Italian Pistachio Cookies Recipe
These Italian-style pistachio cookies are soft, delicate, and naturally flavored with finely ground pistachios—no pudding mix or artificial color needed. Rolled in powdered sugar for a crackled finish and baked low and slow, they’re a classic Italian bakery cookie perfect for holidays, cookie tins, and everyday treats.
Servings: 18 -20 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ cup pistachios shelled, unroasted, unsalted
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or almond extract
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
- powdered sugar for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchement paper and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Grind the pistachios – Add the pistachios to a food processor and pulse until flour texture forms, but not into pistachio paste the ground. Add to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix dry ingredients – add the almond flour and salt to the ground pistachios. Mix until well combined.
- Whisk eggs and sugar – In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients- fold in the egg and sugar mixture to the pistachio almond flour mixture mixing until a soft and slightly sticky dough forms.
- Shape the cookies – Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to measure portions of dough (about a heaping tablespoon). Shape the dough into balls (or a cresent shape for a traditional Italian look) and roll in the powdered sugar. Optional: place one pistachio on top of each cookie ball before baking.
- Place the dough balls on prepared baking sheet at least one inch apart.
- Bake – Preheat the oven to 325°F and bake for 15–18 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden on the edges.
- Cool and enjoy – Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- Grind, Don’t Paste: Pulse pistachios just until finely ground and flour-like. Stop early—over-processing releases oils and turns them into a paste.
- Double Sugar Coating: Roll the dough in powdered sugar before baking for a delicate, crackled crust. Dust again after cooling for a classic Italian bakery finish.
- Bake Low and Slow: A lower oven temperature (325°F / 160°C) keeps the centers soft with lightly crisp edges. Remove the cookies as soon as they’re set to avoid drying them out.
- Mix Just Until Combined: Once the dough comes together, stop mixing. Overworking the dough can make these delicate cookies dense instead of tender.
Nutrition
Serving: 21g | Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 78mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
