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Overhead shot of Pistachio Wedding Cookies

Pistachio Wedding Cookies

Replacing Pistachios for the usual pecans or walnuts make a great version of this classic cookie

Course Baking, cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword cookies, pistachios, powdered sugar, wedding cookies
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups roasted and salted shelled pistachios
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened at room temperature
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

Powdered sugar for finishing

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°
  2. Have 2 cookie sheets lined with Silpat or ungreased ready. You can use one cookie sheet, just make sure you cool the sheet before baking the second batch.
  3. Have an additional cookie sheet or any sizeable flat container big enough to have the cookies cool in. Sift a generous amount of powdered sugar all over the bottom of the additional cooling container. It also helps to have a bowl or dish with more sifted powdered sugar in it for rolling.
  4. Dampen several layers of paper towels and place on work surface. Spread the roasted and salted pistachios on top of the towels and lightly rub them to remove excess salt.
  5. In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until very finely chopped, be careful not to over process as the nuts will turn to nut butter. Or you can finely chop the pistachios by hand.
  6. In a mixer or by hand, cream the butter with the powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
  7. Beat in the vanilla bean paste or extract and the salt.
  8. At low speed or by hand, stir in the all-purpose flour until the mixture looks well combined and is crumbly.
  9. Stir in the chopped pistachios; continue to blend until the dough starts to come together.
  10. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. A small cookie scoop works well here, or you can use a spoon.
  11. Place the rolled cookies onto the Silpat lined or ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. These cookies do not spread very much.
  12. Once the sheet is full of rolled cookies Place in the preheated oven.

  13. Bake the first sheet for 12-15 minutes, the tops of the cookies will not brown, but the bottoms will just be golden brown. Try not to overcook as they go from great to dry and crumbly very quickly, remember thy will cook for a few minutes more as they cool on the cookie sheet. Continue to roll and fill the second sheet while you are baking the first batch. You will get 55 to 60 rolled cookies.

  14. When the first batch is done, pull the cookies out and bake the second batch.
  15. While the cookies are still warm roll a few at a time in the dish of powdered sugar. Transfer the powdered sugar coated cookies onto the dusted cooling pan spacing them a little apart. Let cool completely.
  16. Repeat with the second batch.
  17. Once the cookies have completely cooled, roll them a second time in the powdered sugar.

Recipe Notes

These pistachio wedding cookies will keep in a sealed container for two weeks.