Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies are a delicious twist on classic chocolate chip cookies. They’re slightly crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside, with a great pistachio flavor and lots of melted chocolate chunks.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Pistachio
Few things are better than a classic chocolate chip cookie, slightly warm from the oven, with the chips still melty and the soft inside barely holding together.
But–if I may be so bold–there’s a time and a place for a classic cookie, and there’s a time and a place for playing with the formula and adding new twists. And that time is now! And that place is your kitchen! (…or wherever you do your baking.) Point being, grab your cookie scoop and let’s make some chocolate chip cookie magic. ✨
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
These cookies are a relative of the plain chocolate chip cookie, and on the surface they might not look too different than your standard cookie recipe. But their appearance hides a seriously bold taste–since they contain both pistachio butter and roasted pistachios in the dough, they have a fantastically nutty, sweet pistachio flavor. The pistachio butter gives the cookies a tender texture, and keeps them soft for days.
Combine that pistachio taste with big pockets of melted dark chocolate chunks, and you have a sophisticated cookie that’s perfect as an after-school snack, on the side of a cuppa tea or coffee, or wonderful when sandwiching vanilla bean ice cream. I shared them with some friends who then proceeded to Facebook-harass me until I coughed up the recipe, which in this digital age, is pretty much the highest compliment a recipe can receive.
If you want to try other chocolate chip cookie variations, don’t miss my Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies, or reader favorite Raspberry Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies!
🧾 What You’ll Need
To make these pistatchio chocolate chip cookies, you’ll need some common pantry ingredients, and a few less-common ones. (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.) In addition to the usual baking suspects, here are a few tips when gathering ingredients:
- Chocolate: you’ll want to use semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate in this recipe, not milk chocolate. My absolute favorite chocolate bars to use are Pound Plus bars from Trader Joe’s, because they’re a great balance of quality chocolate and reasonable price. (I recommend buying them from the store if possible, since they’re much more expensive purchased online.) Other high-quality chocolate bars, like Lindt, also work well. And of course, you can swap in dark chocolate chips if you prefer!
- Pistachio Butter: I originally made these cookies with pistachio paste that was easily available in my local grocery store. In the years since, it’s become harder to track down, and I now make them with Nutty Gourmet Pistachio Butter. You can use another brand, but make sure you’re using a pistachio paste or butter, not pistachio cream–the cream spreads have a lot of sugar and other ingredients that change the cookie recipe. See the Variation section below for tips for making your own pistachio butter.
- Pistachios: for the best flavor and texture, use roasted and salted pistachios. I’m partial to already-shelled nuts because I’m a bit (okay, a lot) lazy. If you buy unshelled nuts, make sure you measure the nuts after shelling them.
💭 Variations
Store-bought pistachio butter or paste is preferred, since it has a smooth, creamy texture that’s hard to replicate at home. However, if you want to save a little money and time, you can make pistachio butter at home. You will need a food processor or heavy-duty blender, and roasted, salted, shelled pistachios.
To make the 4.5 oz pistachio butter this recipe calls for, start with at least 2/3 cup pistachios–this will get you exactly the amount you’ll need for the recipe. I usually blend about 2 cups of nuts, because it can be hard to smoothly blend small amounts. You can always save the excess nut butter and use it as a sandwich filling or toast topping.
Place the nuts in a food process or heavy-duty blender, and process until a smooth paste. Depending on your nuts, you might need to add a small amount of vegetable oil to smooth it out and make it more spreadable. Process until it is as smooth as possible. Measure out 1/2 cup (4.5 oz) pistachio butter, and use it in the recipe as directed.
💚 More Pistachio Desserts You’ll Love:
- Chocolate Pistachio Sandwich Cookies
- Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
- Pistachio Brownie Tart
- Gluten-Free Pistachio Cake
- Pistachio Orange Cake
- Pistachio Pie
- Pistachio Rose Tarts
Raspberry Almond Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Clemen-Thyme Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Leave a Review!
If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!
Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4.5 oz pistachio butter, (1/2 cup), store bought or homemade, see NOTE below
- 2.33 oz granulated sugar, (1/3 cup)
- 3.75 oz brown sugar, (1/2 cup), packed
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6.75 oz all-purpose flour, (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 oz dark chocolate, (1 cup), coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup pistachios, roasted, salted
Instructions
- Prepare the dough at least a few hours in advance. Combine the butter, pistachio butter, and both sugars in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream on medium speed until fluffy, for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix on medium until well-blended.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, then add the dry ingredients to the large mixing bowl and mix on slow speed until the flour is almost entirely incorporated.
- Stop the mixer and finish mixing by hand, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl well. Add the chocolate chunks and pistachios and stir them in.
- Scrape the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it tightly. Chill it for at least a few hours (overnight is even better).
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line several baking sheets with parchment. Scoop the dough into balls, using about 2 tbsp dough per ball. You should get about 18-20 cookies.
