Pistachio Shortbread Cookies ~ a classic buttery shortbread slice and bake cookie loaded with fresh pistachios. These easy cookies melt in your mouth!
“My mom has been begging me to make her some pistachio cookies. Came across this recipie and wow these cookies are absolutely delicious! The buttery flavor of shortbread is perfect with the pistachios. I will defiantly be making this again.” ~ Carly
Pistachio shortbread cookies are perfect holiday treats
I’m taking advantage of the surplus of nuts in the stores during the holidays to make lots of these buttery pistachio shortbread cookies loaded with freshly shelled nuts and a hint of vanilla. I used unsalted roasted pistachios packaged still in the shell, they’re fresher that way, and I used enough of them so that you can actually taste the pistachio flavor. Believe it or not, you can actually buy real Pistachio Extract for a more pronounced taste, and someday I may try that, but for me the vanilla and the nuts themselves make for a really subtle and unusual cookie. Depending on how thick you slice them, and precisely how long you cook them, they will either be crispy or buttery, it’s your call.
Tips for working with slice and bake dough
- Slice and bake cookies never turn out quite as perfectly round as roll out cookies, but they have a nicer texture, I think. They’re tender and crumbly, never tough.
- If you want to help insure that the log of dough stays round while it chills, you can wrap the log in a thick towel first.
- Make sure the dough is nice and cold, and use a sharp, serrated knife, I used a bread knife, and a gentle sawing motion to slice through the dough cleanly.
I keep a whole lineup of shortbread cookie dough logs in the freezer during the weeks leading up to Christmas
I can’t tell you how useful they are. We’re all about the easy cookies in the days leading up to the holidays and even though I always have lots of more complicated recipes on my to-do list, as the days before Christmas dwindle, I have to pare things down to the essentials. This is a rustic cookie you can really sink your teeth into, and about as easy as it gets…
A little stack of these cookies makes the perfect offering if you’re going visiting, or if people show up on your doorstep unexpectedly. Even after it’s baked, shortbread lasts a long time without going stale, so it’s really a holiday workhorse. I have lots of other shortbread cookie recipes on the blog, so check them out for more inspiration.
- Douglas Fir Shortbread Cookies
- New Fallen Snow Shortbread Cookies
- Maple Walnut Shortbread Cookies
- Double Dark Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
Package your cookies in sturdy boxes for giving
I use decorative take-out style boxes for small cookie gifts, not only because they look great, but they’re sturdy so you don’t have to worry about crushing all your hard work. They’re small enough that you can make a nice gift out of just a few cookies. You can find them all over the place, mine are from Cost Plus.
Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup whole pistachios
Instructions
- Cream the butter and the sugar together.
- Beat in the vanilla.
- Whisk together the flour and cornstarch. Blend them into the butter and sugar, until it forms a dough.
- Stir in the pistachios and make sure you get them well distributed in the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a log, about 9 or 10 inches long. Wrap it in the plastic and smooth it into a uniform smooth shape, twisting the ends to secure.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Slice the dough into 1/4 - 1/3 inch slices and place on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Thinner slices will bake up crispier, and thicker ones will be more buttery and soft.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, maybe a little longer for thicker cookies. The cookies will still be pale and soft, but will firm up as they cool.
- Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then cool completely on a rack.
63 Comments
Cherry
January 30, 2021 at 3:29 amThese taste amazing, perfect for my husband who is always so critical of my cookies being too sweet (when I just really follow recipes toust the right amount of sweetness and soooo buttery. They really melt in your mouth! I added a cup of sliced almonds coz I really love pistachio-almond combination. The only thing that went wrong was that I couldn’t quite slice them perfectly into the disc shapes in the photos after chilling them. They kept crumbling and breaking even when I used a serrated bread knife as instructed. (not sure if it’s because of the extra almonds?) I ended up having to re-roll them into balls and pressing them down flat just like you do regular cookies. They still turned out great! So if this happens to you too don’t be so hard on yourself. ?
Sharon
January 18, 2021 at 8:52 pmI have made this recipe heaps and they have always turned out so delicious. Sometimes I have trouble cutting the rounds and they crumble but no matter I press them back together. I have also tried it with almonds and yummo. I might give it a go with chocolate chips and see how it goes as well. A simple biscuits that looks harder than it is.
Sabrina
December 26, 2020 at 4:34 pmMy first time making shortbread and it was easy! Hardest part was letting the butter come to room temperature. The cookies are pretty crumbly, even after cooling, but that seems fairly normal for shortbread. I used salted pistachios (all I had) and loved how they tasted with the sweet cookie.
Bunny Peters
December 25, 2020 at 8:36 amI made these cookies with the following additions @ the time I added the vanilla:
1/2 tsp. Ground cardamom
1 tsp. Crushed saffron threads (I used saffron sourced from the Middle East that a Persian friend had gifted me)
The cookies didnโt last: everyone loved them!!!
