Preheat oven to 350 degrees and get cookie or baking sheets.
Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a mixer until combined.
1 cup butter, 8 ounce package cream cheese, .75 cups white sugar
Add egg and vanilla and beat until mixed.
1 egg, 1.5 teaspoons vanilla
Add flour, baking powder, pistachio pudding mix, and salt and mix until combined.
2.25 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 3.4 ounce package pistachio pudding mix, .50 teaspoon salt
Stir in pistachios - the batter will be hard to stir.
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Use a medium cookie scoop and place dough balls on the cookie sheets - 16 per sheet.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 min; check after 12 minutes - as we all have different ovens. They should be slightly soft to the touch and lightly browned on the edges. Let them rest on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to the wire rack.
Optional: If dipping some of the cookies in chocolate, melt chocolate in microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds. My chocolate took 1 minute 30 seconds to melt.
.50 cup chocolate chips
Eat, smile, and enjoy.