Pistachio Butter Blossom Cookies

A classic cookie gets a pistachio twist, made with a triple dose of nutty pistachio flavor. The dark chocolate kisses pressed into the centers are melty and molten right out of the oven (my favorite way to enjoy them), but firm up again after an hour or so, making these cookies perfect for shipping or sharing.

These wickedly green cookies are buttery and tender, with a kiss of luxurious dark chocolate in the middle that would please even the grinch. I’ve packed as much pistachio flavor as I possibly can into these two-bite cookies, with pistachios in three forms: pistachio butter, pistachio flour, and pistachio extract.

The classic peanut butter blossom, now with 100% more pistachio (green is the new beige, after all).

These cookies are a result of having a glut of homemade pistachio butter leftover from my recipe testing experimentation last year. It felt too indulgent to use for something as menial as an afternoon snack (although apple slices + pistachio butter is sublime), so I was saving it for a special occasion (and by special occasion I mean a recipe as fabulous as this one).

Mission: accomplished! I just know you’ll love these cookies as much as I do.

Pistachio is such a nuanced flavor, much less in your face than peanut butter or even hazelnut, and even using pistachios in three forms (butter, flour, and extract) these cookies are still not in-your-face pistachio like, say, pistachio gelato; rather, they are more like a soft and buttery sugar cookie with an undertone of earthy, nutty pistachio and a hint of fragrant almond.

This recipe is based on the peanut butter blossom cookie recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s The Perfect Cookie; I liked that this recipe included both nut butter and finely ground nuts, which helped amp up the subtle flavor of the pistachio.

This recipe is also unique in that it calls for adding the chocolate kisses when the cookies are not quite fully baked, then baked for the remaining minute or two with the chocolate (surprisingly, the chocolate doesn’t completely melt by doing this, rather the chocolate will set more quickly than if the kisses are added at the very end. Go figure!)

Pistachi-oh-my-goodness!

Obviously the easiest way to make these cookies is with already made pistachio flour and pistachio butter (can be store bought or homemade).

But if whole pistachios are more economical/easier to come by, you can use those too. Simply grind them finely in a food processor with a little bit of the flour (don’t forget to weigh out your flour and pistachios first, then process the nuts with a spoonful or two of flour). Give it a few quick pulses until finely ground, taking care not to over-mix, lest it start to become pistachio butter. No need to sift unless there are really big pieces still or if you want a finer texture.

If you don’t have pistachio flour OR butter made/on hand, you could start with all raw pistachios, (probably 1 1/2-2 cups worth depending on the size of your food processor and how much it can reasonably process at one time; most food processors don’t work very well with small quantities). Pulse the nuts a few times, then sift out 60 grams of the finer stuff (set that aside, that’s your flour!) Then continue to process the rest until it transforms first into a thick paste (keep going), and then into a smooth pistachio butter. Measure out 1/2 cup or 128 grams of that to use in the cookies; anything left you can save for snacks or other treats!

Blanching and peeling your pistachios, if you have the patience, will give you a more vibrant green color. However, it is quite tedious and certainly not required (if you do opt to blanch and peel, be sure you don’t boil them for too long, 30 seconds at the most, or they’ll be too soft to process properly).

The color of your cookies will depend on the color of your pistachio butter. I used my greenest batch of homemade (made from imported slivered Turkish pistachios); most commercially available pistachio butter is a bit less vibrant in color, but still packed with pistachio flavor.

Ready to get baking? Here’s how to make them:

Combine flour, pistachio flour (or pistachios finely ground with a little bit of the flour), salt, baking soda and baking powder in a mixing bowl.Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy, then add pistachio butter and mix until incorporated before adding egg and extracts.Once eggs are emulsified and fully incorporated, add dry ingredients and mix until no dry streaks of flour remain.Lightly cover and chill for 20-30 minutes or until firm enough to shape.Using a small cookie scoop, spoon out about 1 tablespoon (15-17 grams worth) of dough.Roll dough balls between your palms until it forms a smooth ball.Roll the ball of cookie dough in granulated sugar until evenly coated.Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving 2-inches of space between cookies.Bake for 9-10 minutes, then quickly press chocolates into the centers of each cookie; return to oven for 1-2 minutes more.The cookies are done when the bottom edges are just starting to brown; the chocolates will be shiny but shouldn’t fully lose their shape (they will set up again once completely cool).

A kiss of chocolate.

I went in search of a higher quality chocolate kiss for these cookies (I’m really not a fan of the classic kiss, at least the American version of it). This proved to be more difficult than I realized (Hershey likely has a claim on the ‘kiss’ shape, preventing other companies from making anything similar). I did stumble across one alternative, which is what I ended up using in the final cookies: Wilbur semisweet chocolate Buds (there’s also a milk chocolate version). While they are a little smaller than kisses, I found them to be a much higher quality, better tasting chocolate that still held its shape beautifully when pressed into the hot cookies.

You can also use Hershey’s Special Dark kisses, which taste better than the classic milk version (in my opinion at least), however they are much meltier and won’t hold their kiss shape as well when they come in contact with the hot cookies. Still delicious, just not as… perky.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Pistachio flour: You can use pre-made pistachio flour or very finely ground pistachios. I find it helpful to add a spoonful of the flour in with the pistachios when you grind them, which helps keep them dry and from turning into pistachio butter too quickly (be sure to weigh the correct amount of pistachio and flour BEFORE you combine them).

You can use whole de-shelled pistachios, raw or lightly toasted. If using roasted and salted nuts, reduce the salt in the cookie recipe by 1/4 teaspoon.

Pistachio butter: Pistachio butter can be homemade or store bought. Note this recipe calls for pistachio butter NOT pistachio cream (which is a sweet spread and not the same thing at all). Look for a product with only pistachios and salt in the ingredient list.

If your pistachio butter is unsalted, you can increase the salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon.

Pistachio extract: This is optional, but since pistachio is such a subtle flavor I find the extract helps enhance it. For this recipe I used the Beanilla pistachio extract, which is the most almond-forward of all the ones I’ve tried.

In lieu of pistachio extract, you can use 1/4 teaspoon almond extract instead.

Chocolate kisses: You can use classic Hershey’s kisses, or the dark chocolate version (they’re just a bit meltier), or another similarly shaped candy (I used Wilbur semisweet chocolate Buds). Even something like Dove chocolate squares would work well if you’re looking for a slightly higher quality chocolate taste.