These Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are absolutely divine. They are buttery, crumbly, packed with chopped pistachios and dipped in dark chocolate - what's not to love?
As a Scot, I am of course partial to a delicious piece of buttery shortbread, but this pistachio shortbread cookie recipe takes things to a whole new level - I think they may be my new favorite thing! Usually, when I bake things for the blog I give most of them away - but these I kept all to myself because I couldn't bear to part with a single one! The recipe uses the same basic shortbread as my Traditional Scottish Shortbread recipe, but the method is a little different and they are of course full of lovely nutty pistachios and dipped in chocolate.
I have so many incredible pistachio recipes on this blog - I'm pretty sure I'm the world's biggest pistachio lover! From my Pistachio Cake to my Pistachio Muffins, I think I have more pistachio flavor desserts than any other flavor - and for good reason! But while some are extravagant, like my Pistachio Dacquoise, these are so simple, with only 5 ingredients. But the whole is greater than the sum of its parts here as these chocolate pistachio shortbread cookies are out-of-this-world delicious!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple recipe with only 5 basic ingredients.
- The recipe uses the 'slice and bake' method so there is no need for rolling out or cookie cutters.
- They are totally scrumptious and also visually stunning - great for the holiday season to serve or even give as gifts.
Ingredients
This pistachio shortbread cookies recipe is an easy, melt-in-the-mouth shortbread with added pistachios and dark chocolate. Classic shortbread only contains 3 ingredients and that is what we use as the base.
- Butter - As with any shortbread recipe, it is important to use high-quality butter with a high-fat content to make sure you get that wonderful crumbly texture. I like to use Kerrygold. Use salted butter, or if you only have unsalted butter, just add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the recipe with the flour.
- Sugar - Use granulated white sugar. Some shortbread recipes call for confectioner's sugar, but if you want classic shortbread as it's supposed to be, use granulated (caster sugar in the UK).
- Flour - All-purpose flour is best, we don't want any leavening agents like you find in self-raising flour.
- Pistachios - Of course, you'll need pistachios. I like to make it easy on myself and buy mine already shelled. You can use unsalted or salty pistachios - this is totally down to personal preference. It also doesn't matter if you use roasted or raw pistachios as we'll be baking them anyway.
- Chocolate - These pistachio cookies are wonderful on their own, but dipping them in chocolate does something magical to them. I've always thought dark chocolate and pistachio were a match made in heaven, but you could use milk chocolate or even white chocolate if you prefer. Make sure you use real chocolate and not chocolate chips as chocolate chips have other ingredients in them that stops them from melting properly (so they are bake stable).
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
The first step of this recipe is making a simple shortbread cookie dough, then we'll add the pistachios and shape the dough.
- Step 1: Make sure your butter is completely at room temperature before beginning. Put your softened butter into a mixing bowl and mix it with a wooden spoon or spatula just to soften it a little more.
- Step 2: Add the sugar to the butter and mix together, just until combined. You could use a stand mixer with paddle attachment, or an electric mixer for this, but it's not really necessary as it's easy enough to do by hand. If you do use a mixer, just make sure to keep it on low speed as we don't want to incorporate too much air into the mixture.
- Step 3: Add the flour and mix until it starts to clump together - it will look kind of like large, chunky breadcrumbs. Ditch the spoon and bring it together with your hands to form a smooth dough.
- Step 4: Chop the pistachios roughly and put ⅔ of them into the dough. Reserve the other third for sprinkling on top later. Use your hands to work the pistachios into the dough evenly.
- Step 5: Tip the dough out onto your work surface and form it into a long log shape with your hands, about the width of a paper towel roll. Wrap the dough log in a large piece of plastic wrap and roll it a little to smooth it out into a neat round shape. Transfer dough to the fridge and chill for an hour or until it feels very firm to the touch.
- Step 6: After an hour, preheat your oven to 320°F / 160°C and line a sheet pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Shortbread is baked at a low temperature so that it can bake all the way through before the top of the cookie starts to turn brown.
- Step 7: Unwrap the dough from the plastic and use a sharp knife to slice ½-inch rounds, place them on your prepared baking sheet with room to spread.
- Step 8: Bake shortbread for 15-20 minutes. Bake time will vary depending on how thick you cut your cookies so keep an eye on them and take them out when the edges are just starting to turn golden brown. Baked shortbread still looks a lot paler than regular baked cookies, so you really want to take them out just when the edges are turning, otherwise, they'll be overbaked.
- Step 9: Remove the pistachio shortbread cookies from the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Step 10: Once the cookies are cooled, it's time to dip them in chocolate! Chop the chocolate into small pieces and microwave in 30-second increments until completely melted. Dip the pistachio shortbread cookies into the melted chocolate to about halfway. Shake gently to get off any excess chocolate and then lay on a piece of parchment paper.
- Step 11: Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle the top of the cookies with the reserved chopped pistachios. Optionally, sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on there too. Allow the chocolate to set completely.
- Step 12: Marvel at the beauty of what you have just made and enjoy your wonderful pistachio shortbread cookies with a cup of tea!
