Chocolate chip and pistachio cookies are a perfect blend of salty, sweet, and rich, melty chocolate. If you’re a fan of pistachios, these cookies are definitely for you! It’s a quick, simple recipe, made with staple ingredients and the dough doesn’t need any chill time.
While there’s no cookie more classic than a chocolate chip cookie, sometimes even the classics can use a little dressing up. And that’s exactly what the chocolate chip and pistachio cookies are. All the things you love, and then even a little… extra.
The pistachios add more complexity to both the flavor and texture of these cookies. The added saltiness is a really lovely addition, and the chewy crunch they give makes them so much more interesting. It also doesn’t hurt that browned butter is involved.
And though I’m not one to dictate what you should do… you really, really should save some chunks of chocolate for the tops of the cookies. Once they’re pressed into the top, those unassuming little chunks of chocolate become melty puddles of goodness. In fact, you can practically swan dive into them, they’re so luscious.
Looking for even more fabulous cookie recipes? How about White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies, White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, Chocolate Macarons, White Chocolate and Raspberry cookies, or of course, the good old standby CC Cookies.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Baking Powder and Soda
- Pistachios
- Chocolate
The Best Pistachios for these Cookies
Roasted, shelled, and salted pistachios are the best option for these cookies. The salt balances the sweetness of the cookies nicely. You can purchase nuts in the shells, and simply remove them yourself.
Try to remove as much of the papery skins from the pistachios as you can. While a little bit won’t cause problems, they can be a strange texture in a cookie, and sometimes have a slightly off flavor.
Chop the pistachios into different sizes, with some of them chopped very fine and the others cut into a few pieces. This adds not only flavor but different textures to the dough.
The Best Chocolate for these Cookies
I’m a fan of dark chocolate when it comes to all things dessert. Usually because I prefer things less sweet, and the hit of dark, chocolatey bitterness is a welcome contrast. But you do you! Milk or semisweet chocolates are also great choices.
When it comes to how the chocolate is prepared, again this is baker’s choice. Chocolate chips or chunks are both great, but the very best option is to chop up a bar of chocolate.
Bars of chocolate have less cocoa butter than chips or chunks. That helps it to melt into the dough better as it’s baking. It also affects the spread of your cookies. Science is cool, eh?
And because it’s been chopped into different sized pieces, it tends to create striated layers of chocolate throughout the cookie. And who doesn’t want that? Plus you can melt some on the top of each cookie for a really beautiful effect.
Equipment Needed
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- Mixing Bowl
- Baking Scale or Measuring Cups/Spoons
- Baking Sheets
- Cookie Scoop
- Cutting Board and a Knife
How to Make Chocolate Chip and Pistachio Cookies
Chopping the Pistachios and Chocolate
Remove the pistachios from their shells and discard the shells. Remove the papery skins as well. I like to rub the nuts in a tea towel–the friction gently removes the skins without a lot of labor.
Chop the nuts on a cutting board with a sharp knife. I like to have a variety of sizes, with about half of the nuts being chopped very, very fine and the rest chopped to varying larger texture/coarseness.
If you’re using bars of chocolate instead of chocolate chips, chop it into chunks. Leave a few large ones to place on top of the cookies before baking for the big, impressive chocolate puddles.
Making the Cookie Dough
In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat until it is bubbling and popping. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the bubbling has calmed down and the milk solids are a toasty, brown color.
Preheat the oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pour the browned butter into a bowl and let it cool completely but not harden. Once it’s cooled completely, beat in the sugars. They won’t ever become fluffy and creamy–that’s because the butter is liquid– but the sugars will begin to dissolve and mix in.
Add the eggs and vanilla, and mix it in to the butter and sugars. Again, it will take a bit longer to combine with the butter, but keep at it and soon the mixture will become smooth.
Add all of the dry ingredients–flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir them in until they’re all combined, but your dough will still look very soft and smooshy. Don’t be tempted to add more flour though!
Fold in the chopped chocolate and pistachios, saving out some of the larger pieces of both chocolate and nuts to decorate the tops of the cookies.
Use a large cookie scoop to scoop up six cookies onto the baking sheet with 2-3″ in between each of them. Gently push a chunk or two of chocolate into the top of each cookie, followed by a few pieces of the pistachio. Finish with a little sprinkle of coarse sea salt.
Place the cookies in the oven on a center rack and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and set. The centers will still look a bit doughy, but they will continue to bake and set as the cookie cools.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Remove them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze them for up to 2 weeks in a freezer-safe bag or container. They’re actually really delicious still slightly frozen!
How to Serve these Cookies
If you want to warm up a cookie, simply pop it in the microwave for 5-8 seconds, and voila. It will be restored to all it’s warm, gooey, melted glory.
If you want to make your cookies even a little more, try serving them a la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with some magic shell. Or they would be amazing as the cookie part of a cookies and milk milkshake!
Chocolate Chip and Pistachio Cookies
Description
Chocolate chip and pistachio cookies are a perfect blend of salty, sweet, and rich chocolate. If you’re a fan of pistachios, these cookies are definitely for you!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks,227 grams) of salted butter
- 1 cup (200 grams) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (338 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 72 grams (2.5 oz./1/2 cup) lightly salted pistachios, chopped
- 142 grams (5 oz./1 cup) chopped chocolate
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a small pan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Continue to let it cook until the butter solids are a toasty brown color and the butter isn’t making a popping sound anymore.
Pour the butter into a mixing bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Make sure the butter is completely cooled down before making the dough, or the chocolate will end up melting.
Add in the sugar and stir together until they’re all combined and wet. Some of the butter won’t mix in, and that’s alright.
Mix in both the eggs and the vanilla, and stir until there’s no more egg visible. This may take a few minutes, as again, the butter won’t mix as easily in its liquid form.
Dump the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into the bowl. Stir them in well. The dough will still feel a bit wet, but don’t be tempted to add more flour.
Add the pistachios and chopped chocolate to the bowl and stir them in until they’re well distributed. Then scoop the dough into 2 oz. balls and place them on the baking sheet 2-3″ apart.
Press a chunk or two of chopped chocolate into each ball of cookie dough, then sprinkle on a few pieces of chopped pistachio.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and a light golden brown. The centers will still look doughy, but they will continue to bake after they’ve been taken out of the oven.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to set for a few minutes. Then, use a metal spatula to remove them to a cooling rack.
Let the cookies set and cool completely. Then place them in an airtight container. The cookies can be stored at room temperature for 4-5 days. They also freeze well for up to two weeks if placed in a freezer safe container.
Notes
- You can use any types of chocolate you like–milk, dark, or semisweet. I like to use dark chocolate, since I like the contrast of the chocolatey bitterness, salty pistachios, and the sweetness of the cookies.
