Description
These gluten-free pistachio cookies are layered with flavor! In every bite, you’ll get caramel notes from the brown butter, puddles of melty chocolate chunks, crunchy pistachios, and a touch of salt. They’re INCREDIBLE!
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, cut into cubes (2 sticks, 226 grams)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed (150 grams)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour, weighed or scooped & leveled (300 grams)*
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (8 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 7 ounces dark chocolate bars, roughly chopped into large chunks (I use Lindt 70% bars)
- 1 cup salted, roasted pistachios, chopped (I buy pre-shelled!)
- flaky sea salt, to finish (optional)
Instructions
- 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 mixing 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!)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 and pistachios to the cookie dough. Mix by hand with a spatula until just combined.
- 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)
- 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 (so you can alternate sheets between batches.)
- Bake & Cool The Cookies. Roll 6 cookie dough balls in between your palms to smooth them out and place onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are a golden brown color and the centers look just underdone. Garnish the tops of the cookies with a few extra pieces of chocolate and pistachios. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if desired. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat process with remaining cookie dough.
- Serve & Store. Enjoy right away once the cookies are cooled down, or store in an airtight container 2-3 days. (Or, freeze up to 2 months)
Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour. We highly recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free Flour blend for these cookies. If you use another blend, make sure it contains xanthan gum! Don’t substitute almond flour, coconut flour, oat flour, etc. for these cookies.
- Measure Carefully! The secret to perfect cookies is measuring the flour correctly. Gram measurements will give you the most best results every time, but if you can’t weigh the flour, use the spoon and level method. (DON’T use your measuring cup to scoop the flour!)
- 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, I promise!
- A Trick For Pretty Cookies. Use a large round cookie cutter to gently shape the cookies into perfect circles right when they come out of the oven. Then, top them with a few more chocolate chips, pistachios, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt!
- Make Them Smaller. This recipe makes 18 large cookies. If you prefer to use a medium scoop, reduce the bake time by 1-2 minutes per batch.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chill Time: 2 Hours
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