Nikki Stoyko
December 13, 2020 at 2:00 pmI have now used this recipe over six times and it never fails! It is a family favourite, and today I swapped out vanilla and pistachios for almond extract and glacรฉ cherries and I have the most delightfully pink dough chilling in the fridge! Thanks for sharing such a solid, delicious, and easy recipe!
Nikki Stoyko
December 13, 2020 at 2:03 pmI should add that as we are a vegan household, I use plant-based margarine baking sticks and the cookies still turn out perfect! Buttery and crispy without the dairy!
Sue
December 13, 2020 at 5:28 pmThat’s great to know Nikki, I have all sorts of shortbread cookie recipes so this is useful, thanks.
Sue
December 13, 2020 at 5:29 pmNow you have me wanting to make the cherry version ๐
Pistachio Pudding Cake {Texas Sheet Cake} | LemonsforLulu.com
October 6, 2020 at 10:30 am[…] Pistachio Shortbread Cookies […]
Arlene
September 20, 2020 at 11:23 amThese sound amazing! I wonder if we can use chocolate covered pistachios for this recipe? I picked up a bag a Costco the other day!!! ????
Sue
September 20, 2020 at 12:32 pmI don’t see why not!
Christine Meuser
August 21, 2020 at 5:34 pmThese sound amazing!! I want to make them tomorrow i do have a question, do you chop the nuts?
Sue
August 21, 2020 at 6:05 pmI did not for this recipe, but you can if you prefer to do it that way.
Christine Meuser
September 9, 2020 at 12:10 pmI made these and they were amazing!!!! I dipped them halfway in dark chocolate.
Sue
September 9, 2020 at 3:07 pmThat’s a brilliant idea ๐
Tash
August 10, 2020 at 8:47 amTried it and loved it…. thank you so much for sharing
May
May 6, 2020 at 3:22 pmI don’t have corn starch but would love to try this tonight. Can I substitute the cornstarch with almond flour?
Sue
May 6, 2020 at 5:42 pmThat should work fine, and you can also just use all regular flour.
May
May 6, 2020 at 7:30 pmFound cornstrach so all is good. Is it normal to have the dough crumbly before being chilled? This is my first time making shortbread!
Sue
May 6, 2020 at 7:33 pmThe dough should be thoroughly combined and not be too crumbly May. But shortbread does have a crumbly texture after being baked, if that makes sense.
Mary
November 16, 2019 at 12:04 pmJust read Michelle Lewis comment – โturned off the oven and did the traditional drying of shortbread until oven cools w door ajarโ.
I have never heard of this and would love to know more. Sounds interesting and would love to know why and how it effects the final result.
I hope you have the answer for me Sue. ๐
Feryall
June 23, 2019 at 8:30 pmStumbling in rather late, again! Your pistachio shortbread cookie reminded me of a wonderful pairing of pistachio with cardamom, often used in the royal Mughal desserts of India. This recipe could perhaps be a nod in that direction by mixing in about 1 tsp of cardamom powder with the sugar and omitting the vanilla. Will the exclusion of the liquid of the vanilla change the texture of the shortbread?
Kasey
June 10, 2019 at 5:22 pmThank you so much for the recipe, I made them for my dad for father’s day, I don’t know what he thinks yet because it’s a surprise. I tasted them though and they were great, I made smaller rolls so I ended up with over 50 cookies. I would make these again.
Sue
June 10, 2019 at 6:02 pmGreat, I hope he loves them Kasey!
Gauri
January 11, 2019 at 9:36 amAdd mini chocolate chips and this is my FAVORITE recipe ever. I could eat a whole batch at once.
Sue
January 11, 2019 at 10:36 amOoooh I like that!
Carly
December 20, 2018 at 2:56 pmMy mom has been begging me to make her some pistachio cookies. Came across this recipie and wow these cookies are absolutely delicious! The buttery flavor of shortbread is perfect with the pistachios. I will defiantly be making this again.
Sue
December 20, 2018 at 3:07 pmThanks Carly ~ if you get inspired you can try this same recipe with all kinds of different nuts.
Denise
May 26, 2018 at 9:42 amThese cookies are so good! I’ve been making them a lot over the last few months. I make them your way, without pistachios and i’ve tried with pecans – yum! I’m making them this week for a tea fundraiser but I’m going to try rolling the chilled dough to cut out teapot shapes and dip in chocolate. These are dangerous cookies to have around in my house!
Sue
May 26, 2018 at 10:27 amI’m so glad I could make a shortbread cookie convert out of you! I love your teapot cookie idea, you should tag me with a photo on instagram…
Parastoo Yazdani
February 21, 2018 at 8:19 amcould you rewrite the recipe in grams??? plsss
Dwithiya
January 18, 2018 at 5:35 amThese pistachio cookies are my husband’s absolute favourite!! All other cookies have taken the back seat!
Sue
January 18, 2018 at 9:25 amThat’s so great!
Jill Roberts @ WellnessGeeky
December 21, 2017 at 3:42 amDefinitely your pistachio shortbread cookies are awesomeness! This is a great recipe Sue. It is very decadent, and the people in my office are happy today! Thx for sharing!
