These pistachio cookies with chocolate chips are soft and chewy with lightly crisp edges, plenty of chopped pistachios, and pockets of semi-sweet chocolate. I love that the pistachio flavor and natural green color come from real ground pistachios, with no artificial coloring or pudding mix needed.
If you enjoy cookies with plenty of texture, you might also like my Chocolate Chip Cookies. Keep reading to see how the type of pistachios and a little chilling time affect the cookies. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
Jump to:
Video Tutorial
Try These Pistachio Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Have extra pistachios in your pantry? If you’re looking for something a little different from the usual chocolate chip cookie, these chocolate pistachio cookies are such a good change. They have that familiar buttery, chewy cookie texture, but the ground pistachios give them a nutty flavor, and the chopped pistachios add a nice crunch.
This Pistachio Cookies Recipe is also easy to make ahead. The dough can be chilled for up to 2 days, and the shaped dough balls can be frozen when you want to bake them later.
Why You’ll Love It
- Real pistachio flavor: Ground pistachios go directly into the dough, so the flavor comes from the nuts rather than pistachio pudding mix.
- Soft and chewy: The cookies have lightly crisp edges with soft, chewy centers.
- Chocolate and pistachio: Semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips balance the nutty pistachio flavor.
- Make-ahead friendly: You can prepare the dough for these pistachio chocolate chip cookies in advance and freeze shaped dough balls for later.
Ingredients
- Ground pistachios: These give the dough its main pistachio flavor and natural color. I prefer raw-shelled pistachios for the dough instead of pistachio butter, although other types will work and can change the final color.
- Roasted, salted pistachios: I like these roughly chopped and mixed through the dough because they add little crunchy, salty pieces to the soft cookies.
- Unsalted butter: Room-temperature butter creams easily with the sugars and gives the cookies their rich, soft texture.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips: These add the chocolate flavor without overpowering the pistachios. You can use either chunks or chips here. White chocolate may be too sweet, and dark chocolate chips may be too bitter, so they don't make great substitutions.
How to Make Pistachio Cookies with Chocolate Chips
1. In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, ½ cup ground pistachio, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Use a spatula to ensure everything is mixed in.
3. Add the wet ingredients; egg and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined and creamy, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed just until combined or about 30-60 seconds.
4. Add the chopped pistachios and chocolate chunks, if used, and mix just until well distributed. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.
5. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F (or 175°C).
6. Scoop 16 equal-sized balls of cookie dough (2 tablespoons or 45g each cookie) using a cookie scoop or ice cream spoon, and roll them into balls.
7. Place the balls 4 inches (10cm) apart on the prepared baking tray or sheets.
Tip: You can bang the pan slightly for better results.
8. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-11 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown and set, and the centers look underbaked, pale, and puffy.
9. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. They continue baking on the baking sheets. Once they are firm enough to move, transfer them to a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Add some sea salt on top if you like.
10. They stay fresh and soft for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can freeze them in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tips
- Grind the pistachios slowly by pulsing the food processor once at a time, with pauses between pulses. Processing too quickly can warm the nuts and turn them into a paste.
- Keep the butter at room temperature rather than melting it so the dough has the right consistency.
- Don’t skip the chilling time. It gives the dough time to firm up before baking.
- Give the cookies plenty of space on the baking sheets because they spread as they bake.
- Take them out while the centers still look pale and puffy. They continue baking on the hot baking sheet after you remove them from the oven.
- You can add a tiny bit of orange zest to the dough, but I honestly prefer them without it.
What Can You Serve With This?
- A cup of coffee or espresso
- A glass of cold milk
- Vanilla ice cream
- Hot tea
FAQs
The color can vary depending on the type of pistachios you use. Raw, green-peeled pistachio kernels give the dough a stronger green color, while roasted pistachios can produce cookies that look more yellow or brown. The cookies are naturally colored, so the shade won’t always be bright green.
Yes. You can prepare the dough up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Before baking, let it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes until it becomes soft and spoonable.
Yes. Prepare, chill, scoop, and roll the dough into balls, then place them in freezer bags. Thaw the dough balls at room temperature for 1–2 hours or in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Recipe
Pistachio Cookies With Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- ½ cup green peeled pistachio kernels (raw shelled pistachios), ground*
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup roasted, salted pistachios, roughly chopped
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ½ cup ground pistachio, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined and creamy, about 1 minute. Then add the flour mixture and mix on medium-low speed just until combined, about 30-60 seconds. Add the chopped pistachios and chocolate chunks, if used, and mix just until well distributed. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.
- Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Scoop 16 equal-sized balls of cookie dough (2 tablespoon / 45g each cookie), roll into balls, and place them 4 inches (10cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 10-11 minutes until the edges are lightly browned and set and the centers look underbaked, pale, and puffy.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. They continue baking on the baking sheets. Once they are firm enough to move, transfer them to a cooling rack and let cool completely. They stay fresh and soft for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Notes
Cooking Time and Temperature
Bake the cookies at 350°F (175°C) for 10–11 minutes, one baking sheet at a time.Taste & Texture
Soft and chewy with lightly crisp edges, nutty pistachio flavor, crunchy pistachio pieces, and sweet pockets of semi-sweet chocolate.Storage, Freezing & Reheating
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Not specified.
Serving Recommendations
- I like serving these with coffee or espresso for a simple afternoon treat.
- They’re also lovely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream when you want something a little more indulgent.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Use ½ cup of granulated sugar and ½ cup of light brown sugar for cookies that are a little thicker and spread less.
- Substitute baking soda with baking powder if you prefer thicker cookies that spread less.
- Use already ground pistachios or pistachio flour instead of grinding the pistachios yourself.
- Use dark chocolate chunks and salted roasted pistachios, or skip the add-ins altogether. Keep the total amount of add-ins to no more than 1 cup.
Proper Storage Tips
- Keep baked cookies in an airtight container.
- Store them at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Pro Tips
- Pulse the pistachios slowly instead of running the food processor continuously.
- Chill the dough for 1–2 hours before shaping and baking.
- Place the dough balls well apart on the baking sheets.
- Let the cookies finish setting on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Video
You can find the video in the post above. If you don't see a video, please check your browser settings.
Sherry
Great! I refrigerated the dough for 3 hours but cookies still spread a lot. Any ideas how to limit the spread? Thanks!
Sabrina
I find 2 hours of chilling is enough, however, it's important to get the cookies on the cookie sheet quickly and not handle them as much. Rolling them into balls for too long in your hands or taking too long to get them in the sheet and in the oven usually warms up the dough and then they just spread too thin in the oven.
Barb
I could barely taste the pistachio. Any suggestions on what I did wrong? I even put in more than the 1/2 cup ground pistachios. Cookies are very crunchy but I think they are suppose to be.
Stan Ivanov
Barb, what kind of pistachios did you use? Also, what kind of chocolate did you mix in? If the chocolate is too sweet, it will certainly overpower the taste. Some types of pistachio also have stronger flavor than others.
Andrew
Perhaps the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. I added some freshly ground cardamom, they came out excellent.
Stan Ivanov
Thanks for the praise. Glad you liked it!
Charlene
I have made these twice- the first the regular way. DELICIOUS! Today I made them gluten free - DELICIOUS!
Oma
Oh my goodness, my granddaughter and I baked these today for the first time- they are delicious!
ana arcia
I just love them !!!! If I wanted to sale them.... what price will you suggest me ? Thank you !!!