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Soft Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe


These pistachio chocolate chip cookies are tender and crumbly, featuring two textures of pistachio—finely ground for a nutty base and chopped for crunchy pops—plus plenty of milk chocolate chips for a creamy, balanced bite.

Pistachio cookies on a piece of parchment paper.

Before you bake: these are pistachio-forward cookies rather than a traditional chocolate chip cookie. The pistachios dominate the flavor and contribute to the texture, while the milk chocolate chips add sweetness and creaminess without overpowering the nuts. They’re slightly chewy—somewhere between a classic chocolate chip cookie and a shortbread—yet simple to make with an easy ingredient list and straightforward mixing method.

Ingredients

The full ingredient amounts are shown in the recipe card below.

  • Shelled pistachios. Use raw or lightly toasted unsalted pistachios. Avoid flavored nuts.
  • Milk chocolate chips. Milk chocolate complements pistachios with creaminess and enhances their subtle flavor; semi-sweet or dark can be used but will change the balance.
  • All-purpose flour. Unbleached all-purpose flour works well; any standard all-purpose flour is fine.
  • Baking powder and baking soda. Baking powder gives a slightly puffy cookie, while a small amount of baking soda helps with browning—measure carefully.
  • Unsalted butter, at room temperature. Room-temperature butter is crucial for the right dough consistency. If you use salted butter, adjust salt elsewhere or use unsalted pistachios.
  • Light brown sugar and granulated sugar. A mix gives tenderness from the brown sugar and the right level of sweetness from granulated sugar.
  • Eggs. Large eggs at room temperature.

Make Them

Below are the main steps with tips to help you get consistent results.

Make The Dough

  1. Organize ingredients first. Grind 2/3 cup of pistachios until very fine and combine with the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Chop the remaining pistachios coarsely.
  2. Cream the butter with the brown and granulated sugar until smooth—don’t overmix. Scrape the bowl 2–3 times to ensure even mixing.
  3. With the mixer on medium-high, add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.
  4. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add half of the flour mixture, then half of the chocolate chips. Add the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining chocolate chips and the chopped pistachios. Mixing in two additions helps distribute mix-ins evenly without overworking the dough.
A large bowl with flour and ground pistachios with a fork, next to a smaller bowl with chopped pistachios.
Prepare the dry ingredients: grind some pistachios and chop the rest.
A mixing bowl with creamed butter and an egg.
Cream the butter and sugars, then add the eggs.
A mixing bowl with cookie dough and next to it bowls with chopped pistachios, chocolate chips and flour.
Alternate additions of the flour mix with chocolate chips and pistachios.
A mixing bowl with chocolate chip pistachio cookie dough.
Mix just until the dough is sticky and no dry flour remains.

Bake

  • You can refrigerate the dough up to 24 hours to deepen the flavor; bring it back to room temperature before baking.
  • Scoop dough with a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons, #40).
  • Place scoops on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 2–3 inches between each. I recommend arranging three per side of the sheet for even spacing.
  • Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack for even heat.
  • Watch the cookies rather than the clock—oven temperatures vary. Cookies are done when puffed and lightly golden at the edges.
  • For a neat, symmetrical look, you can gently swirl each cookie with a large cookie cutter about halfway through baking and again when they come out of the oven.
  • Allow cookies to set on the pan for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack; they’re very soft when hot and can break if moved too soon.
  • If cookies spread too much, raise the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) next time.
A bowl with chopped pistachio and a cookie dough ball.
Roll dough balls in chopped pistachios for extra texture and visual appeal.
A pan lined with parchment paper and topped with six pistachio chocolate chipe dough balls.
Arrange 6–8 dough balls on a large baking sheet.
A hand swirling cookie using a cookie cutter.
Use a cookie cutter to gently shape and swirl the cookies for an even appearance.

Yields, storing, and making ahead

This recipe yields about 24 cookies using a medium scoop. Adjust bake time for smaller or larger cookies.

Store: Keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to seven days. Baked cookies can be frozen for up to six weeks.

To freeze unbaked: Scoop the dough into balls, place in a single layer in a freezer bag with parchment between layers, and freeze up to eight weeks. Thaw to room temperature before baking.

Pistachio chocolate chip cookie.
chocolate chip pistachio cookies recipe.
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Tender Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

Crumbly, tender cookies made with ground pistachios, chopped pistachios, and milk chocolate for added richness.
Servings 24 cookies
Author Dikla Levy Frances

Ingredients

  • 2/3 Cup (100g) Finely ground pistachios
  • 2 1/2 Cups (300g) All-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1 Cup (200g) Light brown sugar
  • 1/4 Cup (50g) Granulated sugar
  • 1 Cup (225g) Unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 Large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/3 Cup (50g) Chopped pistachios
  • 2 Cups (340g) Milk chocolate chips
  • 1 Cup Shelled chopped pistachios for coating, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Mix ground pistachios, flour, baking powder, and baking soda together.
  • Cream the butter with the light brown and granulated sugar until smooth, about 2–3 minutes with a stand mixer (1–2 minutes with a hand mixer). Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl.
  • With the mixer on medium-high, add the eggs one at a time, scraping after each addition.
  • Reduce mixer speed to low and add half of the flour mixture, then 1 cup of chocolate chips.
  • Add the remaining flour mixture, then the second cup of chocolate chips and 1/3 cup chopped pistachios.
  • Place the remaining chopped pistachios in a shallow bowl for coating.
  • Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons, #40), portion the dough and roll each ball in the chopped pistachios.
  • Arrange dough balls on the prepared sheets, three per side of the pan.
  • Bake on the middle rack for 15–17 minutes, until the cookies have spread, puffed, and are lightly golden.
  • For a uniform look, you may swirl cookies gently with a large cookie cutter around minute 10 and again immediately after removing from the oven.
  • Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

  • Use room-temperature ingredients for best texture and consistency.
  • Milk chocolate complements pistachios well, but you can substitute semi-sweet or dark chocolate if preferred.
  • Use a food processor to finely grind the pistachios for the flour mixture and a knife to coarsely chop the remainder.
  • Do not overmix the butter and sugar; overmixing can cause cookies to deflate as they bake and cool.
  • Store baked cookies at room temperature up to seven days, or freeze baked cookies up to six weeks.
  • To make ahead, scoop dough into balls, layer with parchment in a freezer bag, and freeze up to eight weeks. Thaw to room temperature before baking.