A spontaneous Boxing Day morning coffee invitation with Hayley and Hennie called for something to be homemade for sharing.
So, inspired by London baker Nicola Lamb’s brilliant chocolate shortbread recipe that I’d had my eye on, plus thinking for a while about how to work a Dubai-style pistachio filling into something special — kataifi pastry was lurking in the freezer, pistachio paste sitting smugly in the pantry… it just had to happen.
I swapped the ground hazelnuts for almond meal, kept the heart of the recipe intact, and layered in that pistachio filling with crispy kataifi for crunch. A gentle tweak, guided by what I had on hand.
Rich, nutty, crunchy and made to be shared. Because whatever the recipe, a well-stocked pantry can provide a sweet twist.
INGREDIENTS FOR TWELVE
SHORTBREAD
30gm ground almonds
50gm soft light brown sugar
good pinch salt
100gm room temperature butter
100gm plain flour
10gm cocoa
FILLING
35gm kataifi pastry
100gm pistachio paste
2Tbsp chopped pistachios
- Place ground almonds, salt, and light brown sugar into a mixing bowl, add the soft butter, and cream until light and airy. In a stand mixer, this will take about 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add the plain flour and cocoa powder, roughly mix in two batches by hand before mixing thoroughly on the lowest setting for 15-20 seconds, until dough comes together.
- Transfer half amount of dough to a piping bag at a time fitted with a wide star tip. Pipe 6 biscuits (20–25g each, about 2cm tall) onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving space for the cookies to spread. Repeat with second half of dough to make 12 to 14 biscuits in total.
- Dip a melon baller or round half-teaspoon measure into boiling water and press into the star-shaped dough mounds to create a central crater.
- Place the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes minimum for the butter to firm.
- Preheat the oven to 150°C . Bake the shortbread for 18 minutes, then remove from the oven and re-press the craters to ensure enough space for the pistachio filling. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the tray.
- Meanwhile, chop strands of kataifi pastry into pieces of about 1cm in length. Separate any clumps that have stuck together to ensure that pastry cooks evenly.
- Place a large frypan over medium heat for a minute or so, when hot add pastry pieces and pat out into in an even layer – it needs room to cook evenly. As the pastry starts to colour, toss in pan and keep moving the pastry around as it colours quickly. As the pastry starts to cook, it will change from a soft texture which is harder to mix around, to a crispier texture which moves with ease around the pan. The pastry is ready once it’s a deep golden colour. This process will take up to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately transfer to a bowl to halt the cooking process. allow to cool.
- Spoon pistachio paste into the pastry strands, and mix well. Spoon (or pipe) into centre of biscuits and scatter with chopped pistachios.
- Store in airtight container and serve chilled from the fridge over summer.