Salted Pistachio White Chocolate Cookies

Name: Pistachio White Chocolate Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 140 min
Ingredients: 9 tablespoons butter (salted unsalted, room temperature (127 grams)); ¾ cup light brown sugar (packed (150 grams)); ¾ cup granulated sugar ((150 grams)); 1 large egg; 1 egg yolk; 1 tablespoon vanilla; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ((283 grams)); ¾ cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate; 1 cup roasted salted pistachios (no shell, finely-roughly chopped, see notes); Flaky sea salt

↓ Jump to Recipe

These pistachio white chocolate cookies have crisp, golden edges, with soft chewy centers. The cookie is buttery, with the perfect balance of sweet white chocolate and salty, nutty pistachios.

pistachio cookie with white chocolate chunks with nuts scattered around.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love this Recipe
Ingredient Notes
How to Make this Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Variations of this Recipe
How to Store this Recipe
More Recipes to Try:
Pistachio White Chocolate Cookies

Why You'll Love this Recipe

You will love these pistachio and white chocolate cookies, guaranteed. They are the kind of treat that feel special. The cookie base is buttery with a nostalgic flavor that when paired with the nutty pistachios, and pockets of white chocolate, and topped with a little sea salt it is irresistible.

The salty-sweet combo plus that nutty crunch is absolutely addicting. If you love the sound of these cookies you will love our dark chocolate chip pistachio tahini cookies, coconut pecan cookies, and our brown butter oatmeal cookies.

Ingredient Notes

ingredients for recipe laid out and labeled.

Butter. You can use salted or unsalted butter. It needs to be room temperature.
Sugar. Use granulated, white sugar.
Brown Sugar. Use light brown sugar. The light brown sugar will add a rich caramel-y flavor to the dough thanks to the molasses.
Eggs. You'll need one whole egg and one yolk.
Vanilla. Vanilla adds that classic bakery taste.
Baking Powder and Soda. We use a combination of both baking powder and baking soda as the leavening agents in this recipe, helping these pistachio and white chocolate cookies rise and spread.
Salt. Salt enhances the flavors and cuts through the sweetness of the dough.
Cornstarch. Cornstarch helps thicken the dough and keep the cookie centers soft.
Flour. Use white, all-purpose flour.
White Chocolate. You can use white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate. I like to use a combination of both.
Pistachios. I recommend using roasted, salted pistachios (no shell). If using raw pistachios you'll want to toast them to bring out the nutty flavor and add some extra salt to the recipe.
Flaky Sea Salt. A little hit of flaky sea salt on the cookies sends these over the top!

cookies piled on round wire cooling rack.

How to Make this Recipe

butter and sugar creamed together before dry ingredients are added in glass mixing bowl.

Cream the butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the butter with both sugars for about 1 minute, until smooth and combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, then continue mixing for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until no streaks of flour remain.

white chocolate pistachio cookie dough mixed and shaped into balls

Add the mix-ins. Roughly chop the pistachios, aiming for a mix of fine and chunky pieces for texture. Gently fold in the pistachios and white chocolate until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Chill the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight for deeper flavor.

pistachio white chocolate cookies baked and on white parchment paper.

Bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Scoop ¼ cup portions of dough, roll into balls, and place on a parchment-lined or silicone-lined baking sheet, leaving space for spreading, then sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are just soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What kind of pistachios should I use?

I'm using salted, roasted pistachios that already have the shell removed. If you are using raw pistachios you will want to roast them in the oven or toast them in a frying pan and increase the salt in the cookie dough from a ½ teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon.

How long to roast pistachios?

If you are using raw pistachios, roast them in the oven to make them crunchier and to bring out the nutty flavor. To roast them, simply spread the pistachios out on a baking sheet, and place in an oven preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes.

Check on them every couple minutes to make sure they don't burn. If they nuts burn they will taste bitter. Cool the nuts completely before chopping and adding to the cookie dough.

Does it matter if I use white chocolate chips vs. a white chocolate bar?

This is a matter of personal preference. A bar of white chocolate is going to be higher quality, it will give you those gooey chocolate puddles, and have a richer, more complex flavor. However, it will be quite a bit more expensive.

White chocolate chips have stabilizers in them, meaning they will hold their shape, use lower quality ingredients, and have a sweeter, one-note flavor. They will be more economically priced.

I typically use a mix of the two in this recipe.

Variations of this Recipe

Doughier Cookies-if you prefer doughier cookies, change the baking time and temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 minutes.
Crispier Cookies-If you like cookies on the crispier side, bake your cookies at 375 Fahrenheit for 11-12 minutes.
Use different kinds of chocolate-I love the salty pistachios with the white chocolate, but these would be fantastic with different kinds of chocolate. Try it out and see what is your favorite.
Add Mix-ins-Try adding in some different mix-ins to these pistachio white chocolate cookies. Some recommendations are dried cranberries, dried cherries, fresh or freeze-dried raspberries, or caramel bits.
Swap the nut-these cookies would also be amazing with a different kind of nut other than pistachios. I recommend trying macadamia nuts or pecans.
Add pistachio cream-to amp up the pistachio flavor even more try freezing teaspoons of pistachio cream and stuffing them into the center of the cookie dough before baking.

stack of cookies cut in half piled on top of each other.

How to Store this Recipe

Room Temperature. These pistachio and white chocolate cookies are best eaten fresh. Once completely cool, they should be stored in an airtight container. They are best eaten within three days.

Freezing the Cookies. These pistachio white chocolate cookies freeze beautifully. Let them cool completely before placing in an airtight container or a freezer bag-try to remove as much air as possible. They are best eaten within three months of freezing. When ready to eat, thaw on the counter until they reach room temperature.

How to Freeze the Cookie Dough. If you'd like to freeze the cookie dough to bake at a later date, scoop the cookies dough into balls and place on a tray, freeze for one hour. Then move to an airtight container or freezer bag. When ready to bake, thaw the cookie dough at room temperature for 1 hour. Then bake according to normal instructions. The cookies may require one additional minute of baking. Frozen cookie dough is best used within three months of freezing.