If you love the sweet, buttery, and nutty flavor of pistachios, these irresistible pistachio cookies will be a dream come true! Made with homemade vanilla cookie dough infused with crushed pistachios and decadent chocolate chips, they will have you quickly running back for seconds!

Best Pistachio Cookies Recipe

Pistachio lovers, this might be one of the best pistachio desserts you'll try. With a delightful, nutty pistachio flavor and gooey chocolate chips in every bite, having "just one" is not an option!

The secret to such irresistible cookies? High-quality ingredients and a simple, foolproof technique that brings out the best pistachio flavor without spending hours in the kitchen. Even if you're not an experienced baker, this recipe is incredibly easy to follow, with expert tips to help you avoid common mistakes and get bakery-level results at home.

Not only are these cookies easy to make, but they're also incredibly versatile. Whether you enjoy them fresh out of the oven, as a snack, or as the perfect ending to a meal, they're guaranteed to become a favorite. Plus, there are many ways to customize and make them uniquely yours every time you bake!

Katalin's Take On How To Incorporate Pistachios Into Cookies

The best pistachio cookies have a bold and natural flavor. However, you'll have to do more than just throw chopped pistachios into the batter to get there. Sure, they may give your cookies a nice, crunchy texture, but the flavor won't quite carry over into the final product.

I've tried a few different methods to bring out more of the flavor and have found that the key is to infuse the pistachios into the dough by creating a sort of pistachio flour.

Now, this isn't as simple as grinding pistachios in the food processor and adding them to the dough. For one, the quantity is too small to process alone. Secondly, it might become an oily mess. To avoid the above, I process the pistachios with flour to create a pistachio-flour mixture. Now, the nutty flavor is distributed evenly throughout the dough!

If you're feeling extra fancy, you can also drizzle some of my pistachio butter on top of the baked cookies for added flavor, like I do with my pistachio muffins!

The Cookie Dough Comes Together In 10 Minutes

This cookie dough is a breeze to prepare and ready in just 10 minutes. However, you must first ensure your egg and butter (unsalted butter to avoid salty cookies) are at room temperature so they blend into the batter easily. Stick your eggs in warm water for 5-10 minutes to quickly bring them to room temperature. See my guide on softening butter quickly for tips on doing so without using a microwave.

Once your ingredients are ready, use an electric hand mixer to cream the room temperature butter with the granulated and brown sugar for a few minutes until it becomes light and fluffy. Next, whip in the room temperature egg and the vanilla extract.

If you have a food processor, use it to process the smaller portion of pistachios (unsalted and without the shell) with your all-purpose flour until finely ground.

Sift the pistachio and flour mixture with the salt and baking soda into the butter mixture. Then, use a rubber spatula to fold the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined.

Last but not least, use the rubber spatula to gently fold in some of the chocolate chips (or chunks) and chopped pistachios, saving some to top the cookies later.

Chill the Dough & This Is Why

To prepare for baking, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Then, using an ice cream or cookie scoop, divide the cookie dough into 10-12 equal-sized balls.

Place 5-6 cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving enough room between each cookie to spread.

Now is the crucial part: chilling the dough. Chilling the dough for at least an hour before baking is super important so that the butter solidifies and the cookies hold their shape. Otherwise, the dough will be too warm, the butter will melt, and you'll end up with flat, boring cookies! Chilling the dough also helps lock in the flavor, so don't skip it!

Some recipes avoid the chilling time by adding more flour, but I don't recommend it because it changes the texture of the cookies once baked.

Let's Bake!

After the dough has chilled for at least an hour, it's time to bake! Start by preheating the oven to 175°C / 350°F (do not use the fan).

Once preheated, bake the cookies at the same temperature for 16-18 minutes, temporarily removing them at around 12 minutes to sprinkle on the remainder of the chocolate chips and pistachios on top.

Continue baking the cookies until golden brown around the edges and the center is set. Be careful not to overbake!

Allow the cookies to rest for a few minutes, then carefully remove them from the parchment paper and transfer them to the cooling rack. They will continue to set as they cool.

Store & Freeze Like a Pro

These delicious pistachio cookies are a breeze to make ahead of time or to store if you have leftovers! They will keep fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to five days.

To freeze, wait until they cool completely to room temperature, then move them to a sealed freezer bag or freezer-safe container. Store them in the freezer for up to a month, and thaw at room temperature before enjoying.

You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls. Read more about this in this baking guide: How to freeze cookie dough.

Try Some Flavor Variations

Instead of vanilla extract, use lemon, orange, or almond extract to give your cookies a different base flavor that complements the pistachios well. Use the pistachio flour with my brownie cookies to make chocolate pistachio cookies, or use my white chocolate matcha cookies recipe as a base to make irresistible pistachio matcha cookies!

Swap out the regular chocolate chips for white chocolate, caramel, or toffee chips.

Add a fruity touch and pop of color by folding in dried cranberries to make cranberry and pistachio cookies. You can also use cherries or raspberries, as in my raspberry pistachio cookies and white chocolate raspberry cookies. Fold in the zest of orange or lemon to add a natural, zesty citrus flavor.

Not a fan of pistachios? You can easily swap them for nuts like macadamia, pecans, or walnuts. See my chocolate chip walnut cookie recipe for inspiration!

Give them the perfect finish by spreading pistachio cream on top, sprinkling powdered sugar or sea salt, or drizzling it with my homemade white chocolate sauce or caramel sauce!

This Is How You Substitute the Ingredients

If necessary, you can substitute ingredients to accommodate allergies or dietary restrictions. For a gluten-free version, you can swap the all-purpose flour with a suitable alternative like almond flour as done in Italian pistachio cookies. See my flour guide for more options.

For a vegan-friendly version, you can use a dairy-free butter substitute and one of these egg substitutes. Depending on your preferences for flavor and texture, you can use all brown or white sugar.

Remember that substitutions may require adjusting other ingredients to maintain the right balance of flavors and textures. Check out my substitution guides for more details on baking swaps and how to adjust recipes accordingly.

Expert Tips For Making Pistachio Cookies

For the most flavorful pistachio cookies, use unsalted, European-style butter with at least 82% fat, high-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips (i.e., Callebaut or Lindt), and the best vanilla extract you can find.
Be mindful of when to switch from an electric hand mixer to a rubber spatula. Using an electric mixer when the recipe calls for a rubber spatula can lead to overmixing and dry, cakey cookies.
Never skip preheating your oven before baking. A properly heated oven ensures your cookies bake evenly and do not get over- or under-baked.
If you prefer extra gooey cookies, you can slightly reduce the baking time.
If your cookies spread too much during baking, reshape them while they're still warm by using a large cookie cutter to apply circular motion and tighten them back into a perfectly round shape.

What Equipment To Use

Always use a digital scale to ensure you have the most precise and consistent measurements. A digital oven thermometer is also necessary to provide an accurate temperature for baking your cookies.

You'll need an electric hand mixer to combine the wet ingredients, but you'll need to switch to a rubber spatula to gently fold in the dry ingredients without overmixing.

A cooling rack evenly cools your cookies and prevents soggy bottoms.

If you loved this easy pistachio cookies recipe, you won't want to miss my other gooey, tasty cookie recipes:

And that's not all! Make sure you also check out my list of 60+ Different Types of Cookies for even more fun cookie ideas.

Have You Tried This Recipe?

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Pistachio Cookies