pistachio and chocolate chunk cookies

pistachio and chocolate chunk cookies

31 Mar 2025

With that rather large jar of pistachio cream in the cupboard haunting me, I've been hunting for recipes utilising pistachio cream. I've come up with a a recipe for pistachio and white chocolate buns that I was going to make until I was side tracked by a batch of Edd Kimber pistachio and chocolate cookies.

They looked very good. I had all the ingredients and I also had a fancy new and unused cookie scoop I bought while in Tasmania. The pistachio and white chocolate buns were put on hold and into the kitchen I went to bake some cookies.

Whilst I love pistachio cream, it doesn't agree with me so I decided to make a half batch because these cookies were always destined to be shared with my neighbours. I always find cookie recipes way too sweet, so I reduced the sugar in the cookie dough and rather than making 6 cookies, my new cookie scoop yielded 9 cookies. As the cookies were a little smaller I needed to use less pistachio paste, about 1/2 tsp for each cookie.

I'm a fan of resting cookie dough so I made the dough 2 days before I baked the cookies. I also scooped the dough when it was soft, rather than chilling it. The dough was pretty solid though so I had to warm it a bit before I could encase the pistachio cream.

Here's the recipe for you which makes nine, 40ml cookies. Please refer to the original recipe if you'd like to make 12 cookies. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C. Please note the cookie dough needs to rest in the fridge for a few hours, plus you have to freeze the pistachio cream until it's solid, so you'll need start this recipe a few hours before baking.

Pistachio and chocolate chunk cookies – makes 9 

2 tbs pistachio cream
125g plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp of fine sea salt
60g unsalted butter diced and softened
35g light brown sugar
35g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
85g dark chocolate (65-75% cocoa solids) roughly chopped
40g shelled pistachios roughly chopped
sea salt flakes for sprinkling on top

Method
Spread the pistachio cream out to a 1cm thickness onto a small baking tray lined with baking paper. Transfer to the freezer and freeze until solid. When solid, cut into 9 small cubes.

Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and the salt into a bowl.

Place the butter, sugars and vanilla into a bowl and using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and beat for 1 minute or until fully combined. Add the flour mixture and mix, on low speed, until just combined. Add the chopped chocolate and the pistachios, and continue mixing until just until evenly distributed. 

Divide the dough into 9 equal portions and roll into balls then place the cookies into a large container, lined with baking paper. Cover and refrigerate the dough for a few hours or until firm. The dough can be made up to three days in advance.

Heat the oven to 180⁰C, conventional and line two large baking trays with baking paper.

Remove the pistachio cream from the freezer. Working with one ball of dough at a time, press into a large flat disc and put a cube of the pistachio cream on top. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the cream, sealing it in. Gently re-roll the dough into a ball. You can freeze the unbaked balls for up to three months – the cookies can be baked from frozen, simply add a minute or two to the bake time below.

Divide the cookies between the two baking trays and sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of sea salt flakes. Bake the cookies for 14-16 mins or until the edges are golden but the centres are still a touch paler. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking tray for 10 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will keep for four days in a sealed container.

I shared these with the neighbours and froze a few cookies for later. The reviews have come in for the cookies and they were declared a resounding success. 

I know it's hard to believe but both Passover and Easter are just around the corner. I've been baking up a storm for Passover and next week is Passover Week on the blog. I still have one more item to bake but from Monday April 7 I'll be sharing 5 Passover friendly bakes with you and I just can't wait! 

See you all again next week for Passover Week 2025.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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white chocolate, blackberry and ginger cheesecake

white chocolate, blackberry and ginger cheesecake

23 Mar 2025

I put in a request for 'Love Crumbs' by Nadine Ingram at my local library, then waited about 6 months before the book finally arrived. I pored over the book and bookmarked about 20 recipes that I wanted to try.

This recipe from Love Crumbs is called 'Hansel and Gretel' and it's a white chocolate cheesecake atop a gingerbread base, adorned with brambles or mulberries. It's a family thing but I'm not keen on a reconsituted cheeecake base  so I went rogue and fashioned my own gingerbread base but kept the original cheesecake filling. The original recipe made a 25cm cake so I halved the cheesecake ingredients to fit my 17cm springform tin.

The cheesecake is baked in a water bath, which is problematic if you only have springform tins. Springform tins are not watertight so I use layers of foil and kitchen string to make a watertight seal accompanied by a healthy dose of good luck. Whilst trawling instagram I saw a reel which blew my mind. In the reel, the springform tin was put into a slightly larger regular cake tin, which was then placed into the water bath. I was just itching to try out this new to me method.

The recipe called for ½ tsp smoked salt, which I didn't have in the cupboard. I'm sure you could just use regular sea salt but I looked online for a recipe and made some at home. I also made the ricotta cheese, just because. I thought about making the mascarpone as well but thankfully common sense prevailed and instead I bought some at the supermarket.

Here's the recipe for you which makes a 17cm cake. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C. Please note the cheesecake needs to rest in the fridge overnight, so you'll need start this process the day before serving. 

Small white chocolate, blackberry and ginger cheesecake 
Base 
60g unsalted butter 
25g caster sugar 
75g plain flour
½ tsp ground ginger 
½ tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

Cheesecake
60g good quality white chocolate, roughly chopped 
½ tsp smoked sea salt
2 eggs, separated
75g caster sugar
150g cream cheese, softened
100g mascarpone
140g fresh ricotta, drained
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 tsp finely grated lemon rind
170g blackberries or mulberries, plus extra to serve
 
Base 
Grease and line the base of a 17cm-springform cake tin with baking paper and flour the sides. Preheat the oven to 180°C, conventional.

Brown half (30g) of the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it turns a foamy tan brown. Place the browned butter in a bowl and refrigerate for 20 minutes until cool and the butter has thickened. Remove the bowl from the fridge and add the remaining butter, the sugar and the vanilla and beat until creamy. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until you get a sandy texture. Lightly knead the dough until it forms a dough. If the dough seems a little dry, you might need to add a tsp or 2 of water. Transfer the dough to the tin and flatten with the back of a tablespoon to create a level base. Bake the base in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until just lightly coloured.  Cool on a wire rack while making the cheesecake filling.

Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C, conventional. In the recipe the cheesecake was baked at 120°C, which my oven can't do, so I cooked it on the lowest temperature setting.

Cake
Melt the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water or the chocolate will seize. Remove the bowl from the heat, then stir through the smoked salt and set aside. Place the yolks into a small bowl and the whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. 

Weigh the sugar, reserving 25 g for the egg whites and place this next to the mixer in preparation for later. Place the remaining 50g sugar, cream cheese, mascarpone and ricotta and the egg yolks, into the bowl of a food processor and blend everything together until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a spatula and blend again to ensure there is no residual cream cheese lumps in the mixture. Add the vanilla bean paste, the melted chocolate and lemon zest to the cheeses and blend again to combine. 

Pour the cake filling into a bowl large enough to accommodate the whipped egg whites. Now begin whisking the egg whites on high speed until you see soft ribbons starting to form. Reduce the speed to medium and gradually add the sugar until firm peaks start to form. Be careful not to overwhip the whites. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to fold the meringue through the cake filling in two batches, pressing out any lumps formed in the meringue before folding it through, then pour the cake filling over the base.

Place the springform tin into a slighter larger regular cake tin, then place the regular cake tin into a deep-sided baking tray that can be used as a water bath. This method of baking creates a slow heat, which will enable the cake to cook evenly throughout, avoiding cracking and a souffle top. 

Place the baking tray containing the cake tin in the oven and use a jug to pour water into the baking tray until it comes two-thirds of the way up the sides of the cake tin. Close the oven door and bake the cheesecake for 1 hour, then open the oven door and press the berries into the surface of the cake. Bake the cake for a further 30 minutes or until the centre springs back when pressed with your finger. If you feel the cheesecake is not giving you this news, just leave it in the oven for another 10 minutes to be sure.

Switch the oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon. Leave the cheesecake in the switched off oven for another hour, then take the baking tray out of the oven and remove the cake from the water bath. When cool, cover the cheesecake then chill in the fridge overnight.

The next day
Remove the cheesecake the tin and place it on a serving plate. The best way to cut this cake is with a knife that has been run under hot water in between each slice, or by dipping the knife into a large jug of boiling water from the kettle. Top each slice with a few extra berries.

I took this to a friend's house and we had this for dessert. As expected, this delicate berry topped cheesecake atop a gingery base was absolutely delicious. 

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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dutch apple tart

dutch apple tart

17 Mar 2025

Way back in 2013 I shared a recipe for a Dutch Apple Tart. These days I bake most of my cakes in a small tin and when I checked the recipe it was for a 23 cm tart, even though I'd baked the tart in a 17 cm springform tin. For some reason, I'd not downsized the recipe.

Earlier this year I took out 'Comfort' by Ottolenghi and co-authors Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley and immediately bookmarked the Dutch Apple Cake recipe by Verena Lochmuller. The Dutch Apple Cake is pretty much a Dutch apple tart which has dispensed with the lattice top for a pastry round. It's as much a cake as it is a tart as the pastry shell contains some self raising flour, making it softer than a regular pastry. 

With apples back in the fruit shop I decided to remake the recipe, this time downsizing the recipe to match my 17 cm tin. There was no point re-inventing the wheel, so I used my own pastry recipe but adapted the filling from the recipe in Comfort. The filling recipe contained both black treacle and mahleb, neither of which I had in the cupboard. Instead of treacle, I increased the quantity of brown sugar and I left out the mahleb. My apples being new season were very tart and although I increased the quantity of sugar in the filling, it needed a little more and I've adapted the recipe to reflect this. 

Here's the recipe for you which makes a 17 cm tart. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20 ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.

Dutch Apple Tart (makes one 17 cm tart)
Pastry
100g plain flour 
100g self-raising flour
pinch salt
120g unsalted butter
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 tsp lemon rind
1 egg, beaten
Few tablespoons milk

Filling
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 cm chunks (280g)
2 Pink Lady apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 cm chunks (160g)
20g flaked almonds, toasted and roughly crushed
25g raisins soaked in 25ml dark rum (or apple juice)
15g unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp lemon juice
40-55g light soft brown sugar (depends on how tart your apples are)
pinch salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
10g panko breadcrumbs
2 tsp custard powder or semolina

Assembly

2 tsp custard powder or semolina
1-2 tsp white sugar

To serve
Whipped cream

Pastry
In a food processor combine the flours, salt and the sugars. Add the butter and process until the mixture forms breadcrumbs. Add 3/4 of the egg to the flour mixture and reserve the rest.  Add the vanilla extract and a little milk if needed and process until a soft dough forms around the blades. 

Remove the dough from the processor, knead lightly to form a ball, flatten it out slightly before wrapping the dough in plastic and placing in the fridge for 1 hour.

Filling
Place the apples in a microwave safe bowl. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 minutes or until just softened. Cool a little before combining the remaining filling ingredients. Mix together until well combined.

Assembly
Butter a 17 cm round springform cake pan. This is a very soft dough, so generously dust the bench top with flour. Roll out ⅔ of the pastry and line the base and sides of the tin with the pastry. Spoon 2 tsp of custard powder or semolina over the pastry base followed by the filling.

Roll out the remaining dough. Cut the dough into 1-cm strips and layer them over the apple filling to form a lattice. Fold down the excess pastry to cover the lattice and press to seal. Brush the remaining egg over the lattice then sprinkle the top of the tart with a little extra sugar. If you don’t feel like making a lattice, just roll out the pastry into a round large enough to cover the top of the tart. Press to seal, remove any excess pastry then brush the pastry with the egg and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the tart on a baking tray and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated 180°C, conventional oven, for about 1 hour 15 minutes. I covered the top of the tart with foil after 30 minutes to prevent it over browning. The apples were still a little uncooked so I left the tart in the switched off oven for a further 15 minutes.

Remove the tart from the oven and leave it to cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours. Carefully run a small knife between the tart and the sides of the tin before releasing the spring lock. Cut into thick wedges and serve with the whipped cream served on the side. 

The almonds added a little bit of texture to the filling and the sugar, a little crunch to the pastry. Topped with a dollop of cream this made for a nice comforting dessert and good enough for my brother to ask for a second slice.

See you all again next week with some more baking from my kitchen.

Bye for now,

Jillian

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hobart

hobart

10 Mar 2025

It's been a long while since I last travelled, September 2023 to be exact. I returned home from my overseas trip in October 2023 to find my Dad in a Brisbane hospital. For the next 15 months, Brisbane was the only place I visited. I broke the drought in January with a trip to Melbourne to attend a family wedding, then February I jumped on a flight down to Hobart. 

I've always loved travelling and it's something I've missed. Hobart was the last place I visited in 2020, before 2 long years of COVID lock-downs and travel restrictions clipped my wings. I really had no plans for my time while in Hobart, other than to roam around with my camera and reacquaint myself with one of my favourite places. Would you like to see how I spent my time there?

