Description
These Pistachio Cream Cookies feature a luscious pistachio cream center surrounded by a soft, buttery cookie studded with chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios. With a perfect balance of nuttiness and sweetness, they are baked to perfection with a flaky salt sprinkle for added flavor contrast.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookie Dough
- 180 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 100 g brown sugar
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 g semi-sweet or dark chocolate, roughly chopped
- 50 g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
For the Filling and Garnish
- 150 g pistachio cream spread
- Flaky salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Freeze the pistachio cream: Place the pistachio cream spread on a parchment-lined plate and freeze for at least 1 hour to firm up for easy handling.
- Prepare dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients and sugars: In a large mixing bowl, whisk melted and cooled butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until fully combined and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and continue mixing until the mixture is uniform.
- Combine dry and wet mixtures: Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and gently fold with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Then fold in the chopped chocolate and chopped pistachios evenly.
- Chill cookie dough balls: Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls on lined plates. Chill these dough balls in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to firm up for shaping.
- Assemble cookies: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Slightly flatten each chilled dough ball, create a small indentation or pocket, and place a frozen pistachio cream piece in the center. Seal the dough completely around the pistachio cream to encase it fully.
- Prepare for baking: Arrange the filled cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving sufficient space between each cookie. Optionally, top with extra chopped chocolate and pistachios for garnish.
- Bake cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 11 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden, but the centers remain soft and gooey.
- Finish and cool: Immediately after removing from the oven, sprinkle the warm cookies with flaky salt to enhance the flavor. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- Freezing the pistachio cream is essential to prevent it from melting too quickly during baking.
- Do not overmix the cookie dough to keep the texture tender.
- Chilling the dough balls makes it easier to encase the pistachio cream and helps prevent spreading during baking.
- Use a cookie scoop to maintain uniform cookie sizes for even baking.
- Flaky salt adds a delicious contrast but can be omitted if preferred.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes plus 2 hours chilling/freezing time
- Cook Time: 11-12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Pistachio cookies, pistachio cream cookies, chocolate pistachio cookies, nut-filled cookies, homemade cookies, dessert, baked cookies
