Orange Cardamom Pistachio Sugar Cookies

Updated: Dec 18, 2025 by christina.marsigliese · 31 Comments

These beautiful Orange Cardamom Pistachio Sugar Cookies are so fragrant and flavorful with an incredibly chewy texture. The fragrance is almost intoxicating and it takes inspiration from traditional Indian sweets. They are so delicious with a cup of tea and the combination of orange, spice, honey and pistachios is so bright and slightly floral for Spring, but also very festive making this a great recipe for the holidays! The rich buttery pistachios are brightened by the orange zest and the orange and green colors together make them very attractive. If you love citrus cookies, check out my Lemon Sugar Cookies, and if you like making cookies with pistachios, check out my most popular Salted Pistachio Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies!

chewy orange cardamom pistachio sugar cookies on cooling rack

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Super chewy pistachio cookies - if you love chewy cookies, then you will certainly love these! Just watch the video at the bottom of this page to see how bendy they are.
Bold orange flavor - lots of orange zest ensures that these cookies pack a punch with lots of lemon flavor.
Cardamom cookies - cardamom has notes of citrus in its flavor already, so it makes sense to pair it with orange. It's such a powerful, cozy and sophisticated flavor combination.
Salted pistachio cookies - I grind roasted and salted pistachios to add to this cookie dough and you will see that the flavor really comes through this way as opposed to using raw unsalted pistachios.

INGREDIENTS FOR PISTACHIO SUGAR COOKIES

All purpose flour - unbleached all-purpose flour works great for chewy cookies.
Salted butter - this recipe uses salted butter for really deep rich flavor and tender texture. You can also use unsalted butter and then double the added.
Brown sugar - some light brown sugar adds some complexity from the molasses without overpowering the other flavors.
Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar tenderizes these cookies and doesn't interfere with the bright orange and spice flavors.
Eggs - one large egg will set these cookies to a soft texture.
Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is an excellent back note to orange and pistachio. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.

chewy orange cardamom pistachio cookie with bite

Honey - it's my secret ingredient. It lends a very subtle floral note to complement the orange, but it also keeps these cookies so chewy since it is a humectant ingredient which means that it binds moisture.
Orange zest - the cookie dough requires only orange zest and no juice. Use a full tablespoon from 1 large navel orange for the most flavor.
Roasted salted pistachios (no shell) - the lovely earthy hue of these cookies is naturally coming from the pistachios. For the most flavor, you should roast the pistachios before grinding them or use these roasted salted pistachios.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR PISTACHIO SUGAR COOKIES

STEP 1). Cream the butter and sugar. Combine soft butter, both sugars, honey and orange zest in a large bowl and beat with a wide rubber spatula for 1-2 minutes until smooth and a bit fluffy. You can also use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. It will lighten in color a tad.
STEP 2). Add egg and pistachios. Mix in egg and vanilla until well incorporated then mix in pistachios and set the bowl aside for 5 minutes to let the pistachios hydrate.
STEP 3). Combine dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cardamom and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend well. Add it to the butter mixture and fold it in gently.
STEP 4). Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours.
STEP 5). Make the spiced sugar. Combine sugar and orange zest in a small bowl and rub together well until the sugar is fragrant. Mix in spices.
STEP 6). Roll in sugar. Use a 1.5-oz scoop to portion dough and roll into smooth balls, then roll them around in the spiced sugar so that they are evenly coated.
STEP 7). Bake. Place them onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 3 inches apart and flatten slightly. Bake for 11-13 minutes until lightly golden around the edges but still slightly soft in the middle. Let cookies cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet. Transfer cookies individually to a wire rack to cool completely.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

Roast your nuts. This is non-negotiable for this recipe. If you do not roast the nuts (or use pre-roasted pistachios), they will be bland and their taste will be lost among the other flavors.
Don't skip the salt. The right amount of salt is so important to enhance the pistachio taste even when using salted butter.
Use regular large size eggs. Large eggs weigh 57g. Using an extra large egg will add up to 2 teaspoons more liquid to the cookie dough which can throw off the moisture balance and make the cookies spread too much.
Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2 hours. Refrigerating cookie dough serves several purposes: 1.) Flour hydration - time in the fridge allows the flour to fully hydrate from the moisture of the egg and the water in the butter. If the flour is evenly hydrated, the cookies will be thicker and they will bake more evenly; 2.) Flavor development -as the baking soda becomes more evenly incorporated with the flour hydration, the cookies will brown more evenly which will help them develop flavor more quickly; and, 3.) Chill the butter - butter in the cookie dough will also firm up in the fridge so that the cookies wont be so greasy after they've baked. Chilled fat will also spread less readily during the initial stages of baking so the cookies won't spread uncontrollably.
Use a kitchen scale. For best results, weigh your ingredients according to the measurements in the recipe card below using a kitchen scale.
Leave room for spreading. Space the dough balls out well enough on the baking sheets to allow room for them to spread.

RECIPE FAQ

Why did my cookies spread too much?

These cookies are meant to spread out, however if they spread too flat then it could be that the dough wasn't chilled long enough or that there is too much moisture in your dough. To prevent this, make sure you measure the flour accurately using a kitchen scale. Too little flour or too much honey will cause them to over-spread.

What can I use as a substitute for honey?

If you can't have honey, then you can also use corn syrup or agave syrup. I would not recommend maple syrup as it has more moisture.

Do I need to chill the cookie dough?

Refrigerating the cookie dough is very important to develop the flavors and also create that long-lasting chewy texture. If you want to bake these cookies right away, I would suggest adding 2 tablespoons more flour to control the spreading.

stack of chewy orange cardamom pistachio sugar cookies on cooling rack

STORAGE AND FREEZING

How to store pistachio sugar cookies?

These cookies will keep well in an airtight container for 5 days at room temperature.

Can I freeze cardamom pistachio sugar cookies?

Yes, these cookies freeze beautifully after they're baked and cooled. Just place them in a resealable freezer bag for storage up to 3 months.

Looking for more recipes with pistachio? Try these:

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