These festive Triple Chocolate Cookies with Pistachios go all-in on the chocolate levels! A crowd-pleasing treat that doubles as a delicious homemade gift. {Jump to Recipe}

I can hardly think of a better way to say “I love you” than baking a batch of cookies and giving them as a gift. For any and all holidays throughout the year, I like to bake assortments of cookies and create mix-and-match boxes for friends and family. This allows me to avoid going out shopping (which I hate!) and to assemble each gift with all the love only homemade treats can carry.

Each time I go on such cookie-baking adventures, I carefully pick a combination of classic and new recipes. One thing’s for sure, though: chocolate chip cookies always make an appearance because honestly, is there a more popular cookie than choc chip cookies? While my search for the best CCC is still ongoing, when I created these Triple Chocolate Cookies with Pistachios, I knew I’d have to make sure to keep a stash in the freezer, at all times. Talk about love at first bite!

These Triple Chocolate Cookies go all-in on the cacao levels: dark chocolate chunks (for the gooey factor), milk chocolate chips (for a touch of sweetness), and dark cocoa powder (also known as Dutch-processed cocoa powder, for the deep flavor and super dark color). Pistachios give them a lovely crunch and a bright, festive touch. You could very well mix the pistachios in the cookie batter, but I think the cookies look so much better with all the jewel-green nuts on top! Plus, the short baking time means the pistachios get just the right amount of toastiness. If you don’t have pistachios, you can use hazelnuts instead, or if you’re making the cookies for someone who’s allergic to nuts, you can very simply omit them altogether.

I usually make large triple chocolate cookies with this dough, but for special occasions, I made smaller cookies so I can bag them and hand them out as treats. As always, ice cream scoops (also called cookie scoops) are what you need to measure out cookie dough quickly and easily. I use a large scoop (3 tbsp/45 ml capacity) to make larger (3 1/2-in/8-cm) cookies, and a medium scoop (11/2 tbsp/22 ml capacity) to make smaller (2-in/5-cm) cookies. You’ll find clear bags to package cookies in individual portions right here. Simply close each gift bag with a string or some ribbon and you’re done! Continue Reading