These no bake Pistachio Custard Bars recipe features a crushed biscuit crust, creamy pistachio custard filling topped with a layer of chocolate are an ideal addition to lunchboxes or as a middle of afternoon pick-me-up.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and substitutions for Pistachio Custard Bars
- Graham crackers: These the perfect base for these bars with their light and whole wheat flavor. If you are unable to obtain graham crackers, a great substitute in equal measure would be digestive biscuits or even oreos!
- Cocoa powder: High quality unsweetened cocoa powder is used here and works perfectly to compliment the flavors in the graham crackers.
- Sugar: The best sugar in the base is superfine or caster which helps dissolve into the crushed biscuit base. You could half and half the sugar with light brown sugar and caster sugar. For the filling, light and airy confectioner's or icing sugar works best to give a nice firm texture to that no bake custard.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is used for every stage of these bars, but if all you have on hand is salted, that works as a fine substitute, just leave out any salt suggested in the recipe.
- Pistachios: The absolute star of this dish is the pistachio paste you can make (or buy). Their flavor is unparalled when compared to other nuts so don't completely recommend substituting, however, you could try hazelnuts in place, if you prefer.
- Custard powder: This gives our bars a depth of flavor and smooths out the intensity of the pistachios. You could opt to leave this out, if you prefer.
- Salt & Vanilla extract: The flavor powerhouses, just a little of both of these adds a depth to the bars that creates a well rounded flavor.
- Dark chocolate: High quality dark chocolate was used here, the type you would snack on instead of baking chocolate due to it having less additives and leaving a more complimentary flavor to the bars.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Pistachio Custard Bars:
Step 1: Base: Stir the dry ingredients together, pour in the melted butter and stir until the mixture holds together.
Step 2: Press: Spoon into the prepared tin and press down firmly nice and evenly. Set aside.
Step 3: Pistachio filling: Whip the butter and pistachio paste until smooth and combined then toss in the remaining filling ingredients, whipping until smooth.
Step 4: Smooth out: Spoon on top of the base and smooth out. Set aside.
Step 5: Choc top: Meanwhile, stir the melted chocolate and butter together and pour over the custard filling and tap the base of the baking tin to spread out evenly.
Step 6: Set: For several hours or overnight before slicing evenly with a warm knife.
Step 7: Serve: Dig in and enjoy!
FAQ's for the best Pistachio Custard Bars
You need raw pistachios to begin with and for this recipe 140 grams, approximately 1 cup and will need to blanche them to peel fully.
This is done by boiling water and placing your pistachios into a rolling boil for 1 minute. Drain and wrap your pistachios in a clean dry tea towel, rubbing to dry and peel most of the skins off. You might have to peel some portions by hand.
Place into a blender and pulse, scrapping down the sides until you have a paste and the oils from your pistachios are visible. The pistachios might look like a paste and fine at the stage before the oils become visible, so keep pulsing and scrapping until you see the oils forming on the edges of your blender or food processor.
Set your pistachio paste aside where it will keep in a covered and dark space for up to 2 weeks. If you are adding this paste to a dish that doesnโt specify sugar, you can sweeten before finishing up by adding 50 grams / ยฝ cup confectionerโs or icing sugar to your blender once the paste is formed.
For further reading re the blanching this information was very helpful and this link was helpful in making the paste.
Yes!! This holds for 2 weeks, kept in a covered jar in a cool dark place!
Yes! These are kept in the fridge and can be made ahead up to 3 days ahead, though taste best within the first 2 days.
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Pistachio Custard Bars
Ingredients
Base
- 150 grams / 1/12 cups graham crackers crushed
- 50 grams / ยผ cup superfine/caster sugar
- 37 grams / โ cup cocoa powder
- 75 grams / 2.65 ounces butter melted
Pistachio filling
- 135 grams / 4.76 ounces pistachio paste
- 70 grams / 2.5 ounces butter softened
- 170 grams / 1 ยฝ cups confectionerโs/icing sugar
- 25 grams / 3 tablespoons custard powder
- 72 grams / 5 tablespoons heavy cream
- ยผ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยผ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
Topping
- 150 grams / 5.3 ounces dark chocolate melted
- 15 grams / 1 tablespoon butter melted
Instructions
Base
- Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper, folding the edges down (or holding down with clips) and smoothly and set aside.
- To make the base, place the cocoa powder, sugar and crushed graham crackers into the bowl and stir together to combine.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the melted butter and combine until no dry patches remain in the edges of the bowl and the mixture holds together.
- Spoon into the prepared tin and press down firmly into the tin nice and evenly. Set aside.
Pistachio filling
- For the filling, place the butter and pistachio paste into a bowl and beat on low until smooth and combined.
- Add in the custard powder, sugar, heavy cream, extract and salt and combine until smooth.
- Spoon on top of the base and smooth out nice and evenly with an offset spatula. Set aside.
Topping
- Meanwhile, stir the melted chocolate and butter together until smooth and pour over the custard filling and tap the base of the baking tin to spread out the melty chocolate nice and evenly.
- Place in the refrigerator and allow to set for several hours or overnight.
- Remove and slice into even slices with a hot knife.
- Serve.
Notes
- Pistachios: The absolute star of this dish is the pistachio paste you can make (or buy). Their flavor is unparalled when compared to other nuts so don't completely recommend substituting, however, you could try hazelnuts in place, if you prefer.
- Graham crackers: These the perfect base for these bars with their light and whole wheat flavor. If you are unable to obtain graham crackers, a great substitute in equal measure would be digestive biscuits or even oreos!
- Dark chocolate: High quality dark chocolate was used here, the type you would snack on instead of baking chocolate due to it having less additives and leaving a more complimentary flavor to the bars.
- Custard powder: This gives our bars a depth of flavor and smooths out the intensity of the pistachios. You could opt to leave this out, if you prefer.
- Making the pistachio paste: You need raw pistachios to begin with and for this recipe 140 grams, approximately 1 cup and will need to blanche them to peel fully.
This is done by boiling water and placing your pistachios into a rolling boil for 1 minute. Drain and wrap your pistachios in a clean dry tea towel, rubbing to dry and peel most of the skins off. You might have to peel some portions by hand.
Place into a blender and pulse, scrapping down the sides until you have a paste and the oils from your pistachios are visible. The pistachios might look like a paste and fine at the stage before the oils become visible, so keep pulsing and scrapping until you see the oils forming on the edges of your blender or food processor.
Set your pistachio paste aside where it will keep in a covered and dark space for up to 2 weeks. If you are adding this paste to a dish that doesnโt specify sugar, you can sweeten before finishing up by adding 50 grams / ยฝ cup confectionerโs or icing sugar to your blender once the paste is formed.
For further reading re the blanching this information was very helpful and this link was helpful in making the paste. - Food processor or Blender / immersion blender: To make the pistachio paste you need a blender or immersion blender and will need to pulse the pistachios frequently to get the paste going, but this is so worth it!
- Square tin: A 18ร18 cm or 7ร7 inch square baking tin works well here, though a rectangle tin would also work well.
Nutrition
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