Dark Chocolate, Pistachio & Sea Salt Biscuits

Dark Chocolate, Pistachio & Sea Salt Biscuits are an easy bake that gives impressive results. Fun to make. Sensational to taste. Hard to resist.

I’m here again with my transatlantic use of the word biscuit. I’m talking cookies, crackers, biscuits, bickies. Whatever you call them, these Dark Chocolate, Pistachio & Sea Salt Biscuits are not to be missed.

First off, there’s a double hit of sweet, bright, cheerful pistachio nuts as both ground and chopped pistachios are incorporated into the biscuit dough. You could stop right there and enjoy the crisp, crumbly pistachio biscuit… naked. They are impressively good.

However, I’m all for a bit of overindulgence. Dipping these baked beauties in dark chocolate turns them from a simple & perfectly delicious biscuit into something more classy altogether. For a final splurge of flavour excitement, a light sprinkle of sea salt crystals transforms them into a biscuit that is regretfully good & totally addictive.

When I first thought about making these Dark Chocolate, Pistachio & Sea Salt Biscuits, I really wasn’t sure if I would like the sea salt or if I would find it too much. If you’re reading this and wondering the same thing, then I’m going to insist you give them a try. I can’t let you miss out on what has turned out to be one of the best new flavour combinations I’ve tried this year.

Baking these biscuits is straightforward and great fun as you get to whizz up the pistachios and stare goggle-eyed at the beautiful shade of green you’re about to put into your biscuits. It’s little surprise that the biscuit dough created turns out green, but when baked the green hue vanishes. It’s like a little bit of magic taking place in your oven.

The dough can be prepared in about 5 minutes and you don’t have to be too precise on dipping the chocolate since a rustic (aka messy) look works well for these biscuit. That’s probably just as well given my decorating skills (ahem).

Pistachio + dark chocolate + sea salt. It can only ever mean good things. Hop to it and get baking.

PS. The final installment of my caramel trilogy bender will resume very soon. Stay tuned.

5 from 1 vote

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Dark Chocolate, Pistachio & Sea Salt Biscuits

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Dark Chocolate, Pistachio & Sea Salt Biscuits are an easy bake that gives impressive results. Fun to make. Sensational to taste. Hard to resist.

Course: Baking, Cookies

Cuisine: Worldwide

Keyword: dark chocolate sea salt cookie, pistachio shortbread, shortbread

Servings: 20 Cookies

Author: Jane Saunders

Ingredients

• 75 g/ 3oz Pistachio nuts (unsalted, de-shelled))
• 100 g/ 4oz Unsalted butter - room temperature
• 50 g/ 2oz Caster sugar
• 25 g/ 1oz Light brown sugar
• 120 g/ 5oz Plain (all purpose) flour
• Pinch of cooking salt
• 100 g/ 4oz Dark chocolate (I used 62%)
• Sea salt crystals (I used Maldon)

Instructions

Make the biscuits

1. Begin by blitzing 50g of the pistachio nuts in a processor or coffee grinder until reduced to a fine powder (similar in appearance to ground almonds, only green!)
2. Chop the remaining 25g of nuts using a knife
3. In a medium bowl, using electric beaters, cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy
4. Add the cooking salt, flour, ground and chopped pistachios. Briefly stir with a metal spoon, then use your hands to complete the mixing. Stop mixing as soon as everything is combined properly
5. Roll the dough into a cylinder (sausage) approximately 20cm long and 4-5cm wide. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 4 hours
6. Pre-heat the oven to 140°C/ 275°F/ GM1 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment
7. Unwrap the dough, slice the ends off to neaten and then gently slice the cylinder into 20 rounds about 5mm thick.
8. Lay the circles on the baking sheets, spaced 2cm apart. (Take care to pick the side that has the prettiest display of nuts and put this face up).
9. Bake for around 20 minutes until beginning to turn golden. Remove from the oven, let rest for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely

Decorating

1. Chop the chocolate finely. Place 2/3 of it into a small heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave I do this by heating in 30 second bursts on full power, stirring occasionally. Once the chocolate has almost melted I add the remaining 1/3 chocolate and stir until it is all completely melted
2. Take a biscuit and dip the bottom 1/3 in the chocolate, tilting the biscuit as necessary to ensure a good covering of chocolate. Place on greaseproof paper. Repeat with another 2 biscuits. Top each biscuit with a small pinch of sea salt flakes (don't wait until you have dipped all 20 biscuits - the chocolate will have set too hard for the salt to stick)
3. Keep repeating this dipping and sprinkling process with sets of 3 biscuits until all of the biscuits have been decorated
4. Allow to set completely then transfer to an airtight container. Keeps for up to 5 days

Buttery biscuits packed with ground and chopped pistachio nuts, half dipped in rich, dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt flakes. Sensational tasting and so easy to make.