Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
Now with brown butter! These Dark Chocolate Pistachio cookies will make a special treat for friends and family – filled with chunks of dark chocolate and pistachios, with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Why Choose Dark Chocolate with Pistachios?
Dark chocolate is the perfect companion for the unique flavor of pistachios. Because pistachios can be a bit firm, you’ll want to chop them medium fine (maybe a little smaller than I have in the photo here.) Combined with the naturally nutty flavor of brown butter, you’ll love the combination.
Tips and Tricks
Making Brown Butter can be a bit tricky, as it can go from perfect to scorched in literally seconds. The trick is to know what to look for. Here’s a great video from the fabulous America’s Test Kitchen that will give you a visual clue to know when your butter is just about ready:
(She says to use only unsalted butter, but I’ve found salted works just as well – you may need to look a little more closely.)
Light brown versus Dark brown sugar. The only difference here is the amount of molasses added to the sugar to achieve the flavor and color. Personally, with these cookies I prefer the dark brown, as the molasses adds even more deep flavor to the cookie.
Finally, be sure to refrigerate the dough for at least half an hour. Since you’re using melted butter rather than just softened, the cookies will spread too much if you pop these in the oven while the dough is still warm. Chilling ensures a nice, uniform chewy cookie.
And if you like these, be sure to try my other recipes like Crispy Butterscotch Cookies or Dwaine’s Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Butter Salted or Unsalted
- 1 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar or substitute Light Brown
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 lg Eggs
- 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
- 2 1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt Omit if using salted butter
- 1 1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chopped into chunks
- 1 Cup Pistachios roasted and salted, chopped medium
- Sea Salt Flaked, for topping
Instructions
Brown Butter
- Melt 1 cup of butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Continue heating until most of the water has evaporated and butter becomes frothy with fine bubbles. Lower heat and stir. Watch closely, as the butter will quickly turn to an amber color with a nutty aroma. Once you get the desired color, remove from heat and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Cookies
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add the sugars and the cooled butter (including any solids that have settled to the bottom). Mix on medium until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until the batter is smooth and velvety, about 2 minutes.
- Add the flour mixture and beat just until well-combined. Remove from the mixer and fold in the chocolate and nuts with a heavy spoon.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This is an important step, as the butter must be chilled in the dough to form the proper cookie texture!
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment or Silpat sheet
- Form 2" balls of dough by hand or with a cookie scoop. Arrange on cookie sheet 3" apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes (I go 13 minutes). The edges should appear just browned.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on each cookie. Let rest for five minutes, then remove to cool completely on a cookie rack.
