Tara Riddle: Shamrock pistachio cream bars (recipe)

Good luck charms, leprechauns, parades and GREEN foods are heading our way this coming weekend for St. Patrick’s Day!

I have the perfect dessert recipe for your holiday festivities… pistachio bars. They are beautiful in color and your family and guests will be so excited to be a part of the taste test honors.

Of course, you yourself get first dibs! You cannot serve a new dish without some form of quality control, right??!! These pistachio bars are a cross between pudding and cheesecake with a whipped cream topping. The bright green filling just screams “I’m delicious!!!”

The color green is reminiscent of the rebirth of spring. It makes me think of new buds growing on trees and grass peeking out from under the snow searching for the sun. Like most people, I eat with my eyes first, and these pistachio bars look delectable.

These bars are creamy, smooth and not too sweet. These bars need a little time to set in the fridge, so keep that in mind before serving. They are also super easy to make with little time consumed.

Ingredients

Shortbread crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup softened butter

Pistachio filling:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese (softened at room temperature)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 box pistachio instant pudding mix (4 serving size)

3/4 cup milk

Whipped topping:

2 cups heavy cream

Honey to taste (this is optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

You will need a 13x9 cake pan and some parchment paper. The parchment paper is optional, but only if you want to make your life harder when cutting and serving your final food masterpiece. Life is hard enough, so go easy on yourself.

Being able to pick up the whole dessert out of the pan makes it easier to cut your square slices so that they are uniform, and everyone gets the same portion.

We will start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Grab your mixing bowl and combine the flour and the granulated sugar. Add the softened butter and beat in with your electric hand mixer. Line your pan with parchment paper and add your dough mixture.

Press down to make the crust. This mixture should be a little sticky and crumbly. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges of the crust are golden brown.

Now we will make the filling. Please don’t start this step until you have pulled your crust out and have let it cool for a bit. You don’t want to place your pudding mixture on top of a piping hot crust, or it will break it down. Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar and beat with your mixer. Slowly add in the milk and your pistachio pudding mix and beat until fully incorporated. It was a challenge for me to get my hands on the pistachio pudding mix.

It was not located at a single grocery store that I went to in Carson City. I turned to a trusty old friend of mine to help make my recipe dreams come true…Amazon. I have a love-hate relationship with Amazon. I always strive to support my local businesses and buy local, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

So, I ordered my pistachio pudding mix from Amazon. It came in a pack of four with a two-day delivery time. Pour your pudding mix on top of the crust and refrigerate.

Last but not least, we will make our final component… the whipped cream topping. Start with 2 cups of heavy cream and pour into a mixing bowl. Next, add in your vanilla and honey. The honey is optional. The filling of this dessert is sweet enough.

I decided to add just a bit of honey to my whipped cream, but not much. If you like a sweeter dessert, then add more honey or even some powdered sugar. Attach your whisk attachment to your hand mixer and beat until stiff peaks of cream form.

Add this on top of your dessert and refrigerate. Your dessert needs a couple of hours in the fridge before you serve it. Once you are ready to serve just slide the whole dessert out by the parchment paper. Get a knife and cut into desired square sizes. Now it’s time to watch everyone enjoy the fruits of your (not so hard) labor.

For questions, email Tara@The-Mindful-Realtor.com.

Tara Riddle is a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Select. She also works at the Farmer’s Market in Carson City or Black Rock Bison.