When I made these pistachio shortbread cookies for the first time, I knew I’d struck flavor gold! These cookies are based on my tried-and-true classic shortbread cookies. The wonderful combination of pistachios, lemon zest, and vanilla bean paste tastes so good. The cookies come out of the oven soft and tender, holding their shape, and with a delightful pistachio flavor. For a truly impressive flavor and look, top them with a simple raspberry glaze.
Why No One Can Resist These Pistachio Cookies
Is there anything better than sweet, buttery shortbread cookies? Yes! Sweet, buttery shortbread cookies with toasted pistachios in them!
I went to one of my favorite books, The Flavor Bible, for inspiration when testing this shortbread recipe, and I loved the flavor match of pistachio and lemon zest. When I baked them, wow! Those flavors did not disappoint.
This pistachio shortbread is easy and accessible for beginner bakers, as it starts with my foolproof 3-2-1 ratio (12 ounces of flour, 8 ounces of butter, and 4 ounces of sugar) shortbread cookie recipe that comes out every time. This ratio guarantees that the cookies hold their shape when baking, and with a simple slice-and-bake method, every single cookie is beautifully round and bakes evenly with a golden brown color.
Adding a raspberry glaze is optional, but I promise, it takes these cookies to the next level. The sweetness of the nuts tastes great with the tartness of the raspberries. Plus the pink raspberry glaze and green pistachios look pretty together and the colors are so festive.
For more nutty shortbread cookies, try my Brown Sugar Pecan cookies or my Apricot Pistachio Shortbread. If you want a fruity twist for your cookies, then grab my recipes for Strawberry Shortbread and Lemon Shortbread cookies.
Pistachio Shortbread Cookie Key Ingredients
Since this is a basic recipe (not a lot of ingredients), every ingredient counts. Use high-quality butter that tastes good and pistachios that have a sweet, nutty flavor.
- Pistachios: These should be toasted for the best flavor and roughly chopped, not too big and not too small. Start with unsalted raw pistachios, instead of nuts that come already toasted, because sometimes already toasted nuts can be too toasted.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: A dose of vanilla pairs beautifully with the toasted pistachios and the lemon.
- Lemon Zest: Lemon zest adds a bright, floral lemon taste to these cookies and pairs well with the nutty sweetness of the pistachios. Use lemons that have a shiny peel, because a shiny peel indicates a lot of oil, and therefore flavor, is still in the peel. If the peel is dull or dry-looking, don't use it.
Optional Easy Raspberry Glaze
- Frozen Raspberries: Frozen raspberries work great for this as they are still tart and fresh when thawed, and are available all year round.
- Powdered Sugar: This thickens the glaze and adds a subtle sweetness to match the tart raspberries.
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Reasons to Toast Your Pistachios
I 100% recommend toasting your pistachios before mixing them into the cookie dough. When I was on the Great American Baking Show, the judges, Paul Hollywood and Sherry Yard, said over and over, you have to toast your nuts. Here’s why:
- Enhances the flavor and scent: Toasting pistachios before baking enhances their flavor, making them richer and more nutty. The natural oils in pistachios release more fragrance when toasted.
- Deepens the color: Toasting brings out a gorgeous vibrant golden-green hue in pistachios which makes these cookies look extra tasty and inviting.
How to Make Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
Step 1: Toast the nuts until they are lightly browned. Cool them and then chop them into small pieces.
Step 2: Stir together the chopped pistachio nuts and the flour together.
Step 3: Place the sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla bean paste in the bowl of a stand mixer. Zest the lemon on top.
Step 4: With a paddle attachment, mix the ingredients on medium speed until the mixture is thoroughly combined and smooth.
Step 6: Add the flour-nut mixture. Mix until the dough has come together into large pieces.
Step 7: Divide the dough into two equal pieces, and shape each piece of dough into a log
Step 8: Wrap each log in wax paper.
Step 9: Chill the shortbread dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Step 10: Remove one log of cookie dough from the refrigerator. Slice the dough into rounds. Place up to 12 cookie rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Step 11: Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be lightly golden brown.
Step 12: Remove the shortbread cookies from the oven. Cool them on a wire cooling rack until completely cool.
How to Make Raspberry Glaze
Step 13: Microwave frozen raspberries in a bowl briefly until they thaw out. Drain out any liquid, then press the raspberries through a fine mesh sieve to get about 2 tablespoons of raspberry puree.
Step 14: In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar with 5 teaspoons of raspberry puree until the glaze is smooth and thick.
If adding the raspberry glaze, spread it across the top of the cookie evenly, then sprinkle more chopped pistachios on top of the glaze while it’s still wet.
