Soft Italian Pistachio Cookies Recipe
Invite Sicily into your home kitchen with these irresistible soft Italian pistachio cookies: chewy, nutty, naturally gluten-free cookies that stay tender for days and disappear fast from any cookie tray.
Servings 18 cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups raw shelled pistachios
- ⅔ cup cane sugar, or granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt, or fine sea salt
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
For Dusting
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the pistachios, sugar, and a generous pinch of salt. Pulse until the nuts are finely but coarsely ground: no large chunks should remain, but you still want some texture. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the almond flour, and stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites, lemon zest, honey, and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the pistachio–almond mixture and mix with your hands until the dough comes together in a moist, sticky mass, about 2 minutes.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (1½ tbsp/22 ml), portion the dough and roll each portion into a ball with your hands. Roll each ball in the bowl of powdered sugar to coat it generously, then arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2-in (5 cm) apart. Using the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass, press very lightly on each one to slightly flatten the top.
- Bake for about 14 minutes, or until the cookies are just starting to turn lightly golden around the bottom edge and the tops look set but still soft. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes—they will firm up as they cool while staying soft and chewy inside.
- Once completely cool, transfer the cookies to an airtight container. They keep well at room temperature for up to 1 week and stay wonderfully soft, with the flavor improving after a day or two.
Video
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