The easiest and most delicious Italian Pistachio Cookies ever! Soft and a little fudgy in the center, with crunchy pistachios on the outside, these cookies are ready in under 30 minutes. Make sure to double the recipe because these babies disappear FAST.
If you like pistachios (my homemade pistachio paste and marshmallows with pistachios are two more of my favorites), you’ll love these cookies!
I haven’t always been a fan of pistachios. In fact you could say that I used to hate them, which would be much closer to the truth. But now? I can’t get enough of them.
So what changed? One fine summer morning (summer in the southern hemisphere) six years ago (almost to the day), I was introduced to a little cookie that blew me away with first impressions. And changed my mind. The meeting was far too brief for my liking, and I never got its name, but the memory of it lingered.
Eventually I will return to that meeting place and reacquaint myself with that cookie many times in the following years. And then I moved away and I never heard from it again. And that’s when I decided I will take matters into my own hands and clone it in my kitchen. So I did.
The name had always eluded me but that doesn’t really matter. Lets just call these Italian Pistachio Cookies , because something this alluring has got to be European right? All kidding aside, they actually are Italian cookies, as you may find them named elsewhere on the Internet.
It was February 2009. My aunt wanted to show me Little Italy in Haberfield, Sydney, where she was going to get herself some Olives and few other deli items. So I went along. She took me to a little Italian bakery (the name of which I cannot remember unfortunately!) along Ramsay street, where I found all kinds of colourful and positively delicious looking Italian sweet treats.
I just wanted to get a Rum Baba, but my aunt also got me some Pistachio cookies and Cannolis! And then we went to a place called Pasticceria Papa and got a big piece of their famous Ricotta cheesecake!
If those exotic sounding words haven’t already convinced you, let me say it again. Those were little pieces of heaven in my mouth. Those cannolis are still the best I’ve ever had, the Rum Baba tasted amazing, and the cheesecake was the creamiest Ricotta cheesecake I’ve had so far.
But the star was undoubtedly (and surprisingly) those soft, slightly fudgy / chewy Italian Pistachio cookies! They had lovely, crunchy pistachios on the outside and a soft center. I could have eaten them all day.
As long as I was living in Sydney, I was able to catch a bus ride to Little Italy and get some of those cookies. But when I moved North along the coastline a couple of years later, I had to find a way to recreate them.
I developed the recipe over several years and tried numerous batches before I got something that was very close to what I had first had in Sydney. And it’s so easy! You only need 4 ingredients: Pistachios, Almonds, Sugar and Egg whites (and no flour and no butter). It takes less than 30 minutes from start to end. I hope you like it just as much as I do! 🙂
The trick to baking these perfect Italian Pistachio Cookies is the baking time! You only want to bake these cookies until the bottom of the cookie is just lightly browned. You don’t want the top of the cookie to brown too much (only the edges!) because then these aren’t going to be too soft in the middle.
The baking time depends on the shape and size of the cookies. If you make cookies that are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, then they will need about 15 – 17 minutes in the oven. If you make cookies that are about 1 inch in diameter, they only require 10 – 12 minutes.
I like to make crescent shaped cookies as well! When I make these Italian Pistachio Cookies in a crescent shape, I first make a 1 1/2 inch cookie ball and then shape into a crescent shape. These will be ready after baking for about 12 minutes. Because of the shape of these cookies, they take a shorter time to bake than their “ball” counterpart.
For this recipe, I made 1 inch round cookies and crescent cookies made with 1 1/2 inch rounds. So that the baking time is the same for both.
If you love Pistachios this is the cookie for you. However, even if you’r not a fan, you should still try them! 🙂 Because these cookies are what turned me to the green side! Besides they are so easy to make, why not give them a try?
Soft in the center, a little fudgy, not too sweet and dairy free and gluten free ! You can also check out my homemade pistachio paste for a deliciously nutty and sweet pistachio butter, or these orange blossom marshmallows with pistachios for more pistachio goodness!
