Cranberry Pistachio No-Bake Bars are a little something different for your dessert table. These bars are made from a base of dollar store (!) butter cookies and white chocolate mixed with pistachios and dried cranberries. The bars are finally drizzled with more white chocolate!
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No-Bakes But A Little Something Different
If you're not a fan of no-bake cookies, I would encourage you to try this Christmas no-bake bar recipe anyway because they're "a little different" as most people who have tried them say. They're a twist on a Persian Love Cookie, which is usually a shortbread with these same ingredients.
These would be fun to serve on your dessert buffet table or to put in your Christmas cookie boxes.
More Christmas cookie recipes for you include Perfect, No-Spread Cut-Out Cookies, Gingersnaps (Just Like Grandma's!), Gingerbread Snowflakes, Orange Cookies with Icing, Congo Bars, Mini Pecan Tarts, Sand Tarts and Best Italian Butter Cookies You Ever Tasted. You could also make Easy, Chewy M&M Cookie Bars + What to Make with M&M's just switch out the Valentine M&M's for Christmas colors.
I would not recommend, however, these no bakes as a choice for a Christmas cookie exchange.
These bars are a bit work and you're making them in an 8x8 pan.
You're going to melt white chocolate and heavy cream together then combine it with butter cookies and pistachios that you've ground up.
They might remind you of granola bars if you slice them into rectangles instead of small squares.
Btw, this is not my original recipe. A woman in one of my baking groups on FB who goes by RG Wooten created it. She's a baker by trade and is always sharing fun recipes.
Robin's look a little different from mine. She spread white chocolate over the top with a small offset spatula and then sprinkled dried rose petals over the top ala Persian Love Cookie style.
Ingredients for No-Bakes
How to Make These Christmas Cookie Bars
First crush the butter cookies and the pistachios and set aside. You'll reserve a portion of the pistachios to sprinkle over the top once finished.
You'll need to have melted white chocolate for two purposes: one to mix with heavy cream to bind your ingredients together.
Two-you'll need plain melted white chocolate without any cream to drizzle or spread over the top of the bars as a finishing touch.
How Melt Chocolate in the Microwave
Have the cookies and pistachios chopped and the cranberries measured.
Stir all those together in a separate bowl so once the white chocolate/heavy cream mixture is done, you're ready to add the mix-ins and stir while the chocolate is still warm.
Then pour it into a parchment-lined 8x8 pan and smooth out with your hands or a spatula.
Let the bars firm up for a few minutes then finish with more white chocolate.
Drizzle melted white chocolate over the top or ice the top of the bars with white chocolate. Garnish with the reserved chopping pistachios.
Recipe Notes
White chocolate burns quickly. While you can melt it in the microwave, unless you've experienced with that I recommend melting it slowly using a makeshift double boiler on your stovetop.
How Melt Chocolate in the Microwave
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Recipe
Cranberry Pistachio No-Bake Bars
Try these festive no-bake bars with a salty sweet combination of pistachios, cranberries, and smooth white chocolate.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of butter cookies, ground up between a hard grind and a rough chop
- 1 cup of salted, roasted pistachios, divided
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2&¼ cups white chocolate disks, divided
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Instructions
Toast pistachios in oven on a parchment line baking sheet for 5 to 6 minutes at 350°F. Let cool on counter.
Meanwhile, line baking pan with parchment paper. Use metal binder clips if you like to keep the parchment secure.
Chopped or process butter cookies and put in large mixing bowl.
Process pistachios leaving a quarter cup whole for garnish.
Add nuts to bowl.
Add cranberries to bowl.
Stir until mixed evenly, a minute or two.
Meanwhile, melt half the chocolate and the cream on the stove top using a double boiler or a makeshift double boiler.
Add the chocolate mixture to the bowl of crushed cookies, nuts, and cranberries and stir until combined and coated.
Pour onto a parchment-lined 8 x 8 baking pan.
Chill until it’s set up at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining chocolate using the same method as before.
Put this white chocolate on top of your no bake bar cookies.
Use an offset spatula to do a frosting of white chocolate over the top or put in a Ziploc with a tip snipped off and decorate with squiggly lines or any other kind of decorative angles.
Garnish with reserved chopped pistachios.
Chocolate should be set up within 10 to 15 minutes.
Slice and serve.
Recommended Products
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Katbite 200Pcs 12x16 In Unbleached Parchment Paper for Baking, Precut Parchment Paper Sheets, Heavy Duty Flat Baking Paper, Half Sheet Baking Sheets for Baking Cookies, Cooking, Air Fryer, Oven -
Double Boiler Pot 1200ML/1.1QT, Stainless Steel Chocolate Melting Pot for Melting Chocolate, Candy, Candle, Soap, Wax
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USA Pan Bakeware Square Cake Pan, 8 inch, Nonstick & Quick Release Coating, Made in the USA from Aluminized Steel
Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 129Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 27mgSodium 58mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 0gSugar 8gProtein 1g
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