Pistachio Crunch Ice Cream Bars
Equipment
- 1 8 inch square baking pan
- 1 disposable piping bag
- 1 digital thermometer
- 1 offset spatula
Ingredients
For Ice Cream Bars
- 2 pints pistachio ice cream
- 112 grams unsalted butter
- 140 grams kataifi if frozen, thaw overnight in fridge before starting recipe
- 224 grams pistachio cream
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
For Dipping
- 100 grams milk chocolate, finely chopped
- 100 grams bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 100 grams refined coconut oil
For Decorating (optional)
- 56 grams white chocolate, finely chopped
- 30 grams shelled pistachios, toasted and finely chopped toasted and coarsely chopped
- 10 grams gold sprinkles, optional
Instructions
For Ice Cream Bars
- Place 1 pint of pistachio ice cream in the fridge for 30 minutes to soften for easier scooping and spreading
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with two 8×14-inch sheets of parchment, leaving excess on all sides to help lift the bars later. Avoid using wax paper or foil.
- Scoop the softened ice cream into the pan. Use an off-set spatula to start spreading it into an even layer. Cover with a square of parchment and use the back of a measuring cup to finish smoothing it into an even layer. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
- Finely chop thawed kataifi with a serrated knife. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add kataifi and cook, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes, until golden and crisp. Avoid high heat—kataifi burns easily.
- Transfer kataifi to bowl and let cool for a few minutes. Stir in pistachio cream.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and spread kataifi mixture evenly over the ice cream. Press gently with a spatula. Return to freezer for 30 minutes. Place second pint of ice cream in fridge to soften.
- Spread the remaining softened ice cream over the kataifi layer. Cover with a square of parchment and use the back of a measuring cup to finish smoothing it into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until completely firm — at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Place a cutting board in the freezer to chill. Once the ice cream is frozen, line the chilled board with parchment. Use parchment flaps to lift the slab out of the pan. Invert onto cutting board, peel off parchment, and cut into 9 squares using a large, sharp knife. Wipe the blade clean between slices. Return bars to freezer, wrapped in plastic if freezing for more than 1 hour.
For Coating Ice Cream Bars
- Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power for 60 seconds. Stir, then continue in 30-second bursts at 50% power until smooth. Add coconut oil and stir to combine. If needed, rewarm briefly to smooth.
- Pour about two-thirds of the chocolate mixture into a bowl or container measuring approximately 4½" wide x 2½"deep, and let cool to 80°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove ice cream bars from freezer. Working one at a time, loosen a bar with a spatula, dip in chocolate, let excess drip off, and place on the parchment.
- Continue until all bars are dipped, adding reserved chocolate as needed. Pause to return bars to freezer if they begin to soften.
- Freeze the bars until the chocolate coating has fully set, about 15 minutes.
Decorate Coated Bars
- Melt white chocolate in microwave safe container at 50% power for 1 minute. Stir well until smooth. Transfer to disposable piping bag.
- Drizzle frozen bars with white chocolate and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and gold sprinkles (if using). Return to freezer until firm. Wrap each bar in plastic and store in a zip-top freezer bag for longer storage.
Notes
Pistachio Paste vs. Pistachio Butter vs. Pistachio Cream.
This recipe calls for pistachio cream. Pistachio paste, pistachio butter, and pistachio cream may sound similar, but they’re quite different. Pistachio paste is made from finely ground pistachios, often roasted, with no added sugar—just pure, intense pistachio flavour. Pistachio butter is also made from ground pistachios but is usually raw or lightly roasted and may be slightly looser in texture; like other nut butters, it’s meant for spreading and eating on its own. Pistachio cream, on the other hand, is a sweet spread made with pistachios, sugar, and often milk or white chocolate. It has a smooth, dessert-like consistency—think of it as pistachio’s answer to Nutella. Frozen kataifi is the most affordable option. A 454g package is about $2.79 — thaw overnight in the fridge before using. Dried kataifi is available online (e.g., $24 for 500g on Amazon), but much pricier. The coating recipe and procedure were developed by Stella Parks over at Serious Eats.
This recipe calls for pistachio cream. Pistachio paste, pistachio butter, and pistachio cream may sound similar, but they’re quite different. Pistachio paste is made from finely ground pistachios, often roasted, with no added sugar—just pure, intense pistachio flavour. Pistachio butter is also made from ground pistachios but is usually raw or lightly roasted and may be slightly looser in texture; like other nut butters, it’s meant for spreading and eating on its own. Pistachio cream, on the other hand, is a sweet spread made with pistachios, sugar, and often milk or white chocolate. It has a smooth, dessert-like consistency—think of it as pistachio’s answer to Nutella. Frozen kataifi is the most affordable option. A 454g package is about $2.79 — thaw overnight in the fridge before using. Dried kataifi is available online (e.g., $24 for 500g on Amazon), but much pricier. The coating recipe and procedure were developed by Stella Parks over at Serious Eats.
Nutrition
Calories: 754kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 12gFat: 55gSaturated Fat: 30gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 64mgSodium: 230mgPotassium: 644mgFiber: 6gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 859IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 168mgIron: 3mg
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