I've not yet tried the famous Dubai chocolate bars, but I'm totally on board with pistachios and was intrigued by a recipe called Pistachio Halvah Rice Krispies Treats. Today I made my first of what will be several batches. They are so good -- expensive, but worth it.
Flavor and Texture
One thing that makes these so good is the sweetness level. This version (which does not contain condensed milk) is not as sweet as traditional marshmallow treats because the marshmallow is tamed by the pistachio butter and tahini, which also adds a touch of bitterness. The texture is very firm, which makes the bars easy to slice.
Homemade Unsweetened Pistachio Butter
A key ingredient in the recipe is nut butter, particularly pistachio flavored, which I mentioned when I posted Pistachio Butter Cookies. For those cookies I used a very sweet Italian pistachio butter. For this recipe, I made unsweetened pistachio butter by grinding roasted pistachios and salt in a Vitamix 5200. It took a while to get the smooth and runny consistency, but it finally came together and has even more flavor than almond butter. That being said, you could make the Pistachio Halva Rice Krispies Treats with almond butter and no one would know, especially if you added chopped pistachios.
Halvah
The halvah, which I would not leave out, was a relatively new ingredient for me. It's a candy made from sesame seeds which you can buy at speciality grocery stores, online or at the grocery store. My local Publix sells the Joyva brand in the International section. It looks like this and is extremely rich and crumbly and worked well.
Ingredient Shot
Here's the "full" ingredient shot. I rarely post ingredient shots but I think they are more fun when show with actual packaging. Also, can you spot the missing ingredient? I almost always manage to leave at least one ingredient out of the shot.
You are right! Vanilla! It's not in the ingredient photo, but there's a full tablespoon of it in this recipe. It seems like a lot, but it works.
Pan Size
This recipe calls for an 8-inch pan and makes very thick marshmallow treats.You could also use a 9-inch pan for thinner treats or possibly even a 9x12 or 9x13 inch pan for very thin treats. If you only have enough ingredients for half a recipe, find your widest loaf pan, line it with parchment paper and use that.
Serving and Storing
These are bakery size treats so you only get about 8. If you are making them for a group of people, slice each piece into halves or quarters. The Pistachio Butter Halvah Rice Krispies Treats are firm and slice neatly so it's pretty easy to make sample or party size portions. I personally would not double the recipe because 12 cups of Rice Krispies would be hard to deal with, but making two or three batches in a row should be easy.
To store, layer between pieces of wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freezing marshmallow treats like these is iffy, but I have a batch in the freezer and will update this in a few days to let you know how well they fared.
Hani's Bakery in New York
This recipe is adapted from Lisa Donovan's in the NYT Cooking section. Their version was adapted from a recipe by Hani's Bakery + Café in New York, which is now on my dream list of bakeries to visit if I ever make it back to NYC. If you try the recipe, I'd love to hear your thoughts. It's open to all kinds of changes.
Recipe
Rice Krispie Treats with Pistachio Butter and Halvah
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter (114 grams)
- 10 oz marshmallows (280 grams)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons pistachio butter, slightly generous ones (35-40 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt (Morton kosher)
- 6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
- 4 oz halvah, crumbled, divided use (114 grams)
- ½ cup toasted and chopped pistachios
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- Have ready an 8-inch square metal pan. For thinner treats a 9-inch square pan will work. For a half batch, use a 9x5 or wider loaf pan. Line with parchment.
- Have all your ingredients lined up and ready because this recipe moves fast. Have half the halvah crumbled for the mixture and half crumbled to go on top.
- Melt and brown the butter in a large nonstick pot. As soon as it starts to turn brown, add the marshmallows. Keep the heat low so as not to burn the butter.
- Stir marshmallows over low heat until melted, then add the tahini, pistachio butter, vanilla and salt. Remove from heat and stir in the cereal, half of the halvah. and half of the pistachio nuts.
- Transfer mixture to pan and press down with a second sheet of parchment. Sprinkle remaining crumbled halvah and chopped pistachios over the top. If you happen to have some toasted sesame seeds, sprinkle some on.
- Let cool completely, then lift from pan and cut into large squares.
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