I always make a double batch, because trust me, they are not going to last very long! So my advice is, make a double batch secretly, and then pretend like you only made one. You won’t be sorry! 🙂 And if you’re making these for the holidays, check out my collection of candy recipes , cookie recipes , and Christmas recipes for more holiday favorites that everyone will love!
More holiday-worthy cookie recipes you’ll love
- Shortbread cookies
- Chocolate shortbread cookies
- Chocolate chip & cranberry shortbread cookies
- Thumbprint cookies
- Linzer cookies
- Soft ginger cookies
- Funfetti cookies
- Best chocolate chip cookies
- Double chocolate chip cookies
- Chocolate hazelnut cookies
- Thyme and cheddar cheese cookies (savory cookies)
- Savory thumbprint cookies
Recipe
You can also visit me on FACEBOOK , INSTAGRAM , PINTEREST and GOOGLE-PLUS too. I love sharing pictures of recipes to come on the blog plus other awesome recipes I find out there that I want to try.
There’s a reason why Classic Thumbprint Cookies are so popular. They are a holiday favorite, easy to make, and even easier to customize with different filling and flavor variations!
I’ve shared all my tips and tricks to help you PERFECT easy thumbprint cookies!
Oh baby, it’s cookie season! It’s one of the main reasons why I love Christmas! 🙂
And with alllll the Christmas cookies out there, it’s hard – nigh impossible, for me to pick a favorite. But Classic Thumbprint Cookies …. oh yeah, they come this close to being my favorite.
Thumbprint cookies are a holiday favorite, a party favorite, and a snack favorite for me. These are one of half a dozen or so that feature in my holiday cookie boxes every year. Shortbread cookies , linzer cookies , meringue cookies , soft ginger cookies etc. are all classics for a reason.
Plus, these cookies are really easy to make and to customize too.
I’ve shared a uniquely delicious savory thumbprint cookie on the blog before, which is really popular on the blog. But I realized I’ve never shared a classic thumbprint cookie recipe with you guys before. So today, I’m going to fix that.
This is the recipe for delightfully buttery and delicious classic thumbprint cookies with a sweet jam filling . I’m sharing all my tips to help you make PERFECT thumbprint cookies and avoid cracks and spreading.
Just follow this easy guide to find out how you can nail those classic thumbprint cookies and entertain your friends and family this holiday season!
What are thumbprint cookies?
A buttery cookie with a shallow well in the middle that’s filled with a sweet filling like jam. You use your thumb to push down on the cookie dough, creating that shallow well in the middle – hence “thumbprint” cookies.
But did you know that thumbprint cookies originated in Sweden? These cookies are called Hallongrotta/hallongrottor in Swedish, meaning “raspberry cave”!
While you can fill the thumbprint in the middle with any type of jam you like, I’ll be using raspberry jam here, because that’s the flavor of classic thumbprint cookies! But I have filled these before with strawberry jam , plum jam , fig jam , and grape jelly too.
Are thumbprint cookies the same as shortbread cookies?
They are not the same, but they do come VERY close. Shortbread cookies use a 1:2:3 ratio of sugar, butter and flour. They are buttery, but crumblier, because they don’t have a binding agent. They rely on butter to hold the dough together.
Thumbprint cookies are made with a dough that’s identical to shortbread cookies, BUT the dough has eggs in addition. Some recipes call for whole eggs, but my recipe uses egg yolks only.
The egg yolk enriches the dough giving you a richer taste than shortbread, but more importantly, binds the dough together for a smoother and more pliable result.
That being said, you still CAN make thumbprint cookies with shortbread cookie dough as well.
How can I prevent my thumbprint cookies from cracking?
To be honest, there’s nothing wrong with thumbprint cookies with a few cracks along the edges. That’s part of the charm!
However, there are ways to minimize cracking. It’s got all to do with HOW you shape the cookies .
How to minimize thumbprint cookie cracking
- Keep the dough soft – once the cookie dough is made, cover and let it rest for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, so that the dough will be easier to handle, and be less sticky. It’s important to keep the dough at room temp. when you roll it into balls, because then it’s easier to shape the soft dough, with minimal cracking.
