Method (pistachio filling)

1. In a heat proof bowl, add in the dairy-free white chocolate in 20 seconds intervals in the microwave. You can also melt the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan filled with water, creating a bain-marie. Once melted, add in the pistachio butter, and stir to incorporate.
2. Place the bowl in to the fridge and allow to chill for 30 minutes.
3. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper and use a tablespoon to scoop the pistachio cream into tablespoon-sized balls. As it’s firm / chilled, you can roll it between your hands very briefly to shape into a ball (don’t keep in your hands for too long or it will melt). Place onto the baking tray and into the freezer to chill until ready to shape the cookies. 

Method (cookies)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan and line 2 baking trays with grease proof paper.
2. Add the butter and caster sugar into a mixing bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip with a hand mixer or the stand mixer until light and creamy.
3. Add the milk. Whip again until combined.
4. Sift in the flour, ground pistachio nuts, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.. Mix until just combined.
5. Scoop the cookie dough into 40g balls using spoons or an ice-cream scoop, you can weight the dough on a set of kitchen scales. Flatten each cookie, place one of the chilled pistachio cream balls / fillings in the middle then shape the dough over the chilled filling to cover. Make sure it’s completely covered to prevent it oozing out when baking (refer to video for example).
6. Place the cookies on the lined tray (leave the dough in balls, don’t press them down!), leaving room in between as they will spread when baking.
7. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
8. Once baked, remove the trays from the oven, use a round cookie cutter to help shape the cookies. Use a cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie to scoot the cookies into a circle.
9. Allow the cookies to cool fully on the baking tray / cooling rack. They’ll be soft when first out the oven but will crisp up.
10. You can enjoy them after 10 minutes, with the gooey filling or you can allow them to chill and top with a delicious pistachio cream swirl.

Method (pistachio cream swirl) 

1. Add the butter into a bowl and whip until smooth and creamy, either in a stand mixer with a balloon whisk attachment or using a hand held electric whisk.
2. Add in the icing sugar and pistachio butter, whip until creamy. If it’s too thin or if it ever splits, add in some more chunks of butter until it’s thick and creamy in consistency. Add in a splash of dairy-free milk if needed.
3. Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip nozzle.
4. Once the cookies are fully cool, pipe a swirl of the buttercream on top of each cookie.
5. Decorate with some more pistachio cream and some chopped pistachio nuts.
6. Serve and enjoy!