Some Christmas recipes stay with us for life. No matter how many new desserts we discover or create, there are those special ones that instantly take us back to childhood. For me, laskonky have always been one of those recipes. As a little girl, I remember them as the most exciting part of the Christmas table – delicate meringue cookies sandwiched with a creamy filling, carefully arranged on a plate that everyone was warned not to touch too soon.
They felt elegant and grown-up, yet irresistibly sweet and light. I would always reach for them first.
Over the years, as my love for baking grew, so did my desire to revisit the flavours I grew up with and reinterpret them in my own way. These pistachio meringue cookies filled with raspberry ganache are exactly that: a modern twist on the classic laskonky of my childhood, made with flavours I love and associate with festive baking today.
Traditional laskonky are all about balance – crisp yet soft meringue shells with a rich, smooth filling. They may look delicate, but they’re surprisingly satisfying. What I love most is how just a few simple ingredients can be transformed into something so special. For Christmas, I wanted to elevate that familiar base with flavours that feel festive, refined, and a little unexpected.
Pistachio was the natural choice for the meringue shells. Not only does it give them a beautiful soft green colour that feels perfect for Christmas, but it also adds a gentle nuttiness that takes the sweetness of the meringue to another level. Pistachios have a way of making desserts feel luxurious without overpowering them, and here they work beautifully with the light, airy texture of the baked meringue.
Instead of a traditional buttercream, I opted for a raspberry ganache – smooth, silky, and perfectly balanced between sweet and tangy. Raspberry has always been one of my favourite flavours to pair with nuts, and with pistachio it’s truly something special. The slight acidity cuts through the sweetness of the meringue and creates a cookie that feels indulgent but not heavy.
Once sandwiched together, the ganache slowly softens the meringue shells, creating that signature laskonky texture: crisp edges with a tender, almost marshmallow-like centre. This is why these cookies are ideal for Christmas baking – they actually improve with time. Made a day ahead, they become even more irresistible.
To finish, I added a light drizzle of white chocolate and matcha powder. This might seem unexpected in a traditional Christmas cookie, but it complements the flavours perfectly. Matcha enhances the pistachio’s nuttiness, adds a subtle bitterness that balances the sweetness, and ties everything together visually. The green tones feel festive and elegant, while the flavour remains delicate and harmonious rather than dominant.
These pistachio, raspberry, and matcha laskonky are the kind of cookies that feel special enough for Christmas, yet familiar enough to evoke nostalgia. They’re perfect for festive gatherings, afternoon coffee, or as part of a homemade Christmas gift box. I love serving them on a simple plate, letting their shape and colour speak for themselves.
For me, Christmas baking is about more than just recipes. It’s about revisiting memories, honouring traditions, and allowing yourself to reinterpret them as you grow. This recipe represents exactly that journey – a childhood favourite transformed through my own taste and creativity, without losing the soul of what made it special in the first place.
If you grew up with laskonky, I hope this version inspires you to see them in a new light. And if you’re discovering them for the first time, I couldn’t think of a better moment than Christmas. Delicate, nostalgic, and full of flavour, these pistachio meringue cookies with raspberry ganache and matcha might just become a new festive favourite in your home too.
You’ll find the full recipe below – take your time, enjoy the process, and let yourself fall in love with laskonky, just like I did all those years ago.
Pistachio and Raspberry Laskonky
Equipment
- Dacquoise cookie mold (acrylic or silicone)
- standing mixer
- baking tray
- food processor
Ingredients
Laskonky
- 3 egg whites
- 125 g caster sugar
- 125 g icing sugar
- 100 g finely ground pistachio
Raspberry ganache
- 125 g white chocolate
- 35 g raspberry pureé
- 200 ml double cream
Toppings
- freeze dried raspberries
- white chocolate
- pinch of matcha (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare your ganache first, ideally day before, if making on the day chill in the fridge until set, for at least 4 – 5 hours. Break your white chocolate into pieces and add to a bowl, pour over your raspberry puree. Warm up 100ml of cream (you want it hot) and pour over the white chocolate and raspberry puree, mix with spatula until your chocolate melts. If there are some chocolate pieces left that didn’t melt, you can microwave the mixture for few seconds. Pour the remaining cream and mix with immersion blender into a nice smooth mixture. Then cover with clink film to touch and let set in the fridge.
- Pre-heat your oven to 120°C. To make your cookies, mix ground pistachio with icing sugar and set aside. Whip egg whites with white sugar until you get stiff peaks. Fold your ground pistachios and sugar mix gently by hand into whipped egg whites. You will need piping bag with a round tip. Fill the pipping bag with the pistachio meringue and pipe round cookies onto your baking sheet (little bit like macarons). Bake for about 15 mins until the cookies puff up, then lower the temperature to 80°C, open your oven doors slightly and place wooden spoon between the doors and the oven, and bake for another 15 mins with the oven doors ajar. Once baked remove from the oven and let them cool completely.
- Once cookies cool down, fill them with your ganache. I have decorated with melted white chocolate (I added little bit of matcha powder) and freeze dried raspberries. This step is optional but it adds some additional flavours that complements the cookies beautifully.
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