Italian Lemon Pistachio Cookies

Updated: Dec 15, 2025 by christina.marsigliese · 38 Comments

These Lemon Pistachio Cookies are so delightful with a soft and tender texture and a sweet lemon glaze against the salty roasted pistachios. There's a version of this recipe that is a family favorite and taught to me by my Italian mother. We make dozens of them every year during the holidays and the beauty is that they store very well and even taste better as they age. They are so full of lemon flavor with a zesty tart and sweet lemon icing. The roasted pistachios add a depth of nutty flavor as well as a saltiness that makes these taste quite addictive. If you like this flavor combination, check out my Lemon Pistachio Cake which is a reader favorite, and my Salted Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies are one of the most popular recipes of all time!

Italian lemon pistachio cookies on cooling rack

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Easy to make - the recipe is simple with basic ingredients and I like to use my hand mixer to make the first step of beating the eggs and sugar easier.
Soft and tender lemon cookies - this recipe makes very tender cookies. They are not gooey or chewy, but they are more like soft, moist cake-like cookies. They melt in your mouth!
Roasted pistachio cookies - the combination of bright lemon and roasted pistachios is really delicious. If you like this combination, check out my Lemon Pistachio Cake as well.
Lemon icing - don't skip this part! The icing is not optional for this recipe as it truly completes these cookies. The cookies alone are not that sweet so they can accommodate the icing which is perfectly tart and sweet. It melts on your tongue and adds bright flavor.

INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON 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.

All purpose flour - unbleached all-purpose flour works great for these cookies to give a soft yet substantial texture.
Butter - I use unsalted butter, but you can also use salted butter and reduce the salt by a bit. Butter is important to let these cookies set up and make the dough firmer so it is easier to roll.
Pistachios - for the most flavor, I like to roast the pistachios before grinding them. These roasted salted pistachios are convenient.
Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar keeps these cookies tender and moist, and doesn't interfere with the lemon flavor.

italian lemon pistachio cookie with bite on cooling rack showing soft texture

Italian lemon pistachio cookies with bite on cooling rack

Italian lemon pistachio cookies ingredients

Egg - two large eggs will set these cookies and the yolks will give the yellow color.
Pure vanilla extract - vanilla will elevate and complement the lemon taste. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
Lemon juice - there's a whole ¼ cup of lemon juice in this cookie dough! It really makes them soft. You will also use lemon juice to make the glaze.
Lemon zest - the zest from two lemons gives these cookies a big punch of lemon flavor.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1). Infuse the sugar. This step is optional, but it will enhance the lemon flavor further as the essential oils release and coat the sugar crystals. Add sugar to a large bowl with the lemon zest and rub it together with your fingers or using the back of a large spoon until the sugar is fragrant and takes on a hint of yellow.
STEP 2). Combine wet ingredients.Combine eggs, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer for about 3 minutes until pale and thick. The mixture should nearly triple in volume. Add lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts and mix to combine. Add the melted butter and mix to combine.
STEP 3). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Add ground pistachios and salt and whisk to blend evenly.
STEP 4). Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to the egg mixture a little at a time and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, then switch to a spatula and continue gently mixing by hand until evenly combined without over-mixing the dough. The dough will be quite soft.
STEP 5). Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until the dough firms up and becomes stiff.
STEP 6). Bake. Use a 1 oz cookie scoop to portion dough and use floured hands to roll into balls. The dough will be sticky. Place dough balls onto prepared baking sheets spacing them 2 inches apart and bake for 13-15 minutes until golden on the bottom and lightly golden around the edges.
STEP 7). Make the glaze. Combine icing sugar with lemon juice and milk in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. You should have a thick, white opaque glaze that flows but is not too runny. Add another teaspoon of lemon juice if needed. Dip each cookie in the glaze, or spoon it over top. Sprinkle on extra ground pistachios before the icing sets, then let the icing set and dry completely before storing.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR LEMON PISTACHIO COOKIES

Infuse the sugar with lemon flavor. To get the most out of your lemons, rub the sugar with the lemon zest first before mixing with the liquid ingredients. The friction will release the essential oils in the yellow zest and they will coat sugar crystals to carry all of that wonderful flavor through the batter!
Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that your eggs are at room temperature so that they dissolve the sugar more readily and whip up easily to get some air into the cookie dough for moist tender cookies.
Roast the pistachios. If you only have raw pistachios, definitely roast them to bring out the flavor. Just place them in a dry frying pan over medium heat until they begin to darken and become fragrant.
Sift the dry ingredients. This is necessary to reduce the amount of mixing needed once you add the flour since this is quite a wet cookie dough.
Do not over-mix the dough. Once the flour is combined then the cookie dough is ready for baking. You can mix by hand if you are concerned about over-mixing.
Chill the dough. This is a wet and sticky dough so it is important to chill it to make it easier to roll and also to ensure the flour is hydrated to make moist cookies that don't dry out easily.

Italian lemon pistachio cookies with bite

RECIPE FAQ

Can I make this lemon pistachio cookies with salted butter?

If you use salted butter, you can eliminate the added salt or just use a pinch since the pistachios are also salted. If you use salted butter and unsalted pistachios, then add just ⅛ teaspoon additional salt to the recipe.

Why are my lemon pistachio cookies dry?

If your cookies turn out dry, it is likely that you added too much flour or you baked them too long. Make sure you measure your ingredients accurately with a scale and resist the need to add more flour even though the dough is sticky. If you do not chill the dough for long enough, they may also be drier because the flour hasn't had time to hydrate.

What is a substitute for pistachios?

I really love the lemon-pistachio combination, but you can also make this recipe with ground roasted almonds or hazelnuts.

Can I freeze lemon pistachio cookies?

Yes! You can actually freeze these cookies even with the icing after they're baked and cooled. Place them in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

If you love cookies as much as I do, check out the latest recipes:

Lemon recipes

Here are some of my favorite recipes with lemon:

If you love cookies, check out these recipes!

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Cookies Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies The BEST Chewy Pumpkin Cookies Chewy Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Cookies Brown Butter M&M Cookies Recipe Lemon Blueberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks Coffee Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies Hazelnut Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies THE BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies – Bakery Style!

Video