- Make the indentation as soon as the cookies are formed – rather than rolling ALL of the cookie dough into balls first and THEN making wells, you should roll each cookie dough ball, place it on the cookie tray and immediately make the indentation BEFORE preparing the next one.
- Roll the cookie dough balls until the surface is smooth – since the dough is soft, it’s easy to get a nice, smooth surface. Make sure there are no cracks to begin with, so that they don’t widen and show up when you press down on the cookie balls to create the wells.
To elaborate on the second point above, the reason why I like to prepare each thumbprint cookie as I go is that once you have rolled the cookie into a smooth ball, the cookie will form a “crust” – much like any dough will do, if it’s left exposed to air for any amount of time. So if you wait until the end to create the wells in the middle, the crust will most definitely cause the cookies to crack. To avoid that, I do the following.
How to make thumbprint cookies
- First, portion the cookie dough with a cookie scoop.
- Roll the cookie dough into a smooth ball.
- Roll the smooth ball in sugar (optional).
- Place the cookie ball on the parchment paper-lined baking tray.
- Use my thumb or another kitchen utensil to form an indentation in the middle of the cookie.
- Repeat steps 1-5 with the rest of the cookie dough.
- Once the baking tray is filled with cookies, fill the wells with jam.
- You can either fill a second tray with more cookies and keep those in the fridge or freezer, OR wrap any remaining dough tightly with plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature until you’re ready to use.
I also like to coat these easy thumbprint cookies in sugar before placing them on the baking tray. You can use regular granulated sugar or raw sugar for this. I prefer d emerara sugar because that gives these thumbprint cookies a nice sweet crunchy texture as well.
And rather than rolling the cookie balls in sugar, I put the sugar in a small ziploc bag and then place a cookie inside the bag, and then shake it a little bit to evenly coat the cookie with sugar. Works like a charm.
How to minimize thumbprint cookie spreading
It’s pretty much impossible to make a good cookie with NO spreading at all. I mean, in theory you can add more flour to the dough until it’s pretty stiff and won’t spread at all, but then you end up with very dry, crumbly cookies.
Not good.
The simple reason why a cookie spreads as it bakes is that the butter and sugar melt inside the cookie, causing it to spread. If you bake at too low a temperature, the cookie will spread too much before it bakes and sets properly, and if you bake at too high a temp., then the cookie bakes and sets outside quickly, but the middle will still be raw.
Tips to minimize cookie spreading
- Chill the cookies in the fridge BEFORE baking – cooling the butter in the cookies before baking means that it won’t melt as readily, making it spread too fast.
- Use a chilled or room temperature baking sheet – NEVER use a hot or warm baking sheet to place your UNBAKED cookies on. I like to chill the cookies AND the baking tray together in the fridge, but at least make sure the baking tray is at room temp. before you place the unbaked cookies on it.
- Make the indentation in the middle narrow rather than wide – use just the tip of your finger and go straight down, to create a narrow indentation in the middle of the cookie, rather than a wide indentation that would make the thumbprint cookie spread.
So there you go! That’s how you can make PERFECT and EASY thumbprint cookies that are sure to impress your friends and family! 🙂
Then you can fill these classic thumbprint cookies with any type of jam you like. Personally, I love raspberry, or apricot jam.
These easy thumbprint cookies are so so good! The cookies are buttery, with a hint of vanilla, and a deliciously fruity jam filling.
And since these classic thumbprint cookies are so easy to make, you can make multiple batches and gift them to your friends and family this holiday season too. You can fill them with different jam fillings, and even flavor the thumbprint cookies with different extracts for some creative variations.
Flavor variations
- Add some orange zest to the cookie dough, and fill the middle with cranberry sauce.
- Add some lemon zest to the cookie dough, and fill the cookies with blueberry jam.
- Or instead of jam, place a reese’s peanut butter cup or a hershey’s kiss candy in the middle.
