Pistachio Cookies

When I was choosing cookies to bake for this week, I was looking at two different recipes. Both used pretty classic ingredients, which I had on hand. When I bake, I usually get all of the ingredients out on the counter, so they are there and ready to go. That helps also to discover that I don’t really have a necessary ingredient. For this week, I got out items for these cookies, but also some items only used in the other cookies I was considering. Hmmm.

In getting out the ingredients, I was sure that I had a new bag of pistachios. I got through baking spurts with them, and I thought I had used up my supply and bought more. I guess I hadn’t. I did have just enough left for the ½ cup used in this recipe, but that squashed my idea of adding extra pistachios to this recipe. I was so flustered that I forgot to chop the nuts, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. 

Thankfully I had recently purchased pistachio pudding mix, so these would be subtly flavored with pistachio. They came together quickly, and I didn’t need to refrigerate the dough, despite the warmth of my kitchen. I thought that I had to roll these in sugar before baking, and I did, but that was actually part of the other recipe I was considering. It helped make lovely, rounded cookies, so no worries. As expected, these have a subtle, buttery pistachio flavor. They are just wonderful. 

Pistachio Cookies
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 & 1/4 cups flour
3.4 ounce box pistachio instant pudding
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Additional sugar, if desired

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, pistachio pudding mix, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture, stirring until the flour almost disappears. Add the white chocolate chips and the pistachios and stir on low, just until the dough comes together. 

Scoop the dough into 1-1/4” balls. (If desired, roll the balls in additional sugar before baking.) Place on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Bake until the cookies are light and golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from BellyFull