Pistachio Sandwich Cookie Recipe with Cranberries

Christmas cookies

Name: Christmas cookies
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Makes 15
Ingredients: 350g plain flour; ½ tsp baking powder; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 225g unsalted butter; 300g caster sugar; 1 lemon zested; 2 eggs large; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 150g dried cranberries; 200ml whole milk; 75g, plus 50g for decoration pistachios finely chopped; 20g plain flour; 150g caster sugar; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste; 175g unsalted butter softened; a few drops green food colouring (optional)

Edd Kimber

Published: October 26, 2021 at 3:50 PM

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Makes 15

Easy

Total time: 1 hr and 10 mins

+ infusing + chilling

A star rating of 5 out of 5.1 ratingRate

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Use cranberries, pistachios and other festive ingredients to make these impressive cookies. You can even turn them into cookie sandwiches with a decadent pistachio buttercream!

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Complete the dish

Bake our Christmas cookies then check out our Christmas biscuits, Christmas brownies, cinnamon biscuits, florentines and more Christmas baking recipes. Make these and other festive treats to take with you on a winter walk. Now try more Edd Kimber recipes.

Looking for more cookie recipes? Try these gooey chocolate chip cookies, apricot and white chocolate cookies and plenty more.

***These cranberry and pistachio sandwich cookies have been created by original GBBO winner and expert baker Edd Kimber. Edd Kimber says: "*Many Christmas recipes demand dried fruit. These cookie follow that advice but instead of the usual raisins and sultanas use dried cranberries, which are usually relegated to the somewhat unloved and neglected sauce. For the option cookie sandwich filling I have gone with an unusual but delicious pistachio buttercream."

Ingredients

Nutrition

CRANBERRY COOKIES

350g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
225g unsalted butter
300g caster sugar
1 lemon

zested
2 eggs

large
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g dried cranberries

PISTACHIO BUTTERCREAM

200ml whole milk
75g, plus 50g for decoration pistachios

finely chopped
20g plain flour
150g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
175g unsalted butter

softened
a few drops green food colouring

(optional)

Nutrition: per serving

kcal513
fat27.4g
saturates15g
carbs59g
sugars38.1g
fibre2.5g
protein5.9g
salt0.4g

Method

step 1

To make the cookies, mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and 1/2 tsp of salt. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and lemon zest for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs, then briefly mix in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and the cranberries, and mix until a soft cookie dough is formed. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until firm.
step 2

Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160/gas 4. Cut the dough into golf-ball-sized pieces, roll into balls and put onto baking-paper-lined trays or use a silicone baking mat. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned. Halfway through baking remove the trays from the oven and give them a firm tap on the surface to make the cookie collapse a little (this will give a chewier texture). Cool on the trays for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
step 3

For the buttercream, put the milk and pistachios in a pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 1 hour. Pour the mixture into a jug and use a hand blender to purée until smooth (the nuts won’t fully break down but they’ll form a slightly pasty texture, almost like a milkshake). Pour the milk mixture back into the pan along with the flour, caster sugar and vanilla bean paste. Cook over a medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is very thick, like a pastry cream. Scrape the custard into a small bowl and cover the surface. Chill for 2 hours.
step 4

To finish the buttercream, beat the butter until soft and creamy then add in the pistachio custard a spoonful or so at a time. Continue beating until a buttercream texture is formed. Depending on the colour of the pistachios you use you may want to add a drop or two of green food colouring – but be sparing. Put the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and pipe a dollop of buttercream onto 1/2 the cookies, sandwiching together with a second cookie. To finish, roll each cookie in chopped pistachios, coating the exposed buttercream.

Enjoy baking more of our Christmas cookies:

Christmas biscuits

Our spiced festive cookies make the perfect edible Christmas decorations to hang from your tree or mantle. You can leave these iced biscuits out for Santa or wrap them up as a gift, the possibilities are endless!

Chocolate crinkle cookies

Want a light yet satisfying snack to keep you going through the Christmas holidays? This recipe from Edd Kimber makes some seriously good chocolate crinkle biscuits. With a rich, fudgy centre and sugar-dusted exterior, these dainty chocolate and rye cookies make the perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of coffee.

Gingerbread men

These gingerbread biscuits are bursting with fragrant cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg – decorate with a simple white icing or get creative with melted chocolate and sweets

A metal rack topped with gingerbread mean with white icing decorations

Authors

Three photos of Edd Kimber, his One Tin Bakes book and a brownie in a tin

Edd KimberBaking columnist

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