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
I love this recipe so much. Pistachio and chocolate chips in a cookie? Yes please!
I couldn’t agree more–it’s a perfect match!