Kristen S
December 20, 2017 at 1:15 amI made these for my Nonaโs 87th birthday and they were a huge hit at the party. I used salted pistachios and arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch and they came out perfectly. Iโm going to make these again this weekend. Thanks!
Sue
December 20, 2017 at 7:21 amWow, I’m honored to have been a part of that occasion, so cool! I can imagine the salted nuts added a nice flavor, I’ll try that.
Donna
December 13, 2017 at 10:08 amOops! Sweeties are candies in my neck of the woods. That I think might be a see through poly bag for candies in American speak.
Donna
December 13, 2017 at 10:05 amHi Sue, I love the idea of these cookies, and so, will prepare some for gifts. For how long will they keep if presented in a sweetie bag? Thanks in anticipation of a great reply. DQ
Sue
December 13, 2017 at 10:07 amI’d say they’d keep up to a week, Donna ~ Happy Holidays <3
Dan
June 24, 2016 at 2:41 pmThanks for the recipe, but I wouldn’t recommend setting the oven in the first step since the dough needs to be refrigerated for hours/overnight.
Sue
June 24, 2016 at 2:42 pmGood point Dan!
Susan
December 13, 2015 at 4:34 pmHi Sue, I made these cookies just a few hours ago and they’re delicious. They took longer to bake for me, about 17 minutes, and I’m thinking it may have to do with the kind of baking trays we’re using.
At any rate, the cookies are quite good. I’m going to make the chocolate walnut shortbread next, and I’m really anxious to try the savory pistachio shortbread. When I do I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Love your site.
Sue
December 13, 2015 at 4:54 pmThe baking trays could make a difference, Susan, and it could also be an issue with the oven temperature…it’s surprising how many ovens don’t cook at an accurate temperature, and even a small deviation can make a difference…although most of us get used to our particular ovens and compensate for them in lots of ways!
Renee J. (RJFlamingo)
October 15, 2015 at 6:20 amI think these are my very favorites! Pinned and Stumbled!
Sue
October 15, 2015 at 6:34 amThanks Renee!
Gayatri
March 17, 2015 at 11:46 amyummy cookies! I have made them and shared them too!???? thank you for the recipe.
Sapphire
March 1, 2015 at 10:07 pmis it ok to use confectioners sugar instead ? In all your other shortbread recipes you’ve used confectioners sugar but in this granulated …. How come ?????…. Cookies look amazing btw….
Sue
March 2, 2015 at 7:11 amYou are observant! I like to change things up, you can use either, but lately I prefer granulated sugar. If you like these cookies and you make them more than once, you can try both ways and see what you think!
GaleMarie
January 17, 2015 at 3:36 pmThese look absolutely devine. I have all ingredients on hand but was wondering if I finely crushed some pistachios and added them to the dough along with the whole nuts if you think that would give the cookie more of a pistachio taste without hurting the actual cookie. Thanks for the recipe.
Sue
January 17, 2015 at 3:45 pmYou can certainly try that, GaleMarie, it will probably give the cookie a slightly more ‘sandy’ texture. Let me know, it sounds good!
cristina
August 3, 2014 at 2:33 amMaking these cookies – I love pistachios and who doesn’t love shortbread? Thanks for the tip on the pistachio extract, I’ve never even seen a pistachio extract before. Will need to try it in something! ๐
Sue
August 3, 2014 at 3:16 pmThanks for stopping by, Cristina, I hope you do find the extract, I’d collect them all if I could. The good quality ones are worth their weight in gold!
Christina @ Christina's Cucina
December 20, 2013 at 6:15 amBeautiful cookies, beautiful photos!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
December 19, 2013 at 10:16 pmI love shortbread and the pistachios are so pretty!
Eileen
December 19, 2013 at 11:23 amNow this is my kind of cookie! Super easy, not too sweet, and full of delicious nuts. I think I may need to get on the pistachio train very soon!
Karen Harris
December 19, 2013 at 9:32 amLove these cookies! I just might have to make some for my pistachio loving husband. I agree by the way, Prosecco, definitely Prosecco.
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December 19, 2013 at 8:59 amI like these green nuts in your shortbread cookies. I would mind having one with a glass of prosecco ๐ ela
Sue
December 19, 2013 at 9:07 amSounds like a good combination!
Michelle Lewis
November 10, 2019 at 9:57 amCan I use salted butter
Sue
November 10, 2019 at 10:06 amYes if you don’t mind the little bit of salty taste.
Michelle Lewis
November 10, 2019 at 8:49 pmOMG! I used your recipe as a baseline then added soaked rum raisins. Chilled 5 hrs then sliced them a bit thick.then baked for 17 minutes, turned off the oven and did the traditional drying of shortbread until oven cools w door ajar. Made a simple glaze and dipped them. They will dry over night! Freaking delish! Can’t wait for coffee!
Sue
December 17, 2019 at 1:19 amHi can I use pecans instead.
Sue
December 17, 2019 at 7:31 amAbsolutely ๐