These pistachio pudding cookies are tender, soft, and chock full of chopped pistachios and white chocolate chips. The secret ingredient is instant pistachio pudding mix, which adds flavor and even turns the cookie green! If they weren't great enough, these cookies are also completely freezer-friendly.
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If you aren't a pistachio fan (or haven't tried them before), these delectable cookies will make you a believer.
If you are already a fan of pistachios, then buckle up because these cookies are about to blow your mind.
The instant pudding mix adds flavor, and the cookies are studded with chopped pistachios.
Of course, I also had to add some white chocolate chips because the combination is truly mouthwatering.
🥘 Ingredients
In addition to some common baking ingredients, you'll need pistachios and instant pistachio pudding mix.
- Butter - 1 cup of room-temperature unsalted butter (2 sticks or 16 tablespoons).
- Sugar - ½ cup of white granulated sugar.
- Brown Sugar - ½ cup of light brown sugar, packed.
- Eggs - 2 large eggs (at room temperature).
- Vanilla - 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
- Almond Extract - ½ teaspoon of pure almond extract.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt (use a pinch if using salted butter).
- Baking Soda - 1 teaspoon of baking soda.
- Pistachio Pudding Mix - One 3.4-ounce package of instant pistachio pudding mix.
- Flour - 2¼ cups of all-purpose flour that has been spooned and leveled.
- Pistachios - ½-¾ cup of chopped pistachios. Buy the kind that already has the shell removed for convenience!
- White Chocolate Chips - 1½ cups of white chocolate chips.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Pistachio Pudding Cookies
These pistachio pudding cookies are just as easy to make as any standard sugar cookies or chocolate chip cookies.
You will need a baking sheet, some parchment paper, a stand mixer, and a silicone spatula.
This recipe will make about 48 cookies, depending on how large you make them.
Combine the Pudding Mix Cookie Dough
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream. Use your stand mixer or hand mixer to cream together 1 cup of butter and ½ cup each of sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes at medium-high speed). Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, and mix between each one. Then add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon of almond extract and then beat until combined.
- Mix. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and one 3.4-ounce package of instant pistachio pudding mix and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Combine. Gradually add 2¼ cups of flour in small increments, mixing slowly until combined. The dough should have a texture similar to children's playdough and not be stiff or crumbly.
Add Pistachios, White Chocolate Chips & Bake
- Stir. Use a silicone spatula to fold in ½-¾ cups of chopped pistachios and 1½ cups of white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Scoop. Use a cookie scoop (or measuring spoon) to drop large tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake. Bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops have set and the edges are beginning to turn golden.
- Cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
These beautifully green cookies are perfect for St. Patrick's Day (or any other day)! You don't even need a reason to make them! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Softening Butter: Using butter at room temperature is key for it to cream smoothly with the sugar. Learn the best techniques for softening your butter here.
- Cookie Doneness: Your cookies are perfectly baked when the edges start to turn golden brown. Be careful not to overbake to keep them soft and chewy.
- Making Larger Cookies: For larger cookies, opt for a 1½-inch cookie scoop and adjust the baking time to 10-12 minutes.
- Enhancing Green Color: The pistachio pudding mix naturally tints the cookies light green, but for more vibrant color, consider adding a few drops of green food coloring.
- Simplified Pistachio Cookies: For a quick pistachio cookie recipe, start with a store-bought sugar cookie mix or Bisquick. Simply incorporate the pudding mix, pistachios, and white chocolate chips for a delicious treat.
🥡 Storing
Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Unbaked cookie dough can easily be frozen. Portion it into balls and place them onto a baking sheet.
Pop them in the freezer for a few hours, and then transfer the dough balls into a Ziploc bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
When ready, move the frozen cookie dough to the fridge and let it thaw overnight. Then, bake as directed.
Alternatively, you can bake the dough straight from frozen by adding a few minutes to the baking time.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
You typically see walnuts and pecans on the ