Listen up nuts and nut lovers. We are talking about pistachio nuts. Nut experts (is that a thing?) believe they were first found in central and southwest Asia about 6,000 years ago. Most of the pistachios we buy today still come from the Mediterranean countries. The shells partially split open during growing, making pistachio nuts our favorite two-handed snacking activity. Pistachios have good amounts of protein, fiber, and nutrients that are healthy for our blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
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What Is Your Favorite Pistachio Dessert?
Here are 13 recipes of what to do with our favorite green nut.
1. Homemade Pistachio Pudding Cake
This completely homemade pistachio pudding cake doesn't require a walk down the boxed cake mix aisle. Ladies and gentlemen, start your bundt pans to make this moist and fluffy instant pistachio pudding-based cake.
Get the recipe here
2. Pistachio Cream Pie
Try freezing this no-bake pudding pie to make it taste almost like ice cream. Serve frozen with sliced frozen bananas for fun!
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3. Pistachio Sugar Cookie Bars
There's actually pistachio pudding right in the dough making these cookie bars extra soft. The cream cheese frosting and chopped pistachios make them an impressively pretty treat.
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4. Pistachio Love Cheesecake
Use your food processor to chop up extra pistachio nuts. Adding plenty on top of the whipped cream to get that crave-worthy crunchy balance of salty and sweet.
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5. Chewy Pistachio Cookies
White chocolate chips and instant pistachio pudding in the dough make this a great St. Patrick's Day bake sale alternative to cupcakes.
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6. Pistachio Wedding Cookies
Like a cross between shortbread and a butter cookie, they're a little salty and a little sweet...just like marriage.
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7. Dark Chocolate Pistachio Slice and Bake Cookies
These cookies call for only six ingredients. And even better...only one mixing bowl! I'm all about the cleanup. After you make the dough, roll into logs and refrigerate for two hours. Slice, bake, cool, and dip into good quality chocolate.
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8. Pistachio Coconut Pie
How can you go wrong with a sweet cream cheese layer and rich pistachio coconut filling? That was rhetorical. The simple cool whip topping and chopped almonds add that sweet and salty thing that pistachio lovers swoon for.
Make this in a 9x13 inch glass baking pan to show off the colors of this layered dessert
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9. No-Bake Pistachio Mascarpone Tart
Look for pistachio cream at an Italian specialty store if the supermarket doesn't have it. Whipped mascarpone and a crushed amaretto cookies instead of a graham cracker crust make this and Italian style dream pistachio dessert.
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10. Pistachio Delight Dessert
This layered dessert takes some patience. 2 cup flour, chopped pecans, and butter create the crust. Then each layer needs to chill before adding the next. The second layer is cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipped cream mixed together and refrigerate for at least an hour. Next is the instant pistachio pudding mix and finally a whipped topping.
Get the recipe here
11. Pistachio Dream Smoothie
Don't freak out but this pistachio dessert recipe calls for a secret ingredient. If you don't want to use any boxed ingredient but still want that fun green color...SPINACH!!!! Banana, vanilla yogurt, milk, and whipped cream, and extra crushed nuts make this a delicious calcium and potassium-rich breakfast too!
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12. One Bowl Vegan Pistachio Sheet Cake
Just one large bowl is dirtied to make this sheet cake which is perfect for an Easter potluck. No eggs, no milk, minimal oil, no food coloring, with vitamin c and vitamin-rich spinach giving it that stunning green color. Prep time is about 15 minutes and the total time to create this vegan cake is about 40 minutes.
Get the recipe here
13. Pistachio Donuts
These donuts require a time commitment. But your sense of accomplishment and rave reviews will make it all worthwhile. Total time to make these 320 kcal per donut in an epic 10 hours and 50 minutes. I won't even discuss the suggested serving size because c'mon...let's get real. If I'm calling out of work and dedicating 10 hours to this, I'm eating as many donuts as I please.
Get the recipe here