- Add some almond extract to the cookie dough, and fill the middle with salted caramel sauce .
There are so many ways you can dress up these easy thumbprint cookies! Once you realize how easy it is to make classic thumbprint cookies, you can make them your own.
Recipe
A savory twist on your classic jam-filled sweet thumbprint cookie. These Savory Thumbprint Cookies with an incredible Bourbon Tomato Jam are the PERFECT party appetizer.
These savory cookies are insanely flavorful, easy to make and vegetarian!
If you thought we spent all of December eating homemade Twix candy bars , or buttery melting moments cookies , or chocolate beer truffles , ginger cookies , or drinking white hot chocolate , that would only be partially true. 🙂
After all we made thumbprint cookies too! Except, these aren’t the kind you’d expect. These babies are savory cookies (just like my thyme and cheddar cheese savory cookies !). Savory Thumbprint Cookies with Bourbon Tomato Jam to be precise. I’m going to be quite frank, there’s no way I can do these cookies any justice with words here.
These are some of the best cookies (savory or otherwise) that I’ve had, and I don’t say that lightly. And that bourbon tomato jam is a guaranteed crowd favorite!
Mr. K is very easy to please when it comes to the food I make. He’s one of the least picky eaters out there and he will literally eat anything I put in front of him (bless him) with gusto.
If he’s fairly quiet, then I can expect a standard “good food, thank you” response. But the more vocal he gets, the more he enjoyed it, I can tell. And these savory cookies, he couldn’t stop talking about!
Why we love these savory thumbprint cookies
- Crisp on the edges, soft in the middle, with a kicked up sweet and spicy tomato jam in the center, these cheesy savory cookies are just so flavorful and unique!
- And these make the best starter recipes for your Christmas party or New Year’s Eve party. Or any other occasion for that matter.
- And these are vegetarian cookies to boot.
Imagine how your guests would be bowled over when they realize that these aren’t actually sweet cookies. Plus, this might be your only chance to get the better of your friend’s annoying kid, when he/she bites into one of these thinking they are regular sweet thumbprint cookies.
That expression alone would be worth the effort, would it not? Not that I would know. I mean, I’d never do such a thing. Noooo, never.
before baking
Aaaand they are so easy to make, even my hubs could make them. Seriously. The dough comes together quickly and you just make an imprint with your thumb to fill up with some delicious jam/jelly. So really, you got no excuse not to make them.
They’d do really well as a party appetizer or even as tea time snacks . I made these because I needed a break from sweet cookies and bar recipes .
As a huge fan of classic thumbprint cookies , I decided to give them a spicy, savory, flavorful twist. The result is truly glorious.
after baking
About the cookies
These cookies are crazy delicious with a fantastic jelly center. Here I made a cheese and rosemary cookie dough base and gave it a little bit of a spicy kick, using deseeded jalapeno. So the cookie on its own tastes insanely good, if you choose not to have a jelly/jam center.
Bourbon tomato jam
This just might be my favorite part about these cheesy thumbprint appetizers.
I filled these up with an amazingly flavorful tomato jam that incorporates garlic and a few spices and then kicked it up with bourbon! Bourbon folks. Does it not scream PARTY APPETIZER??
Besides, slow roasted tomatoes , this tomato jam is my favorite way to preserve juicy tomatoes all summer long.
bourbon tomato jam
Honestly, these came out even better than I expected, and we have now frozen the remaining cookies for later.
Storage instructions
You can easily refrigerate or freeze the formed cookies (before baking) without filling the center with jam, no issues there.
Or even freeze the baked cookies in a single layer (if you stack them, the jam can stick to the bottom of the cookies).
These cheesy savory thumbprint cookies will go really well with all kinds of fun cocktails , so all in all, these were meant to take center-stage at a party.
Oh, and I made an even more amazing, flavorful dip for these cookies, and you can find the recipe for that super easy, sweet and spicy dip in my spicy mango relish post.
