Gluten-Free Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Talk about a fully-loaded cookie! These Gluten-Free Brown Butter Pistachio Chocolate Chunk cookies have notes of caramel & toffee from the brown butter, with crunchy pistachios and puddles of melty chocolate in every bite!

I love a classic cookie recipe, to be sure, but there’s also something delightful about a cookie that’s just a bit…extra, isn’t there?

These Gluten-Free Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies use a few clever techniques & a delicious combination of ingredients to make a decadent, delicious, memorable cookie you won’t want to miss.

In every bite, you’ll get caramel and toffee notes from the brown butter, puddles of melted chocolate chunks, crunchy pistachios, and a touch of salt. Add in golden brown edges and chewy, soft texture in the middles, and you’ve basically got my perfect cookie!

Best of all, you start with simple ingredients…

Simple Ingredients To Get Started

These gluten-free pistachio cookies are a riff on our popular Gluten-Free Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, so if the ingredients list looks familiar, it IS! Let’s take a look at the magic ingredients:

• Butter. We’re adding extra flavor to these cookies by browning the butter first to caramelize it. You can use salted butter for more flavor or unsalted butter to have more control over the salt content. I’ve made these pistachio cookies with both.
• Brown Sugar & White Sugar. I like a combination of these two types of sugar to get the right balance of chewy and golden brown.
• Eggs + An Egg Yolk. Using two eggs AND an extra egg yolk gives these delicious gluten-free cookies a more chewy texture that’s amazing with the brown butter. (Don’t know how to separate an egg? This tutorial will show you how!)
• Vanilla. Plenty of vanilla extract combines beautifully with the caramel & toffee notes from the brown butter and the rich chocolate flavor.
• Gluten-Free Flour. I’m using a measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend. I highly recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure flour for these cookies. If you use another brand, be sure it contains xanthan gum so your cookies have the right texture. Be sure to weigh with a kitchen scale or measure correctly to avoid packing too much flour into the measuring cup!
• Cornstarch. A secret ingredient. The cornstarch gives these cookies a delicate exterior and slightly lightens the texture inside.
• Baking Soda & Baking Powder. For puff and spread. (Make sure they’re fresh by doing these quick tests!)
• Dark Chocolate Chunks. I’ve used store-bought chocolate chunks & chopped chocolate bars, and much prefer the puddles of chocolate you get by chopping chocolate bars yourself. The variety of shapes and sizes makes for more interesting cookies! I like 70-72% dark chocolate (I used Lindt chocolate bars for these!)
• Salted, Roasted Pistachios. Some of my favorite nuts! I use the Wonderful Roasted Salted Pistachios that are already shelled to save time & energy.
• Maybe Some Flaky Sea Salt. Not strictly necessary, but I love to garnish the cookies with a little flaky sea salt (like Maldon salt!). It’s a great addition!

How To Make Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full pistachio cookie recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!

1. Brown & Cool The Butter. Melt the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the butter begins to foam. (Watch carefully when the butter begins to foam, as it will turn golden and brown quickly.) When the butter under the foam is golden (like honey) and smells sweet with a nutty aroma, remove the pan from the heat and transfer to the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl to cool for 10-15 minutes, until it’s no longer hot to the touch. (Make sure to get all those lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan!)
2. Combine Brown Butter & Sugar. When the butter has cooled to room temperature, add the sugar and brown sugar. Mix with the paddle attachment on medium speed 2-3 minutes or until well combined and the mixture looks like wet sand.
3. Add Eggs + Egg Yolk One At A Time. Add eggs + egg yolk one at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix In The Vanilla. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
4. Add Dry Ingredients. Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix for a few seconds (it won’t be fully combined). Set aside a little of the chocolate and pistachios to top the cookies later, then add the remaining chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios to the cookie dough. Mix by hand with a spatula until just combined.
5. Scoop & Chill The Dough. Use a large cookie scoop (3 Tablespoon size) to scoop cookie dough balls. Place in an airtight container, cover, and chill the cookie dough balls for at least 2-3 hours, up to 1 day in advance. (Do NOT rush this step, or your cookies will spread far too much)
6. Preheat The Oven & Prep Your Pans. When you’re ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator while the oven fully preheats to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (so you can alternate sheets between batches.)
7. Bake & Cool The Cookies. Roll 6 cookie dough balls in between your palms to smooth them out and place onto a prepared cookie sheet. Bake at 350 in preheated oven on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are a golden brown color and the centers look just underdone. Garnish the cookies with a few extra pieces of chocolate and pistachios. Sprinkle with a little bit of flaky salt, if desired. Cool the cookies on the baking tray for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Repeat process with remaining cookie dough.

FAQ + Tricks For The Best Gluten-Free Pistachio Cookies

Don’t Skip The Chill Time! I *know* it’s tempting to rush right through, but the chill time is ESSENTIAL to this pistachio chocolate chunk cookie recipe turning out properly. Chilling allows the flour to absorb liquid from the cookie dough, which helps control the spread of the cookie. If you skip the chill time, your cookies will spread FAR too much. It’s worth the wait for the best results, I promise!

Pistachios. For ease, I love to use Wonderful salted, roasted pistachios. If you’re salt sensitive, or prefer to control the salt yourself, feel free to use roasted unsalted pistachios!

Play Up The Flavor! If you want to elevate the pistachio flavor in these delicious cookies, feel free to add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon almond extract along with the vanilla.

Can I Use Something Besides Pistachios? Well, these ARE pistachio chocolate chunk cookies, so I don’t recommend it, but if you’re not a fan of pistachios, feel free to use chopped pecans or walnuts instead. 

Looking for Pistachio Pudding Cookies? Swap in an instant pistachio pudding mix into this pudding chocolate chip cookie recipe and use chocolate chunks & pistachios for your mix-ins! (The pudding mix adds a fun green color!)

happy baking! xo, emily

Recipe Card