Advanced Tip
If you want the perfect finish on your cookies, temper your chocolate! Tempering will allow the chocolate to set hard and shiny and it won't melt easily at room temperature. It's an extra step but it's a lot easier than you think.
Did you know you can temper chocolate in the microwave without a thermometer or any fancy equipment? See my post on how to temper chocolate to find out how.
Do You Need to Temper the Chocolate to Dip Cookies?
You definitely don't have to temper chocolate in order to dip cookies but there are a few advantages to doing it:
First of all, the chocolate will set a lot faster - tempered chocolate will only take a minute or two to set, whereas untempered chocolate takes a long time to set or needs to be placed in the fridge.
Secondly, tempered chocolate has a nicer finish and will look shiny and professional on the cookie. We are covering it in pistachios anyway so this might not matter to you too much.
Lastly, untempered chocolate melts a lot faster at room temperature than tempered chocolate, so it is more likely to make your fingers messy.
Ultimately, you'll still have wonderful chocolate-dipped pistachio shortbreads whether you temper your chocolate or not, but the option is there if you just want your shortbreads to be a touch more professional.
It's actually a lot easier to temper chocolate than you think. You can do it easily in the microwave without a thermometer! Check out my post about how to temper chocolate to find out more.
Variations
- Leave out the chocolate - Of course, you don't need to dip your pistachio cookies in chocolate. I think it really adds something to the cookies but they are still absolutely delicious without it! You could also try other kinds of chocolate like milk or white chocolate.
- Extra Flavor - For some flavor variation try adding some extracts to your shortbread dough - i think this recipe would go particularly well with almond extract.
- Different Nuts - You don't have to stick to pistachios! I love pistachios as they are my favorite nut and the green color makes for wonderful Christmas cookies, but you can make this recipe with any kind of nuts you like! Try walnuts or pecans.
- Shapes - You don't have to use the slice-and-bake method for this dough - you could also roll it out and cut into whatever shapes you like, just make sure the shapes are very chilled (almost frozen) before putting them in the oven so they retain their shape.
Equipment
This pistachio shortbread recipe is so simple and easy, you don't need any fancy equipment for it at all, just basic things you probably have in your kitchen.
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Cookie sheet
- Microwave-safe bowl
Storage
Store your pistachio shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough in the log shape, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a Ziploc bag for up to 3 months. To bake, place in the fridge overnight to thaw and then bake as normal so you can have wonderful homemade cookies anytime!
More Pistachio Desserts
Hey pistachio lover! If you can't get enough of pistachio desserts, check out some of these recipes:
Recipe
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Salted Butter 227g (room temperature)
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar 100g
- 2 cups All-purpose Flour 250g
- 1 cup Pistachios 120g (without shells)
- 4 oz Dark Chocolate 113g
Instructions
- Put the softened butter in a mixing bowl and beat it lightly with a wooden spoon to soften some more.2 sticks Salted Butter
- Add the sugar and beat together with the butter. You can use an electric mixer if you want but it's not necessary. Just beat until combined and no more, we don't want to incorporate any air here.½ cup Granulated Sugar
- Add the flour and mix until it starts to form clumps and looks like large chunky breadcrumbs. Ditch the spoon and use your hands to bring it together into a smooth dough.2 cups All-purpose Flour
- Roughly chop the pistachios and add ⅔ of them into the shortbread dough. Reserve the other third of them to sprinkle on top later. Use your hands to knead the pistachios into the dough so they are evenly dispersed. Don't overwork the dough.1 cup Pistachios
- Shape the shortbread dough into a log shape, roughly the width of a paper towel roll. Wrap it in plastic wrap and twirl the edges like a Christmas cracker to seal it in. Roll it on your work surface to smooth out the edges and make it more round.
- Chill the dough log in the fridge for one hour or until it feels very firm to the touch.
- After an hour, preheat your oven to 320°F / 160°C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the shortbread dough from the fridge and unwrap it from the plastic wrap. Use a sharp knife to slice it into rounds about ½ an inch thick. Place the rounds on the prepared cookie sheet with enough room to spread.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are just starting to turn golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once the shortbread has cooled, chop up your dark chocolate and melt in the microwave in 30-second increments until totally melted.*4 oz Dark Chocolate
- Dip the shortbread cookies into the chocolate to about halfway then lay them on a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle the remaining chopped pistachios on top and let them set. Optional: You can also sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt on there if desired.
Saul Gravy
These look so tasty! Love the idea of the pistachios adding a little bit of extra bite to the shortbread! Genius!
K M
Sodium count is wrong if using 2 sticks salted butter!
Jules Grasekamp
Hi K M,
Thank you for pointing this out. The nutritional values are automatically calculated by the recipe plugin, so I will look into what went wrong here and make sure it is rectified.
Thank you!
Jules
Chris Radwanski
These are unlike any other shortbread I’ve eaten and man are they tasty! Safe to say these disappeared as quickly as they appeared 🙂