Recipe
Italian Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients
- 226 g raw pistachios 8 oz
- 75 g raw pistachios 1.7 oz
- 125 g white sugar 1 ⅛ cup
- 135 g blanched sliced almonds 4.8 oz
- 60 g egg whites (about 2 egg whites, but measure out to make sure). An extra egg white if needed.
- ½ tsp vanilla optional
- Confectioner’s sugar to dust on top optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 165°C / 325°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, combine the first measure of pistachios, almonds and the sugar. Process until the nuts are ground (with no large chunks left). Transfer the ground nuts and sugar into a clean dry bowl. 226 g raw pistachios, 125 g white sugar, 135 g blanched sliced almonds
- Mix in the measured egg whites (and vanilla if using, this is optional) with the ground nuts and sugar, and mix with a wooden spoon until you get a slightly sticky ball of dough. You will need to mix well to make sure the dough comes together. If needed, add extra egg whites (1 tsp at a time). 60 g egg whites, ½ tsp vanilla
- Chop the extra pistachios into smaller, coarse pieces and set aside. 75 g raw pistachios
- Round cookies - Using a cookie scoop or wet hands, portion out the cookie dough to make round cookies (with a diameter of about 1 inch), and roll each one in the coarsely chopped pistachio nuts. Place these cookies on a prepared cookie baking tray and flatten them slightly.
- Crescent cookies - Using a cookie scoop or wet hands, portion out the cookie dough (with a diameter of 1.5 inches) to make the crescent cookies. Roll this dough ball into slender cylindrical shape, and then shape it again into a crescent. Dip the top of the cookie in the coarsely chopped pistachio nuts. Place these cookies on a prepared cookie baking tray, nut side up.
- Bake them in the preheated oven for about 10 - 12 minutes, until they just start to turn brown at the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let them cool down completely. The cookies will be soft when warm, so they must be cooled down before being moved. Dust them with some icing sugar / confectioner’s sugar (optional). Confectioner’s sugar to dust on top
- This recipe makes 23 - 26 cookies, and you can keep them in an airtight container for a few days.
Nutrition
Recipe from The Flavor Bender by Dini Kodippili
Italian Pistachio Cookies https://www.theflavorbender.com/quick-and-easy-italian-pistachio-cookies/
The easiest and most delicious Italian Pistachio Cookies ever! Soft and a little fudgy in the center, with crunchy pistachios on the outside, these cookies are ready in under 30 minutes. Make sure to double the recipe because these babies disappear FAST.
If you like pistachios (my homemade pistachio paste and marshmallows with pistachios are two more of my favorites), you’ll love these cookies!
I haven’t always been a fan of pistachios. In fact you could say that I used to hate them, which would be much closer to the truth. But now? I can’t get enough of them.
So what changed? One fine summer morning (summer in the southern hemisphere) six years ago (almost to the day), I was introduced to a little cookie that blew me away with first impressions. And changed my mind. The meeting was far too brief for my liking, and I never got its name, but the memory of it lingered.
Eventually I will return to that meeting place and reacquaint myself with that cookie many times in the following years. And then I moved away and I never heard from it again. And that’s when I decided I will take matters into my own hands and clone it in my kitchen. So I did.
The name had always eluded me but that doesn’t really matter. Lets just call these Italian Pistachio Cookies , because something this alluring has got to be European right? All kidding aside, they actually are Italian cookies, as you may find them named elsewhere on the Internet.
It was February 2009. My aunt wanted to show me Little Italy in Haberfield, Sydney, where she was going to get herself some Olives and few other deli items. So I went along. She took me to a little Italian bakery (the name of which I cannot remember unfortunately!) along Ramsay street, where I found all kinds of colourful and positively delicious looking Italian sweet treats.
I just wanted to get a Rum Baba, but my aunt also got me some Pistachio cookies and Cannolis! And then we went to a place called Pasticceria Papa and got a big piece of their famous Ricotta cheesecake!
If those exotic sounding words haven’t already convinced you, let me say it again. Those were little pieces of heaven in my mouth. Those cannolis are still the best I’ve ever had, the Rum Baba tasted amazing, and the cheesecake was the creamiest Ricotta cheesecake I’ve had so far.
