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Pistachio cookies are nutty, sweet, and soft, and so delicious. They are like an adult chocolate chip cookie. I used finely ground pistachios and chopped salted pistachios to create a unique texture and a beautiful look!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: These cookies only take about 30 minutes from start to finish! You can satisfy your sweet tooth in no time!
- Holiday Treat: Pistachio cookies would be perfect for a Christmas party to wow the guests. You could also take my pistachio pudding cookies.
- Adult Chocolate Chip Cookie: Kids will enjoy this cookie, but its definitely for adults. The unique flavor of the pistachios mixed with chocolate is to die for!
Ingredients in Pistachio Cookies
These are a delicious twist on classic chocolate chip cookies. The best part is that you probably have most of the ingredients you need right in your kitchen. It’s a perfect mix of nutty and sweet, packed with crunchy chopped pistachios and yummy chocolate chips. Note: The exact measurements are on the recipe card below.
- Shelled Raw Pistachios: Add a delicious nutty flavor and a touch of green color to the cookies.
- Unsalted Butter (Softened): The butter makes the cookies rich and moist, giving them that perfect soft texture.
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the dough.
- Large Egg (Room Temperature): Binds the ingredients together and adds moisture for a chewy texture.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a warm vanilla aroma and enhances the overall flavor of the pistachio cookies. I recommend using pure vanilla extract for the best flavor!
- Almond Extract: A splash of almond extract provides a lovely nutty taste to complement the pistachios.
- All-Purpose Flour: The main dry ingredient that gives structure to the cookies.
- Cornstarch: Makes the cookies tender and soft.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Helps the cookies rise and become fluffy.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors. Just a pinch is all you need!
- Salted Pistachios (Roughly Chopped): More pistachios for added crunch.
- Chocolate Chips: I used semi sweet chocolate chips, but milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate will work!
Pistachio Cookie Recipe
Now that you’ve got your ingredients ready, here’s how to whip up a batch of these bad boys! Pistachio cookies are simple to prepare and will be ready in 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Preheat Oven, Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Then, set aside.
- Pistachio Powder: Add the pistachios to a food processor or blender and pulse until they are finely ground.
- Wet Ingredients: Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat them until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Then add the eggs, extracts, and ground pistachios and mix until combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients. Then mix until just combined.
- Chips and Nuts: Use a spatula to mix the chopped pistachios and chocolate chips into the dough by hand.
- Scoop: Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets using a medium cookie scoop (about 2-2 ½ tablespoons).
- Bake: Bake for 10-11 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes before you transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Tips for the Best Pistachio Cookies
These cookies are hard to get wrong, but I have a few tips and variations to make sure they turn out perfect.
- Soften Butter Properly: Softened butter should be pliable but not melted. This will help it mix together with the other ingredients more smoothly! Leave it out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or gently soften it in the microwave. Use short bursts to avoid melting.
- Don’t Overmix: When you combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Overmixing the dough can lead to tough and dense cookies.
- Experiment with Nuts: While pistachios are the star here, you can get creative with other nuts. Try using chopped almonds, walnuts, or even hazelnuts.
- Mind the Baking Time: Keep a close eye on the cookies while baking. They’re ready when the edges are just starting to turn golden brown. Remember that they’ll continue to firm up as they cool. Sometimes, I pull them out of the oven while the centers are still slightly undercooked. They will cook on the pan for another minute or two while cool.
- Let Them Cool: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before you transfer them to a cooling rack. This helps them set properly and avoid breaking.
Storing Leftover Cookies
If your eyes were bigger than your stomach and you made too many pistachio cookies, don’t worry! You can easily store them for later.
- Countertop: Keep in an airtight container. Your cookies will stay good for about 4-5 days.
Can I Freeze Unbaked Dough?
Yes! I like to shape my dough into balls, then transfer them to a sealed bag and pop them in the freezer. The dough will stay good for about two months. When you’re ready to bake your cookies, you can thaw them first or bake them directly from the freezer. You may just need to add a few minutes of baking time.
More Amazing Cookie Recipes
If you love cookies as much as I do, here are a few more of my favorite recipes to try! They’re all soft and chewy and will leave you wanting more. I don’t blame you if you keep the pan to yourself!
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Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup shelled raw pistachios
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup salted pistachios roughly chopped
- ⅔ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the pistachios to a food processor or blender and pulse until they are finely ground.
- Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat them until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs, extracts, and ground pistachios and mix until combined.
- Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Use a spatula to mix the chopped pistachios and chocolate chips into the dough by hand.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2-2 ½ tablespoons) to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Should this recipe have 2 eggs? Eggs are plural in the directions and the ingredients say 1 egg
great tweak to the classic recipe and like that there’s both finely ground pistachios and chopped ones too, a nice flavor addition, thank you!