Pistachio Shortbread Cookies made as Pistachio drop Cookies. You need only 7 ingredients and 30 minutes of dough chilling time to pop these shortbread cookies in your mouth!
Try my Whipped Shortbread Cookies next! Find all my Easy Cookie Recipes here.
Taste and Texture:
- Bite sized melt in your mouth Cookies
- Soft and slightly crumbly
- Packed with real pistachio flavor
- Drizzled with Sweet Lemon Glaze
Recipe ingredients:
- Butter: I opt for unsalted butter. But if you are using salted pistachios I would suggest to go for unsalted butter. Soften it to room temperature before beginning.
- Pistachios: You will need half cup of them, reach out for unsalted raw ones. We will finely chop them to make these Pistachio Cookies. You can do this in a blender. While blending them, there will be some powdered/ground pistachio powder collected at the bottom of blender. You will need to use it in this dough, don't discard it.
- Sugar: We will use confectioners' sugar instead of granulated one. Since confectioners' sugar has some cornstarch already added in it, cookies will bake thicker and softer.
- Flour: All purpose flour is the base of this recipe.
- Extracts: Both almond extracts and vanilla extracts are needed to pronounce pistachio flavor even more. Just trust me here!
How do you make perfect pistachio cookies?
These are the easiest cookies to make. Just one bowl, 10 minutes of prep time and like 30 minutes of chill time, you can literally be eating cookies in under 1 hour. To make them-
- Beat room temperature butter till smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and beat again till very fluffy.
- Now add in finely chopped pistachios, extracts and flour. Now add food coloring and beat till the dough comes together. Cover and chill dough for a few minutes. Look at image 3 for visual. That's how chilled cookie dough looks like. Not so sticky and perfectly smooth to form your cookie dough balls.
- Roll dough into balls and I like to chill the balls again quickly till the oven preheats.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 350 deg F.
Lemon Glaze:
Some lemon juice, lemon zest and confectioners' sugar is what you will need to prepare this lemon glaze. I chose to add few drops of lemon food coloring, but you can totally skip it if you prefer it white.
Can you bake with salted pistachios?
There isn't a hard and fast rule that you have to bake with only unsalted pistachios. I prefer unsalted raw ones because then I get to control the amount of salt that goes in the recipe.
If you choose to bake with salted ones, skip the salt in the recipe. Oh and yes, your desserts will still taste sweet! 🙂
What can I do with lots of pistachios?
Bake cake with it, Pistachio Cupcakes, Pistachio Muffins, Pistachio slice and bake Cookies or these Cookies! 😉
Should you chill shortbread before baking?
Short answer is yes! Chilling the shortbread dough after rolling them ensures less spread and puffier cookies.
Quick Tip: If you are pressed on time, keep the cookie tray in freezer for 15-20 minutes while oven preheats.
How to store Pistachio Cookies:
- Baked cookies will stay good at room temp. covered at all times for about a week.
- Cookie dough can be stored in refrigerator for two days. Allow it to get slightly warm before rolling the cookie dough balls out.
- You can freeze baked cookies with or without glaze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on counter top before enjoying.
- Cookie dough balls can also be frozen for up to 3 months. No need to thaw them, just bake for an additional minute.
More Pistachio Desserts:
Rose Pistachio Rice Krispie Rolls
If you liked this Pistachio Cookie Recipe give it a star review. Also, tell me in the comments below, how did this turn out for you! And don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog And lets be friends on Pinterest and Facebook as well!
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- Hand/stand Mixer
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Butter (Salted, softened to room temperature)
- 6 tbsp Confectioners' Sugar
- ½ Cup Finely Chopped Pistachios
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Almond extract
- 1 Cup All purpose flour
- Few drops Gel Food Coloring (optional, but pretty)
Lemon Glaze
- 1 Cup Confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- ¼ tsp Lemon Zest
- A pinch Salt
Instructions
- Using a handheld/stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for a minute until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract, then beat on medium-high speed until combined. Next add in flour, 6 tbsps pistachio crumbs (save two tablespoons to decorate on top) and food coloring and beat until combined.
- Cover the cookie dough and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to 3 days. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper/ silicone baking mats. Roll the cookie dough into balls, about 1 Tablespoon of dough each and place dough balls on baking sheets. Chill the dough balls again in freezer while your oven preheats.
- Bake cookies until golden brown on the bottom edges about 14-15 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Make sure cookies are cool to touch before dipping in icing.
Lemon Glaze
- In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients. Stir vigorously with a whisk until all the sugar and lemon juice are combined. Pour on cooled cookies and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios.
Notes
- Baked cookies will stay good at room temp. covered at all times for about a week.
- Cookie dough can be stored in refrigerator for two days. Allow it to get slightly warm before rolling the cookie dough balls out.
- You can freeze baked cookies with or without glaze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on counter top before enjoying.
- Cookie dough balls can also be frozen for up to 3 months. No need to thaw them, just bake for an additional minute.
Yaaayyyyy! Did I just see pistachios in there? I know these cookies will become my favorite, in no time!
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies sounds so good! I can't wait to make it on weekends. I want some for my niece and nephews!
These look so good!! I love that you don't need many ingredients, and the time is under an hour. Definitely have to try!
I love pistachios and cupcakes but I never thought to put the two together. What a brilliant idea. I bet they taste delicious. I will try these out one day for sure.
Oh my goodness! These look insanely addicting! I would 100% not be able to just eat ONE of them!
These cookies look so good! I love pistachios and these look so easy to make.
Pistachio is one of my favorite flavors. I can't wait to try these!
These look amazing! I have a sweet tooth and I love pistachios so this is a must try. Thanks for the recipe and the amazing photos.
Pistachio and lemon! Yum what a great combination. I'm sure these were a hit for St. Patrick's Day but I'd eat them any time of the year!