This recipe for crunchy pistachio sugar cookies has chopped nuts in the dough and a sprinkling of coarse sugar and minced pistachios on top. You can store these delicious cookies in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Vintage Recipe
I made these sugar cookies from a vintage recipe I discovered on a torn sheet of paper tucked into a folder with countless other recipes. It caught my eye because it used pistachios—an ingredient I had in abundance from a large bag of unshelled nuts. Intrigued, I decided to try the recipe, and I can confidently say that these cookies were well worth the effort!
Recipe Updates to Vintage Pistachio Sugar Cookies
Because this is a vintage recipe, I changed a few things because modern tastes have changed since it was written.
- I added more pistachios to the dough than the recipe listed and added them to the top of the cookies.
- I added coarse sugar to the top of the cookies since they are not overly sweet.
- I increased the amount of vanilla extract.
- I added almond extract.
- Finally, I brushed melted butter on the tops of the cooked cookies to help adhere the sugar and pistachios to them.
- Optionally, if you want a festive look, add a few drops of gel food coloring to the dough to tint it green. I did not add it to the cookies in these pictures, even though the lighting made the dough appear light green.
You can leave off the coarse sugar on top if you don’t want any extra sugar. The cookies will taste fine without it.
Preparing the Dough for Making Pistachio Sugar Cookies
When making rolled cookies, managing the dough’s temperature is essential to prevent it from becoming too sticky. Start by wrapping the unchilled dough in plastic wrap and flattening it to speed up the chilling process. Place it in the refrigerator for about an hour, or if you’re in a hurry, you can use the freezer for around 20 minutes—just be careful not to leave it in too long, as it may become too hard to roll. After chilling, cut the dough into thirds and work with only one-third at a time, keeping the rest in the refrigerator. Move quickly to avoid warming the dough, or it will become too soft and must be chilled again. Once properly cooled, the dough will be easy to handle and work with.
Methods for Rolling Pistachio Sugar Cookies
Method 1: Add Flour to the Work Surface
The first method to keep the dough from sticking to everything is to use flour. Sprinkle the work surface with ample flour to keep the dough from sticking. If you use a wooden rolling pin, flour it and the top of the dough. Sometimes, even though the dough is chilled, it will be a little too sticky to roll, and the extra flour can help stiffen it enough so you can work with it.
Method 2: Roll the Pistachio Sugar Cookies Between Coated Paper
Another way to roll chilled dough is to place it between two sheets of parchment paper and use the rolling pin on top of the paper. The dough doesn’t stick to the coated paper and never touches the rolling pin with this method.
- First, after placing the dough between the papers, flatten it with your palm.
- Then, roll the dough, keeping it between the two papers.
- When rolled to the size you want, remove the top sheet of parchment paper and use a cookie cutter to cut shapes.
- If the cut shape is too sticky to move to a pan, leave it on the parchment paper and remove the dough around it.
- Then, slide a cookie sheet under the bottom parchment paper and bake.
How to Store Pistachio Sugar Cookies
Store these cookies in an airtight container on the countertop. Or, keep them in the freezer for 2-3 months. Enjoy!
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Pistachio Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- cookie cutter (approximately 2.75 to 3 inches)
- mixer
- baking sheets
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons + 1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons (or more) butter, melted
- ¼ cup coarse ground sugar
- a few drops of green food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Then, stir in 6 tablespoons of pistachios and mix well.
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and almond extracts together until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and mix until just combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture and stir to combine. Add the rest of the flour mixture and stir until well mixed. If using food coloring to tint the dough green, add it now and mix to combine.
- With a spatula, shape the dough into a flattened disk and wrap it in plastic cling wrap. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until the dough is firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone mat.
- Cut the chilled dough into 3 pieces. Rewrap 2 pieces and place them back in the refrigerator. Flour a work surface and also the top of the cookie dough. If using a wooden rolling pin, dust it with flour. (Alternatively, place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and then roll it.) Roll the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch or 3-inch cookie cutter to cut out cookies.
- Reshape and re-roll leftover dough after you cut out the first cookies. If the leftover dough becomes too soft to work with, place it in the refrigerator to use later. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
- Repeat the process with the second piece of chilled dough. Finally, use the last piece of dough. If you have any leftover pieces of dough from earlier, add them to this last piece.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Then, brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar and the leftover chopped pistachios. Move them to a cooling rack. Leftover cookies can frozen.