it into half. Add spinach powder to one half and kneed by hand until incorporated. Place both dough in oiled bowls, cover and let stand in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours until doubled in size.

Make filling: process pistachios until pistachio butter. Add sugar and coconut oil, mix until incorporated. If the mixture is too stiff add more oil.

Place dough on a floured surface and roll out each one into a 16 x 8 inch rectangular. Spread the filling evenly onto the white dough and cover with the green dough. Spread the filling over green dough. Cut prepared two layers dough into 12 strips 8 inch long each. Roll each strip shaping a snail. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place six rolls on each tray arranged them as a circle when each bun touches two other buns by sides (see pictures). Let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes to rest and double in size while preheating oven to 350°F. You can also place trays in the fridge for overnight and bake buns the next in the morning. Remove them from the fridge 15 minutes before baking.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the dough is not more sticky and sounds hollow by taping the base. You may cover the top with aluminium foil after first 10 minutes to save bright colours. Serve warm or cooled.

6 wreaths buns

 Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons dried yeast
• 100 ml (3.5 oz) lukewarm milk
• ½ cup minus 1 tablespoon (80 g) sugar
• 3 cups (480 g) bread flour
• pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼  cup (120 g) butter, softened

Filling:

• 120 g (4 oz) white chocolate
• 100 ml (3.5 oz) whipping cream
• ½ cup finely chopped pistachios

• egg wash made of 1 egg and 1 tablespoon milk

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make filling: pour the cream to the saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add chocolate broken into pieces. Let stand for 5 minutes then mix chocolate until incorporated. Let it cool completely. Stir in chopped pistachios.

Make dough: in a medium bowl mix together yeast, lukewarm milk and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand for 15 minutes until frothy. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, remaining sugar and salt. Add yeast mixture, eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually add butter (1 tablespoon at the time) and mix on medium speed until dough is smooth (8-10 minutes) and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If dough does not pull away from the bowl, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the mixture remains too dry and crumbly, add lukewarm water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once the dough is ready place it in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours until doubled in size.

Place dough on a floured surface and roll out one into a 24 x 12 inch (60 x 30 cm) rectangular. Cut into six vertical strips (4 x 12 inch / 10 x 30 cm each). Spread the filling evenly onto each strip. Roll each strip into log starting with longer edge (you will have six logs 12 inch/30 cm long). Cut out each log lengthwise, turn both parts cut side up and braid together. Seal the ends together forming a wreath. Place wreaths on prepared sheet and let stand in a warm place for 30 minutes to rest and double in size while preheating oven to 350°F. You may also place tray in the fridge for overnight and bake buns the next morning. Remove them from the fridge 15 minutes before baking and place in a warm place. Brush the tops with egg wash before baking.

Bake for 25-30 minutes (depending on the oven type) until the dough is golden and sounds hollow by taping the base. Serve warm or cooled.

You have to make this cheesecake a day before because it must spend the night in the fridge to become proper structure

round springform 8 inch

 Base:

• 100 g unsalted pistachios
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoon water
• ¼ cup butter, melted

 Cheesecake:

• 250 g cream cheese
• ¼  cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 150 ml whipping cream
• 100 g white chocolate

 Mint mousse:

• ½ cup mint tea or green tea + pure mint extract
• ½ cup sugar
• 5 teaspoon gelatine
• 150 ml whipping cream
• 150 ml greek yogurt, plain

Make the base: chop pistachios. Place sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook without stirring, over medium heat until the sugar thermometer reaches 115°F or sugar becomes brown in colour. Set the saucepan aside and stir in pistachios. Pour the mixture over baking tin lined with parchment and let cool completely. Process  sugared pistachios in food processor to sand consistency. Stir In melted butter and process for a 1 minute until it looks like wet sand. The bottom of a spring form line with baking parchment and pour the pistachio base evenly pressing lightly with a spoon. Let it cool in the fridge.

Make cheesecake: place the whipping cream in a small saucepan and cook until hot. Take off from the stove, pour in chopped chocolate and  stir until combined. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl place cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat with a spoon until smooth. Pour the chocolate cream and beat together.  Pour the cheesecake mixture over pistachio base in the spring form. Cheesecake will be baked in water bath (bain-marie). Wrap the spring form in two pieces of aluminium foil and place in a bigger pan filled with hot water to the half-way of springform side. Place together in hot oven (325°F) and bake for 1 hour. The cheesecake have to be set on its surface if is not bake it longer. Once is baked remove from bigger water pan, waste the aluminium foil and place in spring form to the fridge for overnight.

Make mint mousse: place gelatine in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside for 5 minut until blooms. Brew the mint tea (or green tea with pure mint extract) and stir in sugar. Add softened gelatine to warm tea and stir to dissolve. Gradually stir in yogurt and mix until combined. Whip the cream until soft peaks form and pour over tea-yogurt mixture stirring gently.  Silicon moulds (shaped as desired) fill with mousse and place in the freezer for overnight.  

Next day remove cheesecake from the pan and place on a cake stand. Remove the mint mousse from moulds and place on the top of cheesecake. Decorate with ground pistachios and fresh mint leaves.

8x4 inch 1 loaf pan

 Ingredients:

• 3 cups + 2 tablespoon (400 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (75 grams) sugar
• 1 package (7 grams) active dry yeast
• ½  tablespoon orange zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• ½  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ½ tablespoon (9 grams) kosher salt

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

 Pistachio filling:

• ½  cup unsalted butter
• ½  cup (100 grams) sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ½ tablespoons (25 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoon (15 grams) almond flour
• ½  teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼  cup pistachio paste (store bought or homemade)
• ¼  cup pistachios, finely chopped

 Homemade pistachio paste:

• 3 tablespoon (30 grams) sugar
• 3 tablespoon water
• ½  cup toasted pistachios
• 2 tablespoon (15 grams) almond flour
• 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and orange zest. With mixer on low speed, add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Beat until mixture comes together, 2 to 3 minutes. (If the mixture remains too dry and crumbly, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.)

With mixer on low speed, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add salt, beating just until combined, about 3 minutes. Increase speed to medium, and beat until a smooth and elastic dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. (If dough does not pull away from the bowl, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.)

Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover, and let stand in a warm, draft-free place (75°) for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until doubled in size. After dough has risen, refrigerate for 30 minutes. Alternatively, the dough can be made one day in advance and the entire rise may take place in the refrigerator overnight.

Make pistachio paste: line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat sugar and water until a candy thermometer registers 240°. In a small bowl, place pistachios. Pour hot syrup over pistachios, stirring to coat. Transfer pistachios to prepared pan, and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

In the work bowl of a food processor, combine pistachios and almond flour. Process until finely ground, about 2 minutes. With motor running, add oil, one tablespoon at a time. Process until mixture forms a smooth, thick paste, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Pistachio filling: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until creamy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together flours and salt. With mixer running on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating until combined. Add pistachio paste and finely chopped pistachios. Beat until just combined.

Grease and line a baking pan. On a heavily floured surface, roll dough to a 12-inch square. Brush edges with egg beaten with water. Spread with pistachio filling, leaving a 1-inch border on long sides of dough. Starting at one side, roll up dough, jelly-roll style, and press edge to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut roll in half lengthwise. Carefully twist dough pieces around each other and place in prepared pan, cut sides up. Cover, and let stand in a warm, draft-free place (75°) until doubled in size, 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake loaf for 30 minutes. Cover with foil, and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.