Seeing as pistachios are one of my favorite nuts to snack on, I can't believe it's taken me so long to create a pistachio chocolate chip cookie recipe. But these delicious, chewy chocolate chip cookies are worth the wait. They are absolutely packed with pistachio flavor in the form of pistachio flour and chopped pistachios. This recipe is a must make for pistachio lovers!
While your first instinct may be to shy away from a recipe using a specialty ingredient like pistachio powder - don't! You can use your leftover pistachio flour to make my amazing chocolate pistachio cake and it also holds well in the freezer for future bakes!
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Ingredient Notes
While this recipe mostly uses simple ingredients, there are a few specialty items you will need. Both pistachio flour and dairy free milk powder can be ordered online through the links below.
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend - I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour for all of my cookie recipes. You can use the blend of your choice, but ensure that it contains xanthan gum or you will need to add it. I have not tested this recipe with any other brands of flour, so your results may vary.
- Pistachio Flour - This can be ordered online or if you prefer just make your own from roasted unsalted pistachios. Place the nuts into a food processor and chop them to a fine powder. Be cautious to stop the processor before they turn to pistachio paste and you may need to sift the ground pistachios to get out any large chunks that remain.
- Non-Dairy Milk Powder - I use coconut milk powder here. You can use any non-dairy milk powder in place of that (oat milk, rice milk, etc). If you're not dairy free, feel free to substitute dairy milk powder in the same measure.
- Vegan Butter - I use either Country Crock Plant Butter or Miyokos Vegan butter in my baking. Any brand of vegan butter should work fine, just avoid margarine. If you're not dairy free, you can use regular unsalted butter in the same measure.
- Pistachios - If you have celiac, watch for nuts that might be processed on shared equipment. I order all of my pistachios on Amazon.
- Allergen Free Chocolate Chips - I used a combination of dark chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips for the perfect balance. I like the Nestle allergen free chocolate chips here. You could also use milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chunks or even chopped dark chocolate bars if you prefer.
See the recipe card below or full recipe with measurements.
Do you have to use the specialty ingredients?
For these chocolate chip pistachio cookies, the pistachio flour is critical to the cookie structure, flavor and color. However, you don't have to buy pre-made pistachio flour. You can always grind raw pistachios into a fine powder in your food processor. Just be careful to stop processing before it turns to pistachio butter.
I love the addition of milk powder to this recipe. The milk solids help give a chewy texture that's amazing. Milk powder is pretty easy to find at the grocery store. If you're dairy free, you want to use coconut milk powder for this recipe. I have had luck finding it in the baking aisle at Whole Foods, but most often I just order it from Amazon. If you want to omit the milk powder altogether, the cookies will still turn out fine.
How to Make Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
I recommend using an electric mixer to make this cookie recipe. Before you begin, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
STEP 1: Combine the gluten free flour, pistachio flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk together until well mixed.
STEP 2: Combine the sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
STEP 3: Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat for 60 seconds more to combine.
STEP 4: Turn the mixer to the lowest speed and add the dry ingredients. Stir until just incorporated.
STEP 5: Add the chocolate chips and pistachios to the cookie dough, reserving some of each for the tops of the cookies. Stir until evenly mixed.
STEP 6: Portion the cookie dough into ¼ cupfuls. I use a large cookie scoop to make things easier. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheets spaced about 3 inches apart. Sprinkle the tops with a little extra chocolate chips and nuts. Then bake!
Storage
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. They will lose a little bit of their crispiness around the edges, but the centers will stay soft and chewy.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can also make the dough 1-2 days before, cover it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. The cookies will spread just a little less if you bake them straight from the refrigerator, but no adjustments are needed to temperature or cook time.
Finally, you can shape the dough into balls. Place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them for at least an hour. Then move the frozen balls into a freezer bag or airtight container and store in the freezer up to 3 months. I love doing this as it allows you to have delicious homemade cookies any day of the week!
Recipe FAQs
The most common problem is too much flour or too long baking.
I prefer to measure all of my ingredients with a kitchen scale, it's the most accurate way to measure. If you're using measuring cups, make sure to spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off the top. Never scoop the measuring cup into the flour or pack the flour into the cup.
As far as baking time, do not use color to determine when cookies are done. If you prefer a soft, chewy cookie bake only until the edge of the cookie provides a little resistance if you poke it with your finger.
The answer is almost always not enough vanilla extract
or added salt. If you've already baked the dough, try sprinkling the tops with some flaky sea salt.
It depends on the recipe. Baking powder makes cookies thicker and soft where baking soda makes them spread more and get chewy. Some recipes, like this one, use both.
More chocolate chip cookies to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend I use Bob's Red Mill
- ½ Cup Pistachio Flour
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Milk Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- ¼ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup Vegan Butter
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ¾ Cup Pistachios roughly chopped
- 1 Cup Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Chips
- ½ Cup Dairy Free Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine pistachio flour, gluten free flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and milk powder. Stir until combined. Set aside.1 ¼ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, ½ Cup Pistachio Flour, 1 Tablespoon Coconut Milk Powder, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Salt, ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- Add the vegan butter, sugar and brown sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until fluffy and lighter in color. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.¾ Cup Sugar, ¼ Cup Light Brown Sugar, ½ Cup Vegan Butter
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and beat for 60 seconds more.1 Egg, 1 Egg Yolk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Turn mixer to lowest setting and add in the dry ingredients. Once the dry ingredients are about half incorporated, add the chopped pistachios and the chocolate chips to the batter. Reserve a little of the nuts and chocolate to sprinkle on top of the cookies.¾ Cup Pistachios, 1 Cup Dairy Free Dark Chocolate Chips, ½ Cup Dairy Free Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Mix until the dry ingredients are all just combined. Fold the remaining bits by hand if necessary.
- Scoop the dough into balls using a standard size ice cream scoop (¼ cup). Place onto cookie sheets leaving about 2-3 inches between dough balls. Sprinkle the top of each cookie with some of the chocolate chips and pistachios.
- Bake in preheated over for 15-16 minutes, just until edges are set. Immediately after you remove from oven. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then remove to wire rack.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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