Double Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

These Double Chocolate Pistachio Cookies are as delicious as they are pretty with a rich buttery chocolate cookie dough studded with dark chocolate and roasted pistachios. I drizzle them with dark chocolate and sprinkle over more chopped pistachios for extra flare. This recipe is based on a French sablé cookie dough which is a type of shortbread enriched with egg yolk. They have an addictive tender texture with a bit of a chew, and a delightful salty-sweet flavor. I think they are so festive and would be beautiful on a Christmas cookie platter. If you like the combination of pistachio and chocolate, check out my Salted Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies and my Chocolate Chunk Pistachio Blondies.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Tender chocolate shortbread cookies - these tender-crisp cookies have so much texture. They are crisp yet tender and with a slight chew right in the middle from brown sugar. You have to taste them to believe it!
• Rich chocolate flavor - there's rich flavor from cocoa with underlying notes of natural vanilla.
• Roasted pistachios - these pistachio cookies look so pretty as you slice them to expose the cross-section of green pistachios. For the most flavor, I recommend roasting the pistachios. These salted roasted pistachios are very convenient.
• Dark chocolate chunk shortbread - the bits of dark chocolate in every bite are such a treat with the hint of salt. I like to use bittersweet chocolate, but semisweet or even milk chocolate works fine.
• Easy slice and bake recipe - I love to make these cookies during the holidays since they are easy to slice and bake after you've chilled them in a log. You can even freeze the dough until you're ready to bake them.

INGREDIENTS FOR DARK CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO COOKIES

Here are some on the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Unsalted butter - this recipe uses butter as the base for the cookie dough. Traditional French sablé dough would use salted butter, and I love making these with salted butter too. It adds another level of richness. If you use salted butter, then reduce the amount of added salt by half.
• Roasted salted pistachios (no shell) - for the most flavor, you should roast the pistachios before grinding them or use these roasted salted pistachios.
• Brown sugar - this recipe uses all brown sugar which gives them a rich flavor and slight chewy in the middle. I prefer light brown sugar here so that they still stay tender and crisp and so the molasses taste doesn't completely overpower the pistachios.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to making delicious chocolate cookies. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.

• Egg - you'll need one whole egg yolk for this recipe. It makes these cookies extra rich and gives them a more sturdy texture.
• Salt - don't leave out the salt! It really elevates the rich buttery chocolate flavors! It's the salty-sweet balance that makes these cookies so great.
• Cocoa powder - you should get your hands on some good quality cocoa powder! It's the main flavor and you want it to shine so use the best you can find. You can use natural or Dutch cocoa. I love to use this Dutch Process cocoa powder for this recipe for the darker color it gives to these cookies and it has a nice rich chocolate taste. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not cocoa mix.
• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour makes the best cookies.
• Dark chocolate chunks - I highly recommend using dark chocolate with over 55% cocoa solids. My preference is for bittersweet chocolate in these cookies with 70% cocoa.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add salt and whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 2). Combine wet ingredients. Combine soft butter with brown sugar in a large bowl and beat with a wide spatula until pale and creamy. It should be lightened and fluffy-looking. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla.
• STEP 3). Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Fold it in until combined.
• STEP 4). Fold in chocolate and pistachios. Add chopped pistachios and dark chocolate and fold them through so they are evenly incorporated.
• STEP 5). Shape the dough. Bring the dough together with your hands and then roll into a long log about 12 inches long. If you are rolling in pistachios, sprinkle ground pistachios on your surface and place the dough log on top. Roll the log back and forth while applying some pressure so the pistachios adhere to the log.
• STEP 6). Chill the dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap tightly and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours (or in the freezer for baking at another time).
• STEP 7). Bake. When ready to bake, slice the log into ½ inch coins. If some of the chocolate chunks in the cookie dough are large, they will be very hard and may not slice neatly, leaving gaps in some cookies. To correct this, just press the dough together with your fingers to shape it back into a circle. Place cookie dough slices on your prepared baking sheets with about 2 inches of space between them and bake for 10-12 minutes.
• STEP 8). Decorate. Let cookies cool on the trays for a few minutes before using a spatula to help to transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once cool, drizzle with extra melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed pistachios.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Roast your nuts. This is very important to get extra flavor. If you do not roast the nuts (or use pre-roasted pistachios), they tend to be bland and their flavor gets lost in the chocolate.
• Don't skip the salt. The right amount of salt is so important to enhance the chocolate taste and a bit of extra flaky salt on top makes the flavors pop!
• Chop the chocolate into small pieces otherwise it will be very difficult to slice through the dough as large chunks will be very hard and the dough will crumble. Use a very sharp chef's knife or a sharp serrated knife to gently saw through the nuts and chocolate.
• Use a sharp serrated knife to slice the dough. I find this works best to slice neatly through the pistachios and the hard chocolate bits. If you find that the dough crumbles as you slice it, use your fingers to apply pressure and simply press the dough into shape.
• Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2 hours. Refrigerating this cookie dough is not only necessary to set the dough into a log shape for slicing, but it also gives time for the cocoa to hydrate and marry with the butter for the best flavor.
• Freeze the cookie dough for later. This recipe is great for make-ahead and holiday planning! The dough logs freeze beautifully and you can thaw, slice and bake when you are ready to serve them.
• Use a kitchen scale. For best results, weigh your ingredients according to the measurements in the recipe card below using a kitchen scale.

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Double Chocolate Pistachio Cookies

Christina Marsigliese

Tender, buttery, rich dark cocoa cookies with roasted pistachios and dark chocolate chunks are so delicious and easy to make, especially around the holidays. These slice-and-bake cookies can be stored in the freezer and ready to bake for holiday planning. They are a striking addition to a cookie platter with their chocolate drizzle and bright green pistachio sprinkles.

5 from 8 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Servings 26 cookies

Ingredients

  

• 1 ⅓ cups (190g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (42g) cocoa powder (I prefer this Dutch cocoa or this one)
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup unsalted butter softened
• ⅔ cup (145g) packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup (85g) roasted pistachios, roughly chopped
• ⅔ cup (113g) 70% dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• ⅓ cup (50g) crushed pistachios for rolling
• 3 oz (85g) melted dark chocolate for drizzling

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided.

Instructions

 

• Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Add salt and whisk to blend evenly.
• Combine soft butter with brown sugar in a large bowl and beat with a wide spatula until pale and creamy. It should be lightened and fluffy-looking. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour mixture. Fold it in until combined. Add chopped pistachios and dark chocolate and fold them through so they are evenly incorporated.

  NOTE: chop the chocolate into small pieces otherwise it will be very difficult to slice through the dough as large chunks will be very hard and the dough will crumble. Use a very sharp chef's knife or a sharp serrated knife to gently saw through the nuts and chocolate.
• Bring the dough together with your hands and then roll into a long log about 12 inches long. If you are rolling in pistachios, sprinkle ground pistachios on your surface and place the dough log on top. Roll the log back and forth while applying some pressure so the pistachios adhere to the log.
• Wrap the dough log in plastic wrap tightly and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours (or in the freezer for baking at another time).
• When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• When ready to bake, slice the log into ½ inch coins. If some of the chocolate chunks in the cookie dough are large, they will be very hard and may not slice neatly, leaving gaps in some cookies. To correct this, just press the dough together with your fingers to shape it back into a circle. Place cookie dough slices on your prepared baking sheets with about 2 inches of space between them and bake for 10-12 minutes.
• Let cookies cool on the trays for a few minutes before using a spatula to help to transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once cool, drizzle with extra melted chocolate and sprinkle with crushed pistachios.