My parents took a trip to Tasmania when I was a teenager and they sent me a postcard of the Cat and Fiddle Arcade. I stayed at the Movenpick Hotel, which was only a short walk from the iconic Cat and Fiddle Arcade, so I made a pilgrimage to view the famous clock. The whole shopping centre has been redeveloped and I was a bit worried the clock might have gone, but it's still there.

Unfortunately the clock has been dwarfed by the redevelopment and the fountain long gone, replaced with food outlets. I found this photo for reference in the archives of the Tasmanian library.

I walked from Salamanca Place through Prince's Park to Battery Point, my favourite part of Hobart. It was a grey afternoon, so I only took a few photos and decided I'd return another day when the sun was out.

I walked past the Lenna Hotel and over to the charming Arthur's Circus.

In black and white and in colour.

From there I walked over to St. George's Church.

It was mid week, so naturally the building was locked.

I walked down Butler's Steps and over to Constitution Dock.

The driver on the airport bus recommended Flippers for fish and chips, so it seemed wrong to go anywhere else for my dinner.

The following morning I explored North Hobart and New Town and hunted down a shoe repair shop when one of my sandals inexplicably fell apart.

I'd read about an old restored street sign on the Loretto Building in Macquarie Street, so I made a pilgrimage to photograph the sign. McCann's Music Centre operated for 142 years, only closing it's doors in 2023. 

It only seemed fitting to photograph the sign using black and white film.

I had lunch plans with friends down at the Blue Eye Restaurant at Salamanca Place so I walked there via St David's Park.

I walked back to the Movenpick via the newly opened and very glamorous Tasman Hotel.

On Friday I went on a trip to New Norfolk. I decided not to rent a car while I was in Hobart and went by bus but unfortunately there was a tight connection in Glenorchy which I missed by about 30 seconds. I then had an hour to wait for the next bus and I can report that there is not a lot to do in Glenorchy.

When I arrived I went straight to the Agrarian Kitchen Kiosk, located in the grounds of Willow Court, which operated as a psychiatric institution from 1827 up until 2000.

Willow Court is a mixture of both horrifying and grand with the willow trees after which it was named, long gone.

The kiosk is only open for a few hours Friday to Sunday and as I arrived an hour later than planned, I went straight inside to see what was on the day's menu.

The menu is concise but the pie of the day looked good and tasted great. The desserts looked magnificent and if the pie hadn't been so filling, I might have succumbed but I had some shopping to do at Miss Arthur before I caught the bus back to Hobart.

There were early signs of autumn in New Norfolk.

 

I found the light in Hobart was at it's best late afternoon, so once I was back in town, I headed over to Cornelian Bay to photograph the iconic boat houses against the backdrop of the Tasman Bridge.

The Bay is the start of the Cornelian Bay Coastal Walk which takes you past the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and from there into the City.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, so I walked to the gardens.

It was after 5.00 pm and there were very few visitors.

The light at that time of day was just magnificent.

I was the only person at the lily ponds. Pure bliss.

I thought I could catch a bus back to the city from the gardens but I was mistaken so I slowly trudged the last few kilometers home on my now blistered feet.

Saturday was Salamanca Market Day so I was up early along with every other visitor to Hobart or so it seemed. 

During my stay, most of the travellers to Hobart were in the mature age group and mobility aids were not uncommon.

A salmon roll for breakfast seemed to be the thing.

I looked at the downtown shops, visited the Maritime Museum of Tasmania and in the afternoon I paid a return visit to Battery Point.

I paid a fleeting visit to the grounds of the historic house Narryna, where a wedding was taking place.

I walked down to A.J White Park for a view of the Derwent River.

'Gift from the Earth' by Keizo Ushio

On my last morning I had just a few hours to spare before my flight back home, so I packed my bag then walked the few blocks to the Farm Gate Market. 

Some of the stalls already had queues when I arrived at 8.30 and I recognised a few vendors from the Salamanca Markets. 

I returned home with a bottle of Rough Rice Mothership Fermented Chilli for my neighbour. 

Everything looked delicious.

When I returned to the hotel I chose the Crushed Potato Rosti with caramelised red onions, creamy whipped lemon tofu, crunchy kale leaves and mixed mushrooms from Mr Brown & Towns (the stall pictured above) for my breakfast which fueled me for my trip back to Sydney. 

All in all it was a good trip and hopefully it will kick my travel plans for 2025 into gear.

See you all again next week.

Bye for now,

Jillian

 

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