These Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies take your average chocolate chip cookie up a notch! This recipe includes a lovely nutty flavor accompaniment by pops of rich chocolate in every bite. It's easy to make, so it's ideal for baking beginners who want a stress-free homemade treat.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 15 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 16
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Nutty, buttery pistachio with rich pockets of chocolate sweetness.
- 🍚 Best Served With: A glass of milk, coffee, or vanilla ice cream.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, dough or baked cookies store well and freeze beautifully.
Summarize and Save This Content On
This pistachio chocolate chip cookies recipe is kitchen-tested, so you can leave out the guesswork. I love reliable homemade dessert recipes that are no fuss, but the result is a delicious, show-stopping treat. Plus, the ingredients (including the pistachios) are familiar, too!
If you enjoy the salty-sweet combination of pistachio and chocolate, you'll love this chocolate pistachio honeycomb and Dubai chocolate bar.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's familiar with a twist: If you love classic chocolate chip cookies, then you'll adore these pistachio cookies. It takes a traditional and well-loved treat and enhances it with the subtle crunch of chopped pistachios.
- It's simple yet reliable: As long as you follow the directions, you'll get the same result every time. It's a super-easy recipe that you can count on!
- The flavors are balanced: The saltiness of the pistachios, the sweetness of the dough, and the richness of the chocolate sing in this cookie recipe. The ratios are spot on, where one ingredient doesn't outshine the others.
Ingredients
To get the best pistachio chocolate chip cookies possible, you'll need the ingredients listed below. They are key to your success!
- Pistachios: Salted or unsalted pistachios work in this recipe, but lightly salted are ideal. They enhance the chocolate flavor without overpowering it. Pistachios add a softer crunch compared to other nuts, plus an adorable, subtle green color!
- Chocolate: So, I use chopped chocolate in these chocolate chip pistachio cookies. You can make them as small as chips or as large as chunks. Chocolate chunks are great because they create little melted chocolate pockets of richness that are absolutely mouthwatering, similar to what you find in the ultimate Costco chocolate chunk cookies.
- Butter: Unsalted is best to control the salty flavor, but it must be room temperature to get the perfect chewy texture. Cold butter will not mix correctly with the other ingredients.
- Brown sugar: I use a combination of granulated and brown sugar in these pistachio nut cookies. Brown sugar adds just enough moisture to keep the cookies soft.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Dried cranberries: Fold in about ¼ cup of dried cranberries to add a pop of tartness and chewiness to complement the pistachios and chocolate.
- Toffee bits: Include ¼ cup of toffee bits for a buttery flavor and extra crunch.
- Swap some pistachios: Take out ¼ cup of chopped pistachios and switch them with chopped walnuts for a less salty flavor profile and slightly different texture.
If recipes like this are your thing, don't forget to check out my pistachio tiramisu. It's too the moon good.
How to Make Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here are the instructions needed to make these salted pistachio chocolate chunk cookies. Ensure that you preheat your oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper before making the cookie dough.
Step 1: Make the cookie dough. Combine the dry ingredients with the creamed butter, sugar, and egg until a soft dough forms.
Step 2: Add pistachios and chocolate. Then fold in the chopped pistachios and chocolate.
Step 3: Scoop the dough. Form 3 tablespoon cookie dough balls and place them on the prepared pan with about an inch of space between them.
Step 4: Bake and cool. Pop the pan into the oven and bake the dark chocolate pistachio cookies for about 14 minutes and then let them cool for 10 minutes on the pan before you move them to a cooling rack. Enjoy one of these fresh cookies with a cup of hot chocolate made with hot chocolate truffles.
Expert Tips
- Avoid overbaking them: The biggest crime is overbaking these pistachio chocolate cookies. They become very dry and crumbly. Remember that the centers of the cookies do not need to be fully set, so use that as a general rule when checking on them.
- Make these chocolate and pistachio cookies ahead: Just like these checkerboard cookies, pistachio cookies are make-ahead friendly! If I'm serving them at a party, I like to prepare the cookie dough the night before and refrigerate it until I'm ready to bake.
- Storing extra pistachio cookies: These are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I don't recommend refrigerating them because they dry out more easily.
I highly recommend these maple pecan cookies if you are looking for more homemade nut cookie recipes.
Serving Suggestions
- A warm cookie and ice cream is one of the best dessert combos! Some homemade flavors that I love with pistachio and chocolate are white chocolate raspberry ice cream and peanut butter and jelly ice cream.
- Try dipping your pistachio chocolate chunk cookies in a dessert dip like this creamy cherry cheesecake dip.
- These cookies would be fabulous on a dessert platter! Another tasty treat you can include is these Rolo brownies.
- Enjoy a McDonald's caramel mocha with your pistachio cookie if you're a coffee lover!
Recipe FAQs
Once the edges of the cookies are set and start to brown, and the centers are soft but not wet, they're ready!
I make my cookies 3 tablespoon-sized. So, if you want them smaller, you'll need to adjust the baking time. I start with about 10-12 minutes for 2 tablespoon-sized cookies.
Melted butter will cause the cookies to spread too much and become flat. Ensure your butter is at room temperature, not melted, when preparing the cookie dough.
Yes! I recommend portioning it onto a sheet pan and popping it into the freezer for about an hour before transferring the cookies to a freezer bag. They keep frozen for about 3 months, and you can bake them from frozen, just add 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
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More Delicious Cookie Recipes
Do you like cookie recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 250 grams all-purpose flour about 2 cups
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 100 grams granulated sugar about ½ cup
- 100 grams light brown sugar about ½ cup, packed
- ½ cup butter unsalted, softened
- ½ large egg
- ½ tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 ounces chocolate chopped
- 4 ounces pistachios chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, sea salt, baking soda and baking powder.
- Add sugars and butter to a stand mixer and cream together for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides. Add egg and pure vanilla extract and mix again until just combined.
- Transfer dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl and run again until combined.
- Mix chopped chocolate and pistachios, then scoop 3-tablespoons cookie dough balls and drop them on the prepared pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 14 minutes or until lightly golden brown. If desired, add a sprinkle of flaky salt to the tops.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
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Notes
- Ensure that the butter is room temperature and not melted, or your chocolate chip pistachio cookies will turn out flat.
- The cookie dough is freezer-friendly, making these a fantastic make-ahead dessert option.
- Avoid overbaking the pistachio cookies as they will become dry, crumbly, and difficult to eat.
Eva says
I just made these and had to grab one right off the sheet! They were SO delicious and I loved them. Thank you for the great recipe.
Karin and Ken says
You’re most welcome! We love them too! All the best. Karin