I’m still experimenting using ouzo and this time I used the wonder liqueur to make a batch of Greek paximadia (pronounced pa-xee-ma-th-ee-a). It’s a hard word to pronounce if you’re not Greek but just think of these as Greek biscotti. Actually, to simplify things lets’s just call them pistachio biscotti with ouzo! They are baked twice and have a wonderful, crunchy, toasty texture. And they are fantastic served with coffee or any other hot drink. Grab one and dunk right in!
Is the recipe “authentically Greek”? Probably not. The recipes I noted for “paximadia” or pistachio biscotti had a lot of oil or butter in them and I opted not to include it in my version of this recipe. What makes them “Greek” is the ouzo. It’s so mellow and you can taste a hint of aniseed without it being too overbearing. I am absolutely in love with ouzo at the moment and have been doing a fair bit of playing around in the kitchen. Not all very successful but we’ll get to that soon! I also added some toasted pistachios to the mix to give them and added nutty crunch. The ouzo and pistachios were another one of those perfect marriages. Bliss! Serve it up with some authentic Greek coffee and your guests will be very happy! Afternoon tea will never be the same again!
RECIPE FOR OUZO AND PISTACHIO PAXIMADIA
- 1 1/4 cups of caster sugar
- 2 large organic eggs
- 1 and 3/4 cups of plain sifted flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 and 1/4 cups of toasted pistachio kernels
- 2-3 tablespoons of ouzo
- Preheat your oven to 150 deg C
- Whisk the sugar and eggs until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, pistachio kernels and the ouzo.
- Mix well to form a dough, ensuring the dough is neither too sticky or too dry. (we want a firm dough that is still pliable…if that makes sense).
- Use the well combined dough to form a 30 cm log and flatten it slightly.
- Place this on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for approximately 30 mins or until golden brown.
- Once cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 mins. Reduce the oven temperature to 120 deg C.
- Using a serrated knife, cut slices in a diagonal fashion approximately 0.5 cm thick.
- Place these slices on another baking tray and cook them again for 15 mins, turning them over half way through.
- Allow to cool and serve them up with a good coffee
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum yum. I was just eating biscotti today and reminding myself I really must make my own again soon. I wouldn’t have thought to toast the pistachio kernels before baking though. I presume it makes a taste difference?
Helen, it makes them slightly “nuttier” in taste.
Now, only if someone could deliver them that quickly
pistachio, ouzo…mmm! I love seeing the traditional coffee pot and other metal-ware there!
These paximadia remind me of my grandmother. She always had fennel rusks lying around. They are perfect to dip into Greek coffee!
So thoughtful of you to add less oil… Better for my diet..lol… These look delicious Peter and I love the photos as always! I’ve never tried making biscotti… Somehow seems sooo difficult (I am really not a very good baker..:))
what a delicious recipe. It must be perfectly aromatic! I’m glad you’re in this Ouzo kick, keep them coming!
Those look so good! What gorgeous flavors! Nice presentation too…
Cheers,
Rosa
Peter, I making a new batch of Paximadia when I get back from Greece…perfect with an Elliniko!
Great looking paximathia, Peter! I’ll definitely have to give these a try. I love pistachios and the ouzo combo sounds great.
Biscotti-like cookies are my favorite. I really go for the crunch and I think pistachios paired with ouzo would make a really tasty combination. Beautiful tablescapes…and I love the coffee server.
I wish I had some of those waiting for me tomorrow morning…yummy!
I’d love to dip some of these paximadia in a cup of Greek coffee. Lovely presentation Peter.
apart from the superb look of your paximadakia (they look JUST like the ones sold in shops here), i LOVE your last photo (i’ve always wanted to do a ‘synthesis’ shot like this one, and you have tempted me into doing so)
Peter – I LOVE the idea of putting Ouzo in Paximadia (or in my case, biscotti, since I make those fairly regularly). I make pistachio/apricot biscotti fairly often, but I think I’ll try making these instead. Wonderful recipe and astonishing photos, as always.