But the star was undoubtedly (and surprisingly) those soft, slightly fudgy / chewy Italian Pistachio cookies! They had lovely, crunchy pistachios on the outside and a soft center. I could have eaten them all day.
As long as I was living in Sydney, I was able to catch a bus ride to Little Italy and get some of those cookies. But when I moved North along the coastline a couple of years later, I had to find a way to recreate them.
I developed the recipe over several years and tried numerous batches before I got something that was very close to what I had first had in Sydney. And it’s so easy! You only need 4 ingredients: Pistachios, Almonds, Sugar and Egg whites (and no flour and no butter). It takes less than 30 minutes from start to end. I hope you like it just as much as I do! 🙂
The trick to baking these perfect Italian Pistachio Cookies is the baking time! You only want to bake these cookies until the bottom of the cookie is just lightly browned. You don’t want the top of the cookie to brown too much (only the edges!) because then these aren’t going to be too soft in the middle.
The baking time depends on the shape and size of the cookies. If you make cookies that are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, then they will need about 15 – 17 minutes in the oven. If you make cookies that are about 1 inch in diameter, they only require 10 – 12 minutes.
I like to make crescent shaped cookies as well! When I make these Italian Pistachio Cookies in a crescent shape, I first make a 1 1/2 inch cookie ball and then shape into a crescent shape. These will be ready after baking for about 12 minutes. Because of the shape of these cookies, they take a shorter time to bake than their “ball” counterpart.
For this recipe, I made 1 inch round cookies and crescent cookies made with 1 1/2 inch rounds. So that the baking time is the same for both.
If you love Pistachios this is the cookie for you. However, even if you’r not a fan, you should still try them! 🙂 Because these cookies are what turned me to the green side! Besides they are so easy to make, why not give them a try?
Soft in the center, a little fudgy, not too sweet and dairy free and gluten free ! You can also check out my homemade pistachio paste for a deliciously nutty and sweet pistachio butter, or these orange blossom marshmallows with pistachios for more pistachio goodness!
I always make a double batch, because trust me, they are not going to last very long! So my advice is, make a double batch secretly, and then pretend like you only made one. You won’t be sorry! 🙂 And if you’re making these for the holidays, check out my collection of candy recipes , cookie recipes , and Christmas recipes for more holiday favorites that everyone will love!
More holiday-worthy cookie recipes you’ll love
- Shortbread cookies
- Chocolate shortbread cookies
- Chocolate chip & cranberry shortbread cookies
- Thumbprint cookies
- Linzer cookies
- Soft ginger cookies
- Funfetti cookies
- Best chocolate chip cookies
- Double chocolate chip cookies
- Chocolate hazelnut cookies
- Thyme and cheddar cheese cookies (savory cookies)
- Savory thumbprint cookies
Recipe
You can also visit me on FACEBOOK , INSTAGRAM , PINTEREST and GOOGLE-PLUS too. I love sharing pictures of recipes to come on the blog plus other awesome recipes I find out there that I want to try.
The easiest and most delicious Italian Pistachio Cookies ever! Soft and a little fudgy in the center, with crunchy pistachios on the outside, these cookies are ready in under 30 minutes. Make sure to double the recipe because these babies disappear FAST.
If you like pistachios (my homemade pistachio paste and marshmallows with pistachios are two more of my favorites), you’ll love these cookies!
I haven’t always been a fan of pistachios. In fact you could say that I used to hate them, which would be much closer to the truth. But now? I can’t get enough of them.
So what changed? One fine summer morning (summer in the southern hemisphere) six years ago (almost to the day), I was introduced to a little cookie that blew me away with first impressions. And changed my mind. The meeting was far too brief for my liking, and I never got its name, but the memory of it lingered.
Eventually I will return to that meeting place and reacquaint myself with that cookie many times in the following years. And then I moved away and I never heard from it again. And that’s when I decided I will take matters into my own hands and clone it in my kitchen. So I did.
