Dark Chocolate Chunk Pistachio Cookies
Put a nutty spin on dessert with a scrumptious batch of Dark Chocolate Chunk Pistachio Cookies. Made with browned butter, sea salt and melty puddles of dark chocolate, each bite of these bakery-style cookies is a perfect balance of crunchy, salty and sweet.
How do I say I love chocolate without saying I love chocolate? Let me take a stab at it with a story. Once upon a time (meaning today), I found a random chocolate chip on the floor and tossed it in my mouth instead of the trash. You’re probably wondering how I could tell the difference between a delectable dark morsel and a mouse turd. Trust me, that’s not a mistake I’d repeat twice. Rest assured that what I ate was not rodent excrement. Unfortunately for my stomach, it wasn’t chocolate either. I mean, it certainly looked like chocolate to my squinting farsighted eyes. It was small, round and dark brown just like a semi-sweet Nestle chip. But it was not a Nestle that I swallowed. It was a magnet.
If you’re wondering how someone who doesn’t own a magnet ended up with one in her small intestines, join the club. Although I have no shortage of conspiracy theories. Currently I’m blaming everyone from my prankster son to the CIA. But without concrete facts, all I know for sure is that the steel door of the refrigerator keeps sticking to my stomach each time I want a snack. I mean, I’ve felt a connection to appliances that keep ice cream cold, but this is ridiculous. Which is why I desperately need a room temperature dessert right now. And the only suitable option is something as nutty as my situation: Pistachio Cookies.
If magnetizing oneself turns out to be lethal, at least my last moments will be spent eating a cookie that’s to die for. I’m talking about a killer bakery-style cookie with all the best ingredients: browned butter, melty puddles of dark chocolate, sprinkles of sea salt and, the piece de resistance, pistachios. This epic cookie is a little crunchy, a little sweet, a little salty and totally scrumptious. Try a batch of Pistachio Cookies ASAP, if you’re anything like me (from a taste buds standpoint, not a bad decisions standpoint), you’ll be drawn to the flavor like a magnetic force.
Before sharing the Pistachio Cookies recipe, here are a few baking tips to help you out:
Ingredient Tips
Roasted and salted pistachios are recommended for this cookie recipe. For the most vibrantly green nuts, purchase pistachios that are still in their shells. It’s more prep work, but totally worth it for the colorful presentation.
For best results, use a good quality dark chocolate bar. I chose Lindt because it was on sale, but Ghirardelli would also be a tasty substitute.
Eggs need to be at room temperature before beginning. If you’ve forgotten to take yours out of the refrigerator ahead of time then speed up the process by placing uncracked eggs in a bowl of warm water. Don’t use hot water; we want to warm the eggs, not hatch them.
Preparation Tips
Browned butter takes approximately 7 minutes from the time the butter initially melts until completion. If you’ve wondering how to brown butter, it’s simple. First, melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Next, stir constantly with a wooden spoon, taking care not get distracted. (There’s a fine line between browned butter and burned butter. Do not cross that line or you will be buying a new saucepan.) The butter will get foamy and release a nutty aroma. After that happens, you’ll begin seeing browned bits forming on the bottom. Right after that, remove the pan from heat and set aside to cool.
Chilling cookie dough for a minimum of 4 hours is mandatory, therefore, do not skip this step! I prepare mine in the evening then refrigerate overnight, but dough can be chilled up to 2 days before baking.
How to Store Pistachio Cookies
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.
Can you freeze Pistachio Cookies? Yes! Baked pistachio cookies freeze well, simply place them in a freezer-safe bag then store up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls are also freezer friendly, just place them in a freezer bag and store up to 3 months. No need to thaw before baking, just add an additional minute to the baking time.
I hope you enjoy these Pistachio Cookies! Please leave a rating and review below when you try the recipe. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.
Finally, if you like cookies with nuts then you’ll love these Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies. Soft, chewy and crunchy in every bite, these brown butter cookies are a trifecta of textures and flavors.
Dark Chocolate Chunk Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt fine
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract pure
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 7 ounces 70% cacao dark chocolate rough chopped
- 1 cup salted and roasted pistachios finely chopped
Instructions
- Brown butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for approximately 7 minutes or until the butter gets foamy and releases a nutty aroma.
- Once browned bits begin to form on the bottom of the pan, remove from the heat and set aside until cooled.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat browned butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and creamy — approximately 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated.
- Reduce mixer speed to low then add dry ingredients to wet, mixing until almost combined and flour is still visible.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of chocolate chunks and 1/4 cup of chopped pistachios for later use.
- Add the balance of chopped chocolate and chopped pistachios to the cookie batter then stir with a spoon until evenly distributed. Avoid overmixing.
- Using a large, 2 1/2 Tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, scoop cookies onto parchment lined baking sheets, spacing cookie balls 2 inches apart.
- Top each cookie ball with the reserved chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios.
- Cover baking sheets with plastic wrap then chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 2 days. (Mine chilled overnight.)
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Remove plastic wrap from baking sheets and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookie edges are set but the centers are still soft.
- Remove cookies from oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.Note: Cookies may spread a bit as they bake. To reshape, place the rim of a large drinking glass over warm cookies while they are still on the baking sheet then gently swirl the glass in a circular motion until each cookie is symmetrically round.
- If desired, sprinkle each cookie with sea salt before serving.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.