Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies made from scratch. Filled with pistachios and chunks of dark chocolate, these cookies are soft and chewy with crispy edges. There’s no need to chill the dough, so they’re ready in minutes!
Oh hey there cookie 👋
More specifically, my Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies. These golden brown cookies are bursting with crunchy pistachio nuts and chunky pieces of dark chocolate, and finished with a sprinkling of sea salt.
These cookies are just a little bit fancy – perhaps the black tie version of the more casual chocolate chip cookie 🎩
Crisp on the outside, with a buttery centre that melts in your mouth, dotted with gooey pockets of chocolate and a sweet pistachio flavour. Does it get any better?
Just like my favourite Macadamia Cookies and White Chocolate Chip Cookies, these cookies start with room temperature butter that gets beaten together with sugar. This process is known as creaming, and it helps to produce a lovely rustic cookie with crispy edges.
For a soft and chewy cookie, you can use melted butter – like in my Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
But room temperature butter works perfect in this cookies. And one of the big benefits of not using melted butter is that you don’t need to chill the cookie dough. Which means you get a stack of Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookie into your hungry hands faster – a win in my book.
We use a mix of caster sugar and brown sugar. Caster sugar is a fine white sugar (read more about it here) which adds sweetness but also helps create those crispy edges and it also helps the cookie dough spread when baking.
On the other hand, brown sugar adds that perfect caramel-like flavour and colour that makes these buttery cookies irresistible.
But let’s be real.
The real start of the show here is those fix-in’s. The magical pairing of dark chocolate and salty pistachios ❤️ You can, of course, use any chocolate you like. I love to buy a big block of chocolate and cut it up by hand. That way each piece is different.
These homemade cookies are perfect for an after-dinner sweet or wrapped as a gift for your cookie-loving friends.
MORE AMAZING COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY
- Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Walnut Cookies
- Cake Mix Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let’s Bake
Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
Chewy Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies made from scratch.
Ingredients
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 90 grams (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 210 grams (1 and 1/2 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 75 grams (1/2 cup) pistachio nuts
- 110 grams (3/4 cup) dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line two baking trays with baking or parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars using an electric beater until pale and creamy – approximately 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla and egg and beat briefly until combined.
- Add flour and baking soda and mix until a soft cookie dough starts to form. Add pistachio nuts and chunks of chocolate and mix briefly on low speed.
- Use a cookie scoop or your hands to roll cookies into balls, approximately 1 tablespoon of cookie dough each, and place on your prepared trays. Leave room for the cookies to spread out.
- Bake your cookies for approximately 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges. While they are still warm, sprinkle with sea salt.
- Once the cookies have cooled slightly, gently remove from the tray and transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Leslie T says
Sounds fabulous Can the butter be replaced by olive oil? My cookies are usually dairy-free (except for use of eggs).
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Leslie, I haven’t tried this recipe with oil instead of butter. I think the best way to make them dairy free would be by using a dairy free butter. If you do go with an oil, you would likely need to chill the dough to prevent cookie spreading. Let me know how you go!
Elle says
Love this recipe! It’ll be my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe! I made them with a 1-for-1 gluten free flour and they turned out great. Thank you 😍👍
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Elle!
Ashlesha says
so good!! made these for my friends and family and everyone wanted seconds and thirds. thank you for this recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that!
Ismael Castro says
Made these cookies for a client. They and myself loooooooved them. Thanks for such great treats.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them!
Aishmita says
Hello thank you for such a beautiful receipe ..I wanted to ask can I make the dough in advance and keep it in refrigerator..And bake them later .??
Jessica Holmes says
Yes absolutely! Just bring the cookie dough back to room temperature before baking so the cookies still spread nicely when baked.
Grace says
Hi Jessica,
Do you use raw or roasted pistachio for this recipe? What kind of flour and dark chocolate do you use? Thank you for sharing this recipe! Love your recipe 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Grace, you could use either but I usually just use raw pistachios as they go toasty when baked in the cookie. You need plain flour for this recipe and I use a block of dark chocolate (between 45-70% cocoa) that I then chop up by hand.
Angie Rie says
Made these for my boyfriend who loves pistachios – then ate most of them myself because they were AMAZING. So tasty and chewy… yum. I just never get them to look as pretty as yours do. My chocolate chunks keep melting and you only find the pistachios once you bite into it… Now off to try your classic soft choc chip cookie recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
Aww love that Angie! Secret tip: next time stick a few pistachios on top of the cookie dough before baking – then they’ll poke out at the end. Hope you enjoy the classic cookies!
Josh says
Yum!
Jessica Holmes says
Glad you liked them Josh!
Amber says
My friend Amber is running for NYS Senate today and I’m making these and a nut-free version for her and her team to keep up their energy and spirits. Erie County Primaries can be exhausting, they really feel like three days in one, and these just seem perfect for when you’re running from one polling center or speaking engagement to the next.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Annie Levay-Krause
Buffalo, NY
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Annie, so lovely to hear from you! I’m so pleased to hear you are making an SM recipe and for such an important occasion too! I hope they bring a little bit of joy into an otherwise busy day! 🙂
Amanda says
I am obsessed with pistachios in cookies. I’m definitely trying this!
Jessica Holmes says
Oooh I hope you love them Amanda!