Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies (Gluten-Free)

Indulge in the ultimate treat with these irresistible Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies. These gluten-free cookies have crisp edges with a soft and chewy center, loaded with pistachios, chocolate chunks, and flaky sea salt.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
• Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
• Ingredient Notes
• How To Make Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Substitutions & Variations
• Expert Tips
• Storage Instructions
• FAQ
• More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
• Recipe
• Reviews

Why You'll Love This Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

These gluten-free pistachio chocolate chunk cookies are baked with toasted brown butter and melty puddles of dark chocolate chunks! They’re crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and loaded with crunchy pistachios. This recipe is a twist on my classic gluten-free white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. If you’re a fan of pistachios you will love these cookies! Here are some more reasons why you will love this recipe:

• Flavorful, rich, and decadent - The brown butter flavor adds toasty warm caramel-like notes. The almond extract helps enhance the pistachio flavor, and for extra indulgence, we use 72% dark chocolate and flaky sea salt.
• Easy to make - This recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients. Perfect for holidays like Christmas or Saint Patrick's Day.
• Packed full of chocolate chunks and pistachios - Each bite is loaded with melty chocolate, crunchy pistachios, and flaky sea salt.

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this delicious gluten-free pistachio chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Ingredient Notes

• Unsalted Butter: Browning the butter adds so much flavor to the cookie dough and gives the baked cookies a soft chewy texture.
• Dark Brown Sugar & Cane Sugar: Dark brown sugar and regular white cane sugar give these cookies the perfect texture and flavor. The dark brown sugar adds moisture, while the white sugar helps crisp the edges.
• Egg & Egg Yolk: The extra egg yolk adds richness. Using room-temperature eggs is recommended. 
• Vanilla Extract & Almond Extract: A high-quality vanilla extract and almond extract help highlight the pistachio flavor.
• Gluten-Free Flour & Almond Flour: We use Bob's Red Mill, 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour, and almond flour. This gluten-free flour blend creates the perfect texture. 
• Baking Soda: Gives the cookies a lift and helps the cookies to brown and spread while baking.
• Salt: Helps enhance the flavor of the dough.
• Dark Chocolate: Adds a rich depth to the cookies. To get the puddles of chocolate, you'll want to use a dark chocolate bar that is 70-72% chocolate, or Ghiradelli's 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Premium Baking Chips. Dark chocolate chips are also an option, but the cookies will spread less.
• Salted, Roasted Pistachios: Shelled, roasted, salted pistachios add a delicious crunchy texture.
• Flaky Sea Salt: Garnish with flaky salt for the perfect salty-sweet bite.

Find the printable recipe card with full instructions and measurements below.

How To Make Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Step 1: Brown the butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat. Using a rubber spatula, stir continuously as the butter begins to foam. Continue to stir until the butter turns a rich amber color and gives off a nutty aroma, then remove the pan from the heat. Quickly pour the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl. Make sure to scrape out all of the toasty brown bits from the bottom of the pan and into the bowl. Let the brown butter cool for 15-20 minutes.
• Step 2: Chop the chocolate and pistachios. While the butter cools, finely chop the pistachios into small pieces. If using a bar of chocolate cut the bar into small chunks or if using the Ghiradelli dark chocolate wafers, weigh out 130 grams and set them aside.
• Step 3: Combine the wet ingredients. Once the butter has cooled, add the regular cane sugar and dark brown sugar to the bowl. Mix with a whisk attachment on medium speed for 1 minute.
• Step 4: Add the egg, egg yolk, and extracts. Add the large egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Whisk until just combined, do not over-mix. Turn off the mixer.

• Step 5: Add the dry ingredients. Whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined.
• Step 6: Fold in the chopped chocolate and chopped pistachios. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dark chocolate and pistachios into the dough.
• Step 7: Scoop and chill the dough. Use a large cookie scoop (2 Tablespoon size) to scoop the cookie dough into 40-gram balls (weigh on a food scale). Cover and chill the cookie dough balls in an airtight container for at least 2 hours. (If chilling longer than 2 hours, let the dough come to room temperature for 20 minutes before baking.
• Step 8: Bake and cool the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll each ball of dough in between your palms until smooth, and then place 6 balls onto a prepared baking sheet. Add a few extra pieces of chocolate on top, then place the baking sheet in the oven for 9-10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center looks pale and slightly underdone. Remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle the top of the cookies with finely chopped pistachios and flaky sea salt. (To achieve perfectly round cookies, place a large cookie cutter or glass cup over the top of each cookie and gently swirl in a circular motion until they form a perfect circle.) Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. 

Substitutions & Variations

• Use Dark Chocolate Chips - This pistachio chocolate chip cookie recipe can be made with chocolate chips but will spread less in the oven due to the lower amounts of cacao butter. After the chill time, bring the cookie dough to room temperature for 20 minutes before baking when using chocolate chips.
• Use White Chocolate - Instead of a dark chocolate bar, chop up a white chocolate baking bar or use white chocolate chips.
• Add Matcha Powder - A teaspoon of matcha powder will add a small amount of earthy flavor and a vibrant green color to the dough.

Expert Tips

• Refrigerate the dough for two hours- Do not skip the chilling time! This pistachio chocolate chip cookie dough will need to chill for at least two hours. Chilling the gluten-free flour helps hydrate the dough resulting in a less grainy cookie, and the flavors will enhance the longer the dough is chilled.
• Use a kitchen scale to measure - For best results, weigh your ingredients according to the measurements in the recipe card below.
• Use pre-shelled roasted salted pistachios - Buying pre-shelled pistachios will save a lot of time. Make sure they are salted and roasted for the best flavor.
• Add the flaky sea salt - Flaky sea salt takes an ordinary cookie and makes it gourmet. The salty-sweet combination of crunchy pistachios, dark chocolate, brown butter, and sea salt creates the perfect balance of flavors.

Storage Instructions

• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If the cookies start to harden, you can reheat a cookie in the microwave for about 8-10 seconds to bring back its soft and gooey consistency.
• Freezing: Scoop the dough into balls and place them on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the sheet into the freezer until the dough balls are solid, which usually takes about 2 hours. Then, transfer the frozen dough balls into a freezer bag or air-tight container for up to 1 month. Let the cookie dough balls rest at room temperature 30-60 minutes before baking.

FAQ

More Cookie Recipes You'll Love

I hope you love this pistachio chocolate chip cookie recipe as much as I do! If you make it, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.

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