Published: January 23, 2025 / Updated: September 13, 2026

If you’re a pistachio lover, you’re going to love these Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They’re soft and chewy with a rich pistachio flavor and plenty of chocolate chunks throughout. The combination of pistachio and chocolate is one of my favorite flavor pairings and these cookies bring the two together perfectly.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

💚Soft and chewy - These cookies have a soft center with perfectly chewy edges.

💚Rich pistachio flavor - Pistachio is the star of the show, giving every bite a delicious flavor.

💚Loaded with chocolate - Plenty of chocolate chunks are scattered throughout the dough for the perfect chocolate to pistachio ratio.

💚Perfect flavor pairing - Pistachio and chocolate complement each other beautifully, creating a rich and balanced combination.

💚Easy to make - The dough comes together easily without any complicated techniques.

Tips & Tricks

→ Freeze the cookie dough for later - If you want to save some of the dough for another day, scoop and shape the cookie dough into individual balls and place them on a parchment-lined tray. Freeze until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. When you’re ready to bake, you can bake the cookies straight from frozen. Just add an extra minute or two to the baking time and keep an eye on the edges.

→ Use chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips - I recommend chopping a good-quality chocolate bar into uneven chunks rather than using chocolate chips. The different-sized pieces melt into larger, gooey pockets throughout the cookies and give them a more homemade, bakery-style appearance. You’ll also get a better combination of melted chocolate and crisp cookie in every bite.

→ Mix different types of chocolate - Using a combination of dark and milk chocolate gives these cookies a really nice balance. The dark chocolate adds a deeper, slightly bitter richness, while the milk chocolate brings extra sweetness and creaminess. You can adjust the ratio depending on how sweet or rich you prefer your cookies.

→ Do not overmix the dough after adding the dry ingredients - Once the flour and other dry ingredients are added, mix only until everything is just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can make the cookies tougher and less tender. It’s completely fine if you still see a few small streaks of flour while mixing, they’ll disappear when you fold in the chocolate and pistachios.

→ Keep a close eye on the baking time - For soft and chewy cookies, you want the edges to look set while the centers still appear slightly underbaked. Don’t wait for the entire cookie to look completely baked in the oven, as they will continue to cook and firm up from the residual heat as they cool. Taking them out at the right moment is key to keeping that soft, chewy center.

→ Let the cookies cool on the baking tray - When the cookies come out of the oven, they’ll be very soft and delicate in the center. Let them sit on the baking tray for several minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. This gives the cookies time to set while keeping the centers soft and chewy.

→ Store at room temperature - Once completely cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Keeping them properly sealed helps prevent them from drying out and preserves their soft, chewy texture. For the best texture, I recommend enjoying them within the first couple of days.

Ingredients You Will Need For This Recipe

Unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in the dough, but you can use salted butter if that's what you have and slightly reduce the added salt.
Light brown sugar
Granulated sugar
Egg and egg yolk
Vanilla bean powder or vanilla bean paste: You can use whichever you have on hand.
All-purpose flour
Baking powder and baking soda
Salt: Any fine salt works.
Dark chocolate chunks
Milk chocolate chunks
Chopped pistachios
Pistachio spread: A thicker pistachio spread works best here.

Step By Step Directions With Pictures

1. Spoon or pipe 12 small balls of pistachio spread onto a parchment-lined tray. Freeze for 1-2 hours.

2. Prepare the cookie dough.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the softened butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar until smooth and creamy.

4. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, and mix until well combined.

5. Add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.

6. Fold in the chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios until evenly distributed.

7. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and scoop them onto a parchment-lined tray.

8. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

9. Once chilled, remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and the pistachio filling from the freezer.

10. Flatten each portion of cookie dough into a disc. Place a frozen pistachio filling in the center, then wrap the dough around it, making sure the filling is completely enclosed. Gently roll into a smooth ball.

11. Place the filled cookie dough balls back in the refrigerator while you preheat the oven to 180°C.

12. Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between each one. I bake 4 cookies per tray.

13. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden while the centers are still soft.

14. While the cookies are still warm, press extra chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios on top.

15. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Yield: 11

Author: Angie