When Christmas comes, you only need to pick between being a Pandoro-kind-of-person, or you are wrong and don’t deserve our love, unless you will attempt to make this easy peasy Pistachio Panettone from my friend Martina.
Martina writes a blog in Italian, Le Ricette di Libellula, and has been blogging for years now – her recipes are always on point and this Panettone is the proof to the pudding – see what I did there?! Okay, I’ll stop.
I had planned a different recipe for today, but I completely failed that one, so badly that I got annoyed at everyone for everything. It was meant to be an easy Pandoro, yet it was the epic fail of the year.
So my delight was over the roof when Martina shared this Pistachio Panettone recipe on Facebook – bought everything I needed and I was baking shortly after.
EASY PEASY PISTACHIO PANETTONE
Pistachio Panettone

An easy Pistachio Panettone from Martina at Le Ricette di Libellula.
Ingredients
For the Panettone
- 500g strong white flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 100g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5g dried yeast
- 100g butter
- 150ml water
- 100g pistachios, shelled
for the pistachio glaze
- 20ml fresh cream
- 100g white chocolate
- 50g pistachio cream
- 25g pistachios
Instructions
- Place the flour in your standing mixer bowl and create a sort of hole in the middle: here you will place the yeast, sugar, chopped butter, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and half the water. Incorporate well using the flat beater attachment.
- Now change the attachment to the dough hook and add the leftover water and salt and let it run on medium speed for roughly 20 minutes, turning the dough upside down halfway through, and until the dough it's elastic and smooth.
- Add the chopped pistachios and let them mix with the dough at low speed for a couple of minutes, then turn the dough upside down and let it go again for another couple of minutes.
- Transfer the dough on a working space and do what the Italians call pirlatura: using the palms of your hands, roll the dough so that it takes a round shape and then transfer in an oiled bowl and let it rise until it triples in size (usually two hours).
- Once it has tripled in size, transfer on the working space again and do the shaping with your palms again, then transfer in the panettone mould and let it rise until it gets to just a couple of fingers-space from the top.
- Bake at 180°C for 45 minutes, making sure to check that it's not browning too quickly (if so, cover with some aluminium foil) and that a skewer inserted in comes out clean. Let it cool completely.
- Prepare the glaze: add the cream in a pot and let it warm up, not boil, then remove from the heat. Add the white chocolate and mix until it's all melted and looks shiny. Add the pistachio cream and pour on the panettone, then drizzle with roughly chopped pistachios. We also added a swirl of pistachio cream on top to make it extra - we love pistachios around here.















This was easier to make than I expected, even though the recipe said it was going to be easy: these sort of bakes never are. They need time and love and a constant presence, which I am not really up to for now.
Yet, this Pistachio Panettone hit all the spots: it tasted like a proper one, it looked like a proper one, and it took more time to rest it than actually prep it – or eat it, for that matter.
When you taste it, you can expect to remember something like a brioche texture, with the addition of crunchy pistachios and a sweet topping that makes it look so professional.
Your family will love you forever for bringing it around for Christmas, and you will be the envy of that aunty of yours who’s been the baking queen for all these years.
Well – what else to say right now… More Christmas posts are just here for you to read and find some last-minute recipes, and I hope you’ll have a great one!
I haven’t heard of pistachio cream before but this sounds and looks good. I will definitely make this soon and I’ll definitely use your recipe….. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Ruthie – let me know what you think! xx
This looks incredible! I’ve never had pistachio cream before. That sounds heavenly. I’d love to make this sometime this month. Thanks for sharing xo
www. lynnmumbingmejia.com
Hey Lynn – you’ll definitely find the cream on Amazon, but you need so very little! x
I have never tried panettone before but it looks delicious.
Thank you Kelly – it is as delicious as it looks x
Oh yum! This looks so tasty. I’ll have to try and make it for myself!
Yes please – let us know what you think if you get to try it anytime soon xx
I have to be honest, I prefer Pandoro to Panettone because I’m not keen on fruitcake. But this sounds rather lovely, especially that glaze – yum!
I have to agree with you, we are all team Pandoro over here but this one was a clear winner – yet we are snacking on pandoro ha!
Oooh this looks lovely! My dad loves panettone and pistachio so this is right up his street – thank for sharing.
Tash – A Girl with a View
Hey Tash
Thank you so much! It is as lovely as it is yummy, your dad would absolutely love it! Let us know if you ever try it x
Wow I always thought they were so complicated and picky to make! You make it sound so easy! Thanks for sharing!
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
Well, Katie, they are meant to take something like 2 to 3 days to be the actual thing, but this one takes a few hours and it does taste like the real deal so don’t mind me for making millions ahah! Let me know if you get to try it xx
This looks delicious! I’m not sure if I’d be willing to wait that long to eat but I would if someone else baked this for me haha
You are absolutely right – if someone was to bake it for me I wouldn’t make it last more than a few seconds!