Wow, Peter, those sound delicious! They do look and sounds just like biscotti. In fact my family always used anisette in our biscotti, so anise and nuts are very traditional in Italian baking as well. I absolutely love your last photograph with the greek coffee pot, the ouzo, cookies and cafe!
Oh man, I’d love a plate of these with a cup of strong Greek coffee. Shoot, I’d love a shot of ouzo, too, but you know how it is…
Great ideas for my Greek restaurant Ouzo88, Thanks!
I miss the ouzo I can get from my favourite bottle shop in Oakleigh (melbourne). These sound wonderful, I love all the ingredients you feature!
These are like a Greek version of biscitti which I loved dipped into my tea…
Your paximadia sound wonderful, especially dipped into coffee in the morning!!
Everything here looks great. I love that you used ouzo in paxamathia. I must admit I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to this biscuit, as I hate going into Greek bakeries here in Sydney and seeing vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon paxamathia. This probably is only me, but I am in love, and have been since I was a little girl, with my Yiayia’s aniseed paxamathia. I was convinced that THAT was how paxamathia are made. So when I saw the variations, I felt they were ruining the original flavour.
I suppose the ouzo would not too far off the aniseed, and I do love fresh roasted nuts in my biscotti so I think this looks like a beautiful recipe. Would love to try them one day.
My best friend is Greek and her mom used to make these. Back in my gluten eating days I could not get enough of them. The flavor combo is wonderful.
Oh man, if I wasn’t so hot and sweaty right now in Morocco, I’d say fire up the espresso machine and let’s gorge on biscuits!!!
Sounds awesome! I love your espresso cups, what are they?
This recipe convinced me to look for ouzo. Maybe that Mediterranean store in town carries it… Hmm Those pictures are making me hungry this early in the morning :-p
Oh wow! Those little cookies look delightful. I love pistachios very much.
fantastic. Even though it is 100F here, I would scarf this in a second. Lovely emotional photos mate.
I’ve never seen a Greek biscotti before. It looks scrumptious. Pardon my ingorance but what is ouzo, is that what makes it Greek?
Your cookies look great! I love trying varieties of biscotti-like cookies, and the pistachios and ouzo here sound delicious.
I adore pistachios!
I’ve never heard of these before but they do look delicious. I would be so intrigued to see how they compare to Italian biscotti too! 
These look wonderful. But how do you pronounce it? is X like a ksha?
Peter love love love those classy looking greek biscotti…m so going to make it…can i skip ouzo and yet call them greek?, or can i use aniseed powder to these ?? guide me plz.
n thanks again for sharing a wonderful recipe.
I was trying to find a good wine to go with this little snack (my husband and I usually partake in a snake/wine combination on the dock while watching the sunset).
I’m going to think it’s a white wine and then I watched a few videos on this site I found. Click on my name for the site – it’ll be worth your time if you like wine like my hubby and I.
Pistachios are to die for! I’ll be having more of those, thank you! Biscotti and a white wine watching the sunset on the dock. Heavenly.
Jen
Peter you know what a sucker I am for pistachios. This looks so elegant and wonderfully delicious. The best thing is I just received a bag of Iranian pistachios from a few Persian friends!
It’s very close to an italian biscotti recipe (with almonds instead of pistacchi). Must try this pistacchio variant. Thanks, and great blog, you’ve got a new follower
Peter these were delicious a greek biscotti and easy to make ,more use for the ouzo also worked well with almonds.Great photos!!
I like this recipe because it does not use any butter. The ouzo is a great addition.
Γεια σου Peter από την Ελλάδα!!!!
Σήμερα ανακάλυψα το blog σου και έχω ενθουσιαστεί!!!Θα μεταφράσω πολλές από τις συνταγές σου και θα τις φτιάξω!Θα ήθελα να σε ρωτήσω εάν μου επιτρέπεις να τις ανεβάσω και στο δικό μου blog…Είσαι εξαιρετικός και λατρεύω τις φωτογραφίες σου!
I hope you understand Greek
Love,
Alexandra from Greece…!