My lemon pistachio cookies have the perfect colors of spring. The bright tangy flavor of the lemon comes through with every delicate bite. But, you also get the earthy flavor from the chopped roasted pistachios. My local store sells the pistachio roasted, which just adds another layer of flavor.
To finish these spring cookies, I added an orange glaze that is drizzled on top of each cookie. Nothing like a bright lighter citrusy cookie to usher in spring.
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Ingredients for Lemon Pistachio Cookies
- Butter unsalted
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon zest
- Lemon juice
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Pistachio roasted
Ingredients for the Orange Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Orange juice
- Honey
- Half & Half
Step-By-Step in Making Lemon Pistachio Cookies
As always, I do the prep work before I mix. I have learned that weighing out the dry ingredients helps to make my cookie consistent. I have used My Weigh scale for years and love all the features.
Prep
1. First thing I do is weigh my powdered sugar and set it aside. Now, weigh the flour. Add to the flour the baking powder and the salt. I grab a whisk and blend.
There is both the zest and juice of the lemon in this cookie, so I will start with the zest. I cut the ends off to make it easier to get all the zest from the lemon. Then cut it in half and juice both halves.
The pistachios I got from the local store are already roasted. If you can't find them at your store, here is a link to Oh My Veggies that has several ways to roast pistachios. I got a measuring 1 cup to put my chopped pistachios in after I cut them up. Set these aside and we are ready to mix the cookie dough.
Mixing the Cookie Dough
2. I almost always cream my butter first, start by cutting the butter into slices. This way I can tell how cold the butter is which will let me know about how long to cream the butter. Usually about 1 to 2 minutes.
3. If the butter gets wrapped around the beater, I just stop and push it through the beater and then turn the mixer back to a medium speed until the butter looks creamy with soft peaks.
4. Add the powdered sugar on top of the creamed butter. Start the mixer on the lowest mixer speed until the sugar has been incorporated into the butter. Then increase the mixer speed to medium. Mix for 3 minutes.
5. The powdered sugar with the butter forms a soft, creamy texture.
6. Next, add the lemon juice, zest, and the vanilla extract. Blend until incorporated.
Scrape the bowl down and on a low mixer speed add about ⅓ of the flour mixture at a time. This takes only a minute to have all the flour added. Finally, add the chopped pistachios.
7. Using a pastry mat or your counter, dust it with a little powdered sugar. You have a choice here of 2 logs or one big one. My preference is 2. I can get 1 sliced log on 1 cookie sheet pan. This way I can leave the 2nd log in the fridge until I am ready for it. I made the log about 20 inches and then cut the log in half.
8. Wrap each half in plastic wrap. I use a baguette pan, so the logs stay round while they are chilling. If you do not have a baguette pan, you can half the cardboard center of a paper towel roll and then lay each log in one half.
Chill for at least 1 hour. After I put them in the fridge, I run errands before baking them in the afternoon.
Slice and Bake Lemon Pistachio Cookies
9. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
My first roll I got 13 sliced cookies. But if you have a hard time eyeballing the measurement, you can lay a measuring tape down beside the log and score the log every ¾ of an inch, then make your slices.
10. Add the sliced cookies to the prepared cookie sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Once out of the oven, I let them sit for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool before starting the orange glaze.
Making the Orange Glaze
11. To start, juice one orange. I used a navel orange. Weigh the powdered sugar and add it to a mixing bowl. Add to the sugar the orange juice, honey, and the half & half. Whisk all the ingredients until smooth. It took me about 45 seconds.
I used a ½ teaspoon filled to drizzle the glaze on the top of each cookie. Repeat until they all get the same amount.
It doesn't take long for the glaze to set, but I left mine alone for about 1 hour.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
If you can't find unsalted shelled roasted pistachios, you can make your own. You can buy shelled unsalted and make your own. Shell and then roast them in the oven. I buy the unsalted so I can control the amount of salt. Here is a link to Oh My Veggies that has several ways to roast pistachios.
Since these do not need refrigerated, I keep them in an air-tight container right on my counter. They stay good for at least 5-7 days.
If you use bottled lemon juice, that means you will not have the lemon zest. Fresh lemon juice and zest you can't beat. But if you only have the bottled lemon juice, add it and taste the cookie dough and you will have to judge if you like it or not.
More Spring Lemon Cookies
Recipe
Lemon Pistachio Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
LEMON PISTACHIO COOKIES
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- ⅔ cup (80 g) Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Lemon zest
- 3 Tablespoon (3 Tablespoon) Lemon juice
- 2 cups (250 g) All-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1 cup (123 g) Pistachio roasted chopped
ORANGE GLAZE
- 1 cup (120 g) Powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Orange juice
- ½ Tablespoon (0.5 Tablespoon) Honey
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Half & Half
Instructions
LEMON PISTACHIO COOKIES
- Weigh or measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour into a bowl. Add to the flour the baking powder and the salt. Run a whisk through to blend. Juice and zest a lemon into separate bowls and set them aside. Finally, chop the roasted pistachios.
- Slice the butter into a mixer bowl. Cream the butter until it has soft peaks about a minute. Add the powdered sugar and mix for 3 minutes on a medium mixer speed. Add the lemon juice and zest along with the vanilla extract and blend. Scrape down the bowl and on a low mixer speed add about ⅓ of the flour mixture at a time until incorporated. This will only take a minute. Complete the cookie dough by adding the chopped roasted pistachios.
- Add the cookie dough to a lightly powdered sugar dusted pastry mat or counter. Roll and form a log about 20 inches long. Cut the log in half and wrap each half with plastic wrap and place them on a baguette pan to help keep them round. If you do not have a baguette pan, you can half the cardboard center of a paper towel roll and then lay each log in one half. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Take one of the cookie logs and slice even ¾-inch slices. You should get about 13 or 14 cookies per log. Add all the slices from one log onto one of the prepared cookie sheet pans and bake for 10-12 minutes. Once out of the oven, leave them on the pan for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack.
ORANGE GLAZE
- Start with juicing an orange. Next, weigh or measure the powdered sugar into a mixing bowl. Add to the bowl the orange juice, honey, and the half & half. Take a whisk and blend until smooth. I use a ½ teaspoon measuring spoon of the orange glaze to drizzle on top of each cookie. Let them sit for about an hour so that the glaze will set and dry.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Barbara says
These cookies were inspired by one of my favorite flavor pairings—bright lemon and earthy pistachios. I love how the citrus cuts through the richness of the nuts, and the texture has just the right balance of crisp edges and a soft center. They’re a little unexpected, but always a hit when I bake them. Perfect for spring or when you want something a little different from the usual chocolate chip.
— Barbara Hall, creator of My Cookie Journey