Last updated on December 9th, 2025.
Pistachio Sugar Cookies take everything you love about a classic soft, tender sugar cookie and elevate it with warm, distinguished pistachio flavor. Each bite is soft, delicately crisp at the edges, and filled with the kind of subtle nuttiness that makes these cookies feel both nostalgic and a little fancy.
I’ve baked many recipes with pistachios, and I’ve realized that the secret is in the simplicity. For pistachios to truly shine and give you a buttery, bursting flavor in every bite, less is more. There is no need for extract, like when we bake these Almond Sugar Cookies, and fewer ingredients mean more flavor. And that’s exactly why sugar cookies, made with simple ingredients like butter and sugar, are the best way to celebrate this nut.
For a slightly more intense flavor give these Pistachio Chocolate Chips Cookies a go.
The Recipe
This recipe is made like any other sugar cookie recipe with the exception that we incorporate ground pistachios to the flour, and for additional texture, the cookie is rolled in sugar and pistachio mixture. This step is optional, but I highly recommend it.
- The butter is creamed with the sugar, but it’s important to remember that this is not a pound cake, we don’t need to incorporate a lot of air. The mixing rule here is the same: less is more. That’s why you don’t need a stand mixer; an electric hand mixer or even a whisk will work just as well.
- I used roasted and slightly salted pistachios, but you can also use raw. Avoid using flavored nuts.
- The butter and eggs must be at room temperature to avoid dense texture. If you are using a whisk, allow the butter to be slightly softer than room temperature butter. To learn more read my post about soften butter for baking.
- The cookies spread during baking, so make sure not to place the dough balls too close together (about 3-4 inches apart).
- I like to check the 10 minutes bake mark, and if the cookies spread into a very asymmetric shape, I use a large round cookie cutter (or a bowl) to push the edges towards the center and swirl the cookies at the center of the cookie cutter for a symmetric shape.
Yields and Storing
This recipe make 15 cookies when using 2 tablespoons cookie scoop, or 18-20 when using 1.5 tablespoons cookie scoop.
Store at room temperature in a cookie jar for up to one week, or freeze in a freeze bag for up to four weeks.
Tender and Chewy Pistachio Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 Cup (150g) Finely ground toasted pistachios one cup whole pistachios
- 1/3 Cup (70g) Sugar
- 1 1/2 Cup (180g) All-purpose unbleached flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
- 9 Tablespoons (120g) Unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2/3 Cup (140g) Sugar
- 1 Large Egg at room temperature
- 1 Largw Egg yolk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C) and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl mix half of the ground pistachios (75g about 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon) with the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set it aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, mix the first amount of the sugar (70g) with the rest of the ground pistachios (75g). Set it a side.
- Using the paddle attachment, or a hand mixer cream the butter (120 g), with the second amount of the sugar (140g), until well incorporated. No need to get it light and airy.
- Mix in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract.
- Add the dry mixture and mix just until you have a cohesive dough with no dry flour.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons #40), scoop the cookie dough, roll it in the pistachio-sugar mixture, then place the ball over the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake one sheet at atime, 6 balls on each pan, making sure to leave about 2-inches space for each cookie.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes, turning the pan at the 10 minute mark.
- Remove from the oven and bake the second batch. Allow the cookies to chill in the pan before transferring them to a cooking wire.
Notes
- Store at room temperature for up to one week, or freeze for up to one month.
- Do not over cream the butter and sugar, or over mix after you add the flour.
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature and use a kitchen scale for best results. If the cookies don’t spread and too dense, it means too much flour. If the cookies spread too much, it means not enough flour or too much sugar.
