These chocolate pistachio cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with texture and flavour, thanks to golden toasted pistachios and heaps of melty milk chocolate chips.
The dough is to make, easy to shape, and bakes in minutes, making these flecked green treats the perfect choice when you want a cookie with a bit of crunch and the perfect amount of richness.
Toasting the pistachios before adding them to the dough isn’t essential, but it does bring out their natural flavour and gives the cookies a satisfying crunch.
The sweet nuttiness works beautifully alongside the milk creamy chocolate, while a touch of golden syrup in the dough helps keep the texture soft and chewy.
The dough itself is light and sticky, coming together quickly in one bowl.
Using an ice cream scoop or weighing the dough helps ensure even portions, giving you 20 generously sized cookies that bake up thick and soft in the centre, with just the right amount of spread.
Shaping the cookies with a tumbler straight out of the oven is a simple trick that gives them a neat, bakery-style finish without affecting the texture.
It works best while they’re still warm and pliable - just a few gentle circles is enough to round off any rough edges.
These cookies are brilliant for bake sales, gifting, or stocking up the biscuit tin.
They’ll keep well in an airtight container for several days, and you can also freeze the dough balls to bake straight from frozen whenever a cookie craving hits.
If you'd like to mix things up, try swapping the milk chocolate for dark chocolate, and add a pinch of sea salt to the tops before baking for extra contrast.
You could also substitute some of the pistachios for other nuts, like hazelnuts or pecans, depending on what you have to hand.
I really think you'll love this recipe. It plays into the Dubai chocolate trend, and hits that sweet spot between indulgent and satisfying, with a little crunch, a lot of chocolate, and a lovely nutty finish.
Read on for the full recipe with detailed instructions and a helpful photograph for every step. And if you have any questions, just leave me a comment. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 130 g (4.6 oz) salted butter softened
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 160 g (5.6 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar) superfine sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 medium free range egg
- 235 g (8.3 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 300 g (10.6 oz) milk chocolate chips
- 250 g (8.8 oz) shelled pistachios
Equipment
- Large ice cream scoop
- Large tumbler
- Instructions
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 170C / 340F (150C fan-assisted).
Spread the pistachios on a tray.
Toast for 10 minutes. You can skip this step if you like, but it helps bring out the pistachio flavour and give them a bit of extra crunch. Tip onto a plate and set aside to cool.
Turn the oven up to 180C / 350F (160C / 320F fan-assisted).
Put the softened butter, golden syrup and sugar in a large bowl.
Beat together until fluffy.
Add the egg and the vanilla.
Whisk until well combined.
Add the flour and the baking powder.
Mix – you should now have a sticky, light dough.
Add the milk chocolate chips and pistachios.
Fold in.
Use a large ice cream scoop the dough, flattening off against the side of the bowl, then roll the dough into a ball with your hands. It’s an easy way to get 20 equally sized cookies. Alternatively, you can weigh the dough - each ball will weigh about 55g each.
Place the balls of dough on baking sheets lined with greaseproof paper, being sure to place each cookie at least an inch apart so that they don’t stick together when they spread.
Squash each of them a little with the flat of your hand.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden at the edges. Get them out of the oven before they’re fully browned so that they stay chewy when cool.
While still hot, place a tumbler over a cookie and gently move it in small circles to bring the cookie into a neat circle. Repeat with all of the cookies - this only works when they are fresh from the oven and soft.
When cooled enough to firm up a little, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once you've given my recipe a go, I'd love you to come back and leave a comment letting me know how yours turned out.
I'd love to see your videos and pics, too! Just tag me on social media. I'm @emilylearycooks on Twitter and TikTok or @amummytoo on Instagram.
Print this Chocolate Pistachio Cookies recipe
Chocolate Pistachio Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 130 g (4.6 oz) salted butter softened
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 160 g (5.6 oz) white caster sugar (superfine sugar) superfine sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 medium free range egg
- 235 g (8.3 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 300 g (10.6 oz) milk chocolate chips
- 250 g (8.8 oz) shelled pistachios
Equipment
- Large ice cream scoop
- Large tumbler
- Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150C / 300F (130C fan-assisted).
- Spread the pistachios on a tray and toast for 10 minutes. You can skip this step if you like, but it helps bring out the pistachio flavour and give them a bit of extra crunch. Tip onto a plate and set aside to cool.
- Turn the oven up to 180C / 350F (160C fan-assisted).
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter, golden syrup and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and the vanilla until well combined.
- Add the flour and the baking powder and mix well – you should now have a sticky, light dough.
- Fold in the milk chocolate chips and pistachios.
- Use a large ice cream scoop the dough, flattening off against the side of the bowl, then roll the dough into a ball with your hands. It’s an easy way to get 20 equally sized cookies. Alternatively, you can weigh the dough - each ball will weigh about 55g each.
- Place the balls of dough on baking sheets lined with greaseproof paper, being sure to place each cookie at least an inch apart so that they don’t stick together when they spread. Squash each of them a little with the flat of your hand.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden at the edges. Get them out of the oven before they’re fully browned so that they stay chewy when cool.
- While still hot, place a tumbler over a cookie and gently move it in small circles to bring the cookie into a neat circle. Repeat with all of the cookies - this only works when they are fresh from the oven and soft.
- When cooled enough to firm up a little, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
More pistachio recipes to try
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