The Food Blogger Cookie Swap is a fundraiser with all of the proceeds going to Cookies For Kids' Cancer. I try to take part in as much charity work as I can, so this cookie swap allows me the opportunity to tie in two of my other passions: my blog and baking. For my second year in the cookie swap, I decided to keep things slightly old school with a mild twist.
I love this recipe because it's got the sweet and salty thing going on. The sea salt heightens the chocolate and pistachio flavor in such a great way.

You will love these Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies
You will love my Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies recipe! These cookies are:
- The perfect combination of sweet and salty, featuring rich chocolate chips and crunchy pistachios baked into a soft, buttery dough.
- The nutty flavor of pistachios adds a delightful twist to classic chocolate chip cookies, making them irresistibly delicious and a hit for any occasion.
- Whether you enjoy them with a glass of milk or as a sweet snack, these cookies are sure to become a new favorite!
Ingredients for Salted Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Unsalted cold butter
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Dark chocolate chips
- Freshly shelled roasted pistachios
- Sea Salt
How to make Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars together until pale and fluffy.
- Add the egg and beat in for about a minute. Lastly, add vanilla extract and beat til blended.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the mixture all at once to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Finally mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.
- Scoop cookies onto prepared baking sheets. Leave about an inch and a half of room between each cookie. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- I like my cookies chewy and soft, so I baked them for 14 minutes, you can bake them for a bit longer until golden brown if you prefer.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storing Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
Unbaked cookie dough storage
I'm a big fan of making a big batch of cookie dough and freezing the bulk of the dough in order to have fresh baked cookies whenever I want. This is my process for freezing cookie dough:
- Using your ice cream scoop, scoop out your cookie dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Chill the scooped cookie dough balls in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cookie dough from the freezer and place the cold cookie dough balls into a freezer safe zip-top bag.
- Place the freeze cookie dough for up to 2 months.
- When it’s time to bake the cookies, bake them for two minutes longer since the dough is frozen.
Baked cookie storage
To store your baked cookies, as soon as the cookies are cool place them in a tightly closed plastic container or resealable bag. They will stay fresh for 3-5 days.

Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies Variations and Substitutions
Substitutions:
- Dark Chocolate:
- Substitute semi-sweet or milk chocolate for a sweeter flavor.
- Use white chocolate chips for a creamier, less intense chocolate experience.
- For a dairy-free option, use vegan dark chocolate or dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Pistachios:
- Swap pistachios for other nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pecans for a different nutty crunch.
- For a nut-free version, replace pistachios with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Flour:
- Use gluten-free flour to make the cookies gluten-free.
- For a healthier twist, substitute part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or almond flour.
- Sugar:
- Use a sugar substitute like monk fruit sweetener or coconut sugar for a lower-sugar option.
Variations:
- Add Dried Fruit:
- Incorporate dried cranberries, chopped dates, or raisins for added sweetness and texture.
- Spice it Up:
- Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom for a warm, spiced flavor.
- A dash of espresso powder can enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Citrus Twist:
- Add orange zest or a few drops of orange extract to complement the dark chocolate and pistachios with a bright, citrusy note.
These substitutions and variations allow you to customize your Dark Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies to fit your preferences or dietary needs!
Check out these other cookie recipes
Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips I used Ghirardelli's 60% cocoa dark chocolate chips
- 1 heaping cup of freshly shelled pistachios lightly salted
- Sea Salt for topping Preferably Maldon
Instructions
- -Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- -In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat in for about a minute. Lastly, add vanilla extract and beat til blended.
- -In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the mixture all at once to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Finally mix in the chocolate chips and nuts.
- -For this recipe, I scooped cookies 1 tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheets. Leave about an inch and a half of room between each cookie. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Place the cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes
- -I like my cookies chewy and soft, so I baked them for 14 minutes, you can bake them for a bit longer until golden brown if you prefer. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Storing Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
Unbaked cookie dough storage
I'm a big fan of making a big batch of cookie dough and freezing the bulk of the dough in order to have fresh baked cookies whenever I want. This is my process for freezing cookie dough:- Using your ice cream scoop, scoop out your cookie dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Chill the scooped cookie dough balls in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cookie dough from the freezer and place the cold cookie dough balls into a freezer safe zip-top bag.
- Place the freeze cookie dough for up to 2 months.
- When it’s time to bake the cookies, bake them for two minutes longer since the dough is frozen.
Baked cookie storage
To store your baked cookies, as soon as the cookies are cool place them in a tightly closed plastic container or resealable bag. They will stay fresh for 3-5 days.Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies Variations and Substitutions
Substitutions:- Dark Chocolate:
- Substitute semi-sweet or milk chocolate for a sweeter flavor.
- Use white chocolate chips for a creamier, less intense chocolate experience.
- For a dairy-free option, use vegan dark chocolate or dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Pistachios:
- Swap pistachios for other nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pecans for a different nutty crunch.
- For a nut-free version, replace pistachios with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Flour:
- Use gluten-free flour to make the cookies gluten-free.
- For a healthier twist, substitute part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour or almond flour.
- Sugar:
- Use a sugar substitute like monk fruit sweetener or coconut sugar for a lower-sugar option.
Variations:
- Add Dried Fruit:
- Incorporate dried cranberries, chopped dates, or raisins for added sweetness and texture.
- Spice it Up:
- Add a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom for a warm, spiced flavor.
- A dash of espresso powder can enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Citrus Twist:
- Add orange zest or a few drops of orange extract to complement the dark chocolate and pistachios with a bright, citrusy note.







Erica says
Thanks for sending me these awesome cookies! I just recently discovered I love pistachios, so it worked out nicely. I bet they were even yummier right out of the oven 🙂
fatgirlhedonist says
I sent them priority, so I hope they made it ok. Aren't pistachios oddly amazing!?
Amanda k. says
Thanks so much for sending me a batch of these, they were AMAZING! Dark chocolate and pistachios are two of my favorite things :)!
Ava Tettamanti says
Imma try this...after I top off my 3 Cookie Butter jars, that is.
Buyessays says
thank you
Kathryn says
Do you have to chop the pistachios or leave them whole?
Cari says
I leave them whole, but you can give them a rough chop if you like.
Shalini Patel says
These are outstanding. It took 19 minutes, though, at 300, to get a nicely-browned cookie. I wonder if moving temp to 350 would be more efficient, but I'd hate to mess with anything because the result was outstanding.
Billie says
I’ve made a lot of chocolate chip cookies before, but this is my favourite recipe I’ve ever tried! My new go-to for sure.
Jennifer says
I’m so excited to make these! I see that it calls for cold butter; I assume this blends in okay with the sugars? (I have mostly seen bringing the butter to room temperature before blending it with sugars so I figured I’d check.) thank you!!
Anna Nydza says
Love these cookies !!! I followed the recipe I also thought the low temp was different but it came out so good the only thing I changed was instead of vanilla I used almond flavoring
Caroline says
Love them they turned out delicious and definitely will be making them again
Anna Nydza says
I too thought the low temp was weird but I followed the recipe these are amazing !!! I also did almond extract instead of vanilla,the cookies were perfect
Anastazie says
These cookies were fantastic. I made the recipe just as instructed. I over cooked the first batch (I forgot about them)but they were still delightful. This is the first batch of cookies that came out like a cookie and not cake like. Thank you for this recipe.