Tips for Making These Cookies
- For the best results use a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients. The ratio of flour, butter, and sugar is the key to the cookies keeping their shape. Too much flour will result in a dry, crumbly cookie and too little flour will result in a cookie that spreads.
- Use great-tasting butter. The taste of the butter is very prominent once the cookies are baked so make sure your butter tastes great.
- Bake the cookies on parchment paper instead of Silpat. I noticed that the bottom of the cookies flare out just a little bit when baked on Silpat
- When baking multiple batches, don't place unbaked cookies on a warm baking sheet.
More Scrumptious Shortbreads to Try
Can you tell by the number of shortbread recipes on my blog that I love baking them? I think so! Here are some of my go-to cookies, especially around the holiday season.
If you make these delicious pistachio shortbread cookies please leave a rating and a comment below.
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Pistachio Shortbread Cookies (with Raspberry Glaze)
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
Ingredients
Pistachio Cookies
- 4 ounces (114 grams) granulated sugar
- 10 ounces (284 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 12 ounces (340 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (120 grams) pistachios toasted and chopped
Raspberry Glaze (Optional)
- 3 ounces (90 grams) frozen raspberries
- 1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar
Instructions
Toast the Pistachios
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the nuts on a small baking sheet and toast the nuts for 8 minutes, until they are lightly browned.
- Let the nuts cool to room temperature and then chop them into small pieces.
Make the Cookie Dough
- Measure out all the ingredients before you start mixing them together. Stir together the flour and 80 grams (½ cup) of pistachios in a medium-sized bowl.
- Place the sugar, butter, salt, and vanilla bean paste in the bowl of a stand mixer. Zest the lemon directly on top of the other ingredients. With the paddle attachment mix the ingredients on medium speed until the mixture is thoroughly combined and smooth (about 2 minutes).
- Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl, and add all the flour-nut mixture at once. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix until all the flour is just combined. The dough will be crumbly at this point. Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until the dough has come together into large pieces. The dough should be soft and easy to handle.
- Divide the dough into two pieces, each weighing about 409 grams. Lightly flour a clean working surface. The flour will prevent the dough from sticking as you shape it. Place one portion of the dough on the floured surface and gently press it into a rough rectangular shape, about 1 inch thick. Now, with your hands, start to gently roll the dough back and forth, applying even pressure. As you roll, the dough will begin to lengthen and form a log shape.
- Continue rolling and shaping the dough until it forms a smooth, uniform log about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter. If the dough starts to crack, don't worry! Just gently press it back together. Once you're happy with the shape of your log, wrap it in wax paper.
- Cut a sheet of wax paper that is long enough to wrap around the log with a little extra for overlapping. Place the log 2 inches from the long edge of the wax paper. Bring the long edge of the paper together over the top of the dough and smooth it so there are no gaps. Roll the log in the wax paper. You may need to occasionally stop and pull the wax paper tight if any gaps form. Twist the ends of the wax paper like a candy wrapper to secure the log. Repeat this process with the second portion of dough. Now your dough logs are ready for chilling
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and for up to 2 days. Chilling the dough will help the cookies hold their shape when baking.
Bake the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove one log of cookie dough from the refrigerator. Use a ruler to mark the log every 1/2-inch for cutting the cookie log. Slice the dough into rounds. Please up to 12 cookie rounds on a cookie sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be lightly golden brown.
- Take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a cookie rack to completely cool.
- At this point the cookies are ready to eat.
Make the Raspberry Glaze (Optional)
- Place the frozen raspberries in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute to thaw out the raspberries. If this is any liquid in the bottom of the bowl drain it, then pour the raspberries into a fine mesh sieve. Press the raspberries through a strainer. You should have a little over 2 tablespoons of raspberry puree
- Place the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add 5 teaspoons of the raspberry puree and stir until the glaze is smooth and thick.
- Decorate the Cookies (Optional)
- Spread about ½ teaspoon of the glaze over the cookie and then sprinkle chopped nuts on top of the glaze while it is still wet.
Storage
- Store the unglazed cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days. The glazed cookies should be consumed within 3 days.
How to Freeze Unbaked Cookie Dough
- Once your cookie dough logs are securely wrapped in wax paper, you can freeze them to bake later. First, chill them in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour so the log is firm.
- Place the wrapped logs in a large freezer bag or airtight container. This freezer bag will help prevent freezer burn and keep your dough fresh. Make sure to squeeze out as much air as possible from the freezer bag before sealing it tightly. Lay the bag flat in the freezer. This will help the logs maintain their shape and prevent them from getting squished by other items in your freezer.
- Shortbread cookie dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to bake, take a log out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight until it's firm but pliable enough to slice. Slice and bake according to the recipe instructions. Add a minute or two to the baking time to account for the dough being chilled.
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