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Forget the instant pudding mix; these are the best Pistachio Cookies made completely from scratch. These cookies are incredibly soft and chewy, featuring a deep, authentic nutty flavor thanks to a quick homemade pistachio butter. Packed with rich chocolate chips and crunchy pistachio bits, they offer the perfect balance of salty and sweet in every bite. Best of all, this is a no-chill cookie recipe, meaning you can go from craving to eating in less than 40 minutes.
Pistachio is having a moment and that’s a good thing – the flavor was made for dessert! Whether I’m grabbing coffee and a croissant or ordering dessert at a restaurant, if pistachio is on the menu I’m ordering it. I tested this recipe over four times to make sure they are the perfect mix of pistachio and chocolate chip cookie with the best texture!
Pistachio Cookies are soft, chewy cookies made completely from scratch without using pudding mix. This recipe uses homemade pistachio butter made from shelled pistachios, butter, sugar, flour, and a hint of almond extract to enhance the nutty flavor. These cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and require no dough chilling before baking. They taste amazing, stay soft for days, and freeze great!
Ingredients for Soft and Chewy Pistachio Cookies
- Many recipes use instant pistachio pudding for color and flavor, but this version uses real nuts for a superior, authentic taste and a much better chewy texture.
- You need shelled whole pistachios for this recipe. You can use roasted salted pistachios or raw pistachios, whichever you can find. It’s so much easier to buy them without the shells already because while there are tricks for removing the skins, it’s tedious and so much work.
- Turn the whole nuts into pistachio butter using a food processor. This gives the cookies an authentic pistachio flavor without the aid of any mixes. It’s an extra step but worth it!
- Then you’ll need unsalted butter that’s been softened, along with brown sugar and granulated sugar, an egg, baking soda, vanilla extract, and all-purpose flour, just like any other cookie recipe.
- Because natural pistachio flavor is so mild, a small amount of almond extract is the secret flavor booster that makes these taste like professional bakery cookies.
- Unlike many thick cookies that require hours in the fridge, these can be baked immediately. Just scoop with a cookie scoop press lightly, and bake for a quick dessert
- I love adding chocolate chips and chopped pistachios but you could also add white chocolate chips or really anything you want. Come up with other mix-ins to make new cookie recipes!
Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.
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Dorothy’s Expert Cookie Tips
- Press a few extra chocolate chips or nuts on top of the cookie when they come out of the oven.
- While chocolate chips are my favorite, these are also incredible with white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks, or even dried cranberries for a festive twist.
- Pro Tip: Buy already shelled pistachios to make your life so much easier.
- Use a kitchen scale to accurately measure your ingredients.
- Cool cookies at least 10 minutes on cookie sheet before removing them to a wire rack.
- If you want them to be a more vibrant green, you can add a few drops of green food coloring.
Pistachio Cookies Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups (185g) unsalted or lightly salted shelled pistachios, divided
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Whisk flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Place ½ cup pistachios in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Remove from food processor to a small bowl and set aside.
- Place remaining 1 cup pistachios in the food processor. Run the processor until the pistachios become a smooth butter consistency. Every 30 seconds or so, stop the processor and scrape the bottom and sides. It will get dusty, then thick like paste, then eventually smooth like a natural nut butter.
- Transfer the pistachio butter to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add butter and mix until combined, then add both sugars and cream until fluffy.
- Mix in egg, vanilla, and almond extract until smooth, then add dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.
- Add reserved chopped pistachios and chocolate chips.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon size balls of cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheets, 2-inches apart. Press lightly with the palm of your hand so they’re not super rounded.
- Bake until the tops are no longer glossy and the edges are light golden brown, about 10-14 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before removing from cookie sheets.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze cooled cookies for several months.
Recipe Notes
- You can use raw pistachios or salted, whichever you can find easier. While it is possible to remove the shells and skins, it’s very tedious to use pistachios in their shells.
- You can use any kind of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks or even omit them for a pure pistachio cookie.
Recipe Nutrition
How to make Pistachio Cookies step by step
- Chop some of the pistachios in the food processor and set aside, then add the remaining nuts to a food processor. Pulse and allow the processor to run, scraping the sides occasionally, for several minutes. They will turn to ground pistachios, then dust, then get thick, then the mixture will smooth out, like a natural peanut butter.
- There are a few steps until it turns to butter: chopped, then dust, then a big chunk, then it’ll smooth out.
- Cream butter with both sugars and pistachio butter. Mix in large egg, vanilla, almond extract, salt, and baking soda. Mix in flour.
- Scoop cookie dough balls onto a prepared baking sheet covered with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Bake in preheated oven.
FAQs
Yes, the food processor is essential for turning the whole pistachios into a smooth butter consistency which gives these cookies their unique texture.
Naturally baked pistachio cookies are a subtle, earthy green. If you want a more vibrant “bakery-style” look, you can add a few drops of green food coloring to the wet ingredients.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They stay incredibly soft!
Yes! Scoop the dough into balls and freeze them in a single layer. You can bake them straight from the freezer by adding 1–2 extra minutes to the bake time.
Either one works. I tested these with plain, raw pistachios and with salted. The cookies didn’t taste any different. Just make sure to buy nuts without shells to make your life much easier.
Costco is now selling pistachio spread. I’m wondering if this would work in this recipe. I love anything pistachio too!!! Can’t wait to try this! Thank you
It depends if it’s spread vs butter – some of the spreads have added sugars and are more like nutella or lemon curd – so check the ingredients!
These look amazing! Can’t wait to make them. If I already have pistachio butter on hand, how much would you recommend I use?
Check to see if it has sugar in it – most pistachio butter is sweetened with other ingredients. I haven’t tested the recipe with that. It’s probably about 1/3 cup once the nuts are ground, but again, anything other than pure pistachio will change the flavor and texture.
Thank you, Dorothy. I will give it a try using 1/3 cup.🥰
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