Pistachio Cookies

Ever since I saw that famous Dubai chocolate pistachio spread online, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I made my own, and honestly, it turned out even better than I hoped. My pistachio cream recipe uses just two ingredients, takes five minutes, and has the most addictive, creamy texture. Ever since I made it, I wanted to use it in everything, the first thing I made was a pistachio cappuccino (it was amazing!).

Now, since I’m a huge chocolate chip cookies fan, I had to start with pistachio cookies so here we are. These cookies are soft, sweet, and loaded with white chocolate chunks and pistachios. You can use milk chocolate if that’s more your thing, and feel free to adjust the amount of pistachios to your taste. I like just enough for a little crunch and flavor, but you can go heavier if you want.

A note about the sugar: I used unrefined cane sugar, which has a slightly brown tint and a bit more moisture than regular white sugar. It gives the cookies a soft center and a hint of caramel flavor, but it can also make them spread a bit more while baking, even if you chill the dough. If you want them to hold their shape better, you can swap some of the sugar for classic white granulated (you can do half half if you want) or add a little extra flour (probably around 2 Tablespoons). In my case, I wanted them to spread a bit because I wanted to drizzle the pistachio cream and not fill them with it (which gives me an idea for the next cookie recipe).

Ok, let me show you how I made these addictive treats!

Ingredients to make pistachio cookies:

• Egg: Use medium or large eggs, room temperature blends better in the batter but you can absolutely use cold eggs.
• Granulated sugar: I use cane sane sugar, white sugar, or even light brown sugar all work. Just keep in mind that each kind of sugar will change the texture a bit.
• Baking powder: This helps the cookies puff up slightly; if you only have baking soda, use less and add a drop of lemon juice or cream of tartar if you have any.
• Unsalted Butter: I always prefer having control over the amount of salt used, so I always use unsalted butter.
• Vanilla extract: You can use extract or vanilla bean paste, vanilla bean paste is a higher quality, better taste, and more concentrated.
• Salt: salt brings out the sweetness in your bakes.
• All-purpose flour: I use all purpose flour here, you can use cake flour if you want, you’ll get fluffier cookies and they will rise more. Keep that in mind.
• Pistachios: I use roasted pistachios.
• White chocolate: (chips, chunks, or a tablet that you will cut)
• Pistachio Spread: (I used my 2-ingredients recipe): You can of course use your favorite store-bought version!

Measurements are posted in the recipe card below the instructions.

• Melt butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Then add the butter to a large bowl, add in the sugar, and mix everything to combine.

• Add the egg, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Mix until everything is well combined and smooth, you will notice the mixture will become lighter in color and a bit fluffy.

• Add the flour and baking powder. Mix slowly to avoid a flour cloud. If you’re mixing by hand, switch to a wooden spoon once the dough starts to thicken.

• Stir in the chopped pistachios and white chocolate. I used a white chocolate bar and just cut it into chunks, but chips work too. You can adjust the amount of pistachios and chocolate chunks however you like.

• Cover the dough with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the dough (this helps keep it from drying out). Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour to help the cookies not spread a lot while baking.
• Once chilled, scoop the dough into cookie balls. I used about 85g per cookie for large bakery-style cookies and got 6 in total. Feel free to make them smaller, just remember the baking time will be shorter.
• Place the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking tray, leaving space between each one (these cookies are large and will spread a bit). I added a few more bits of chocolate and pistachios after placing the cookies on the tray (totally optional).

• Bake in a preheated oven at 165°C (330°F) for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers look just set.
• Let the cookies cool on the tray for a few minutes (like 2 to 3 minutes), then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Once cooled, fill a piping bag (or use a spoon) with your homemade pistachio cream and drizzle over each cookie. This makes a huge difference, I highly recommend adding the pistachio cream! Enjoy!