The name had always eluded me but that doesn’t really matter. Lets just call these Italian Pistachio Cookies , because something this alluring has got to be European right? All kidding aside, they actually are Italian cookies, as you may find them named elsewhere on the Internet.
It was February 2009. My aunt wanted to show me Little Italy in Haberfield, Sydney, where she was going to get herself some Olives and few other deli items. So I went along. She took me to a little Italian bakery (the name of which I cannot remember unfortunately!) along Ramsay street, where I found all kinds of colourful and positively delicious looking Italian sweet treats.
I just wanted to get a Rum Baba, but my aunt also got me some Pistachio cookies and Cannolis! And then we went to a place called Pasticceria Papa and got a big piece of their famous Ricotta cheesecake!
If those exotic sounding words haven’t already convinced you, let me say it again. Those were little pieces of heaven in my mouth. Those cannolis are still the best I’ve ever had, the Rum Baba tasted amazing, and the cheesecake was the creamiest Ricotta cheesecake I’ve had so far.
But the star was undoubtedly (and surprisingly) those soft, slightly fudgy / chewy Italian Pistachio cookies! They had lovely, crunchy pistachios on the outside and a soft center. I could have eaten them all day.
As long as I was living in Sydney, I was able to catch a bus ride to Little Italy and get some of those cookies. But when I moved North along the coastline a couple of years later, I had to find a way to recreate them.
I developed the recipe over several years and tried numerous batches before I got something that was very close to what I had first had in Sydney. And it’s so easy! You only need 4 ingredients: Pistachios, Almonds, Sugar and Egg whites (and no flour and no butter). It takes less than 30 minutes from start to end. I hope you like it just as much as I do! 🙂
The trick to baking these perfect Italian Pistachio Cookies is the baking time! You only want to bake these cookies until the bottom of the cookie is just lightly browned. You don’t want the top of the cookie to brown too much (only the edges!) because then these aren’t going to be too soft in the middle.
The baking time depends on the shape and size of the cookies. If you make cookies that are about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, then they will need about 15 – 17 minutes in the oven. If you make cookies that are about 1 inch in diameter, they only require 10 – 12 minutes.
I like to make crescent shaped cookies as well! When I make these Italian Pistachio Cookies in a crescent shape, I first make a 1 1/2 inch cookie ball and then shape into a crescent shape. These will be ready after baking for about 12 minutes. Because of the shape of these cookies, they take a shorter time to bake than their “ball” counterpart.
For this recipe, I made 1 inch round cookies and crescent cookies made with 1 1/2 inch rounds. So that the baking time is the same for both.
If you love Pistachios this is the cookie for you. However, even if you’r not a fan, you should still try them! 🙂 Because these cookies are what turned me to the green side! Besides they are so easy to make, why not give them a try?
Soft in the center, a little fudgy, not too sweet and dairy free and gluten free ! You can also check out my homemade pistachio paste for a deliciously nutty and sweet pistachio butter, or these orange blossom marshmallows with pistachios for more pistachio goodness!
I always make a double batch, because trust me, they are not going to last very long! So my advice is, make a double batch secretly, and then pretend like you only made one. You won’t be sorry! 🙂 And if you’re making these for the holidays, check out my collection of candy recipes , cookie recipes , and Christmas recipes for more holiday favorites that everyone will love!
More holiday-worthy cookie recipes you’ll love
- Shortbread cookies
- Chocolate shortbread cookies
- Chocolate chip & cranberry shortbread cookies
- Thumbprint cookies
- Linzer cookies
- Soft ginger cookies
- Funfetti cookies
- Best chocolate chip cookies
- Double chocolate chip cookies
- Chocolate hazelnut cookies
- Thyme and cheddar cheese cookies (savory cookies)
- Savory thumbprint cookies
Recipe
You can also visit me on FACEBOOK , INSTAGRAM , PINTEREST and GOOGLE-PLUS too. I love sharing pictures of recipes to come on the blog plus other awesome recipes I find out there that I want to try.
