Pistachio Cookies

These cream cheese pistachio cookies bring together crisp edges, chewy centers, and a lush, velvety flavor in every bite. Blended with cream cheese for richness and packed with chopped pistachios for a nutty finish, these cookies are ideal for holidays, parties, or everyday baking.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cookies, cream cheese cookies, pistachio cookies

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings cookies

Calories 143kcal

Author Elaine Benoit

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks, softened and cut into pats)
8 ounce package cream cheese
.75 cups white sugar
1 egg
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
2.25 cups flour (all purpose white flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
.50 teaspoon salt
3.4 ounce package pistachio pudding mix (regular, but if you can't find regular, it's okay to use instant)
1/2 cup chopped pistachios

Optional

.50 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

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.

Notes

Update: The last few times I've bought pistachio pudding mix, I've had to buy instant. There isn't any noticeable difference to the taste of these delicious cookies, so feel free to use instant in these wonderful pistachio cookies.

Helpful tips

If regular pistachio pudding mix isn’t available, instant works just fine.
Soften the butter by letting it sit out for at least an hour before baking. I often leave it out the night before unless it’s very warm.
Cream cheese can go straight from the refrigerator into the dough since it’s already soft enough to mix.
Cut the softened butter into smaller pats before mixing to help it blend more easily. I use salted butter, but unsalted is a great option, too.
Mix the dough just until combined to keep the cookies tender.
Use raw, unsalted pistachios so the cookies don’t turn out too salty. If unsalted pistachios are hard to find, one reader, Dawn, suggests rinsing salted pistachios and letting them air-dry overnight.
These cookies bake a bit longer than most, so don’t rush it. You’re aiming for a lightly crisp exterior with a soft, chewy center.
Dipping some of the baked cookies in melted chocolate is a fun option. People enjoy them both plain and chocolate-coated, so offering a mix is always a hit.
These cookies freeze beautifully. Just pack them in an airtight container, whether it is a gallon ziplock bag or a glass container.
You can enjoy them just a few minutes after taking them out of the freezer.
The pistachio pudding mix adds a light green tint, so food coloring isn’t necessary. If you prefer a deeper green color, add a few drops of food coloring to the dough.

Nutrition