- Bake at 350 F for 9-10 minutes, until they're puffed and have lost some of their raw shine–they should still look a little underdone, however. Let them cool on the baking sheets, then enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Pistachio Butter
Store-bought pistachio butter or paste is preferred, since it has a smooth, creamy texture that’s hard to replicate at home. However, if you want to save a little money and time, you can make pistachio butter at home. You will need a food processor or heavy-duty blender, and roasted, salted, shelled pistachios. To make the 4.5 oz pistachio butter this recipe calls for, start with at least 2/3 cup pistachios–this will get you exactly the amount you’ll need for the recipe. I usually blend about 2 cups of nuts, because it can be hard to smoothly blend small amounts. You can always save the excess nut butter and use it as a sandwich filling or toast topping. Place the nuts in a food process or heavy-duty blender, and process until a smooth paste. Depending on your nuts, you might need to add a small amount of vegetable oil to smooth it out and make it more spreadable. Process until it is as smooth as possible. Measure out 1/2 cup (4.5 oz) pistachio butter, and use it in the recipe as directed.Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
Nutrition
Good morning from the other side of the world.
I´m glad you got sort out your technical stuff,
I´ve had numerous problems since starting my blog so I can totally relate to what you are saying!!
These cookies look scrumptious, I´ll have me one (or 2) to accompany my morning coffee!
Have a great (stress free) weekend 🙂
Thanks Johlene! Computer problems are the WORST. It’s seriously one of the first things I can’t wait to outsource for the blog! I can’t say I’m glad you’ve dealt with the same thing (I wouldn’t wish it on anyone) but I do appreciate the sympathy! I gave myself a computer/email break for a day afterward and it felt amazing. Hope your weekend was great!
JUST a food blog? This is a virtual recipe book, a place for story telling, an awesome visual and spiritual representation of you as a human being and the knowledge and joy you have to share! So I’m pretty glad you saved it! Coz it’s, like, important.
Aw Sarah, thank you so much! I’m sending you a virtual fist-bump and–wait, what’s that?–yeah, I’m turning it into a virtual hug now.
Ooo. I hope I never have to go through that, but if I do, I certainly will take your advice and backstroke through a pile of chocolate chip pistachio cookies. It’s good advice.
Seriously, if you do ever have to go through it, drop me a line and I will be the person you can commiserate with, because heaven knows tech problems require prodigious whining and venting. And I’ll send you some restorative cookies too!
Now that’s totally a backstroke I can do! These cookies look heavenly! Guess I’m buying pistachios this weekend.
Haha, right? Forget all that dumb water swimming, cooking swimming is obviously where it’s at!
Oh man, I was a wreck too when I tried switching hosts and it didn’t go so hot. NOT EASY. “What do you mean it’s just wiped clean from the Internet?!?!” My stomach turns a little for you, so I think I need one of those cookies. You know, to settle the sympathy nausea.
Love them, by the way! In the early days of my blog I made a milk chocolate chip/pistachio cookie (though I wasn’t brilliant enough to use pistachio paste). It was one of my first photos to be accepted to Tastespotting–ah, memory lane.
Ah yes, the first Tastespotting/Foodgawker acceptance–the moment when we all become “real” food bloggers! I used to agonize over it and then Pinterest took over the world, and now it’s more of a giant Kanye shrug. Good times!
And my word, that hosting switch sounds traumatic. I’ve had a few times when I’ve tried to be clever and broken my blog, and it seriously makes my heart race and makes me nauseous–such a gross feeling. I actually need to switch soon, but I think I’m going to outsource it and pay someone to help, since I have enough gray hairs from this past week’s experiences.
Sorry to hear about your technical problems, those are the worst! But I’m glad to see you sorted them out!
It’s oficially cookie week in my house as well (I’ve made 5 batches now, yeah), and I’d love to add these babies to my list. They look spectacular! x
5 batches?! Hey, overachiever! Sounds like you could do some cookie backstrokes at your place too. 🙂 I know you’ve had technical troubles lately as well–were you ever able to get your laptop working again?
Oh my…I’m with you on the technology problems lately! I had a virus on my laptop last month..some FBI virus..then I’m having server problems for almost TWO weeks now – not fun at all! It’s very stressful
Oh no!! Ashley, I am so sorry to hear that, and I have such major sympathy for you. Computers are so intertwined with our lives now, computer problems can be so majorly disruptive. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you’re able to resolve your problems soon. 🙁
These sound delicious! Glad that everything’s working with the computer now. Have a great weekend! 🙂
Thanks Liz! It’s really made me grateful for how well my computer normally works, and I’m trying not to take it for granted any more. Hope your weekend was great too!
Technical problems are the worst. Why can’t we just bake things and take pretty pictures and let the magical website fairy do the rest? Sigh…
And I’m totally inspired to try making my own pistachio paste. Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite dessert, and adding pistachios takes them over the top!
Right? RIGHT?! Natasha, if you figure out how to get the website fairies to your place, please send them over to mine as soon as they’re done. I will pay you handsomely in pistachio cookies! 🙂
These look like pretty yummy cookies. I am a sucker for cookies.
Dave
Thanks–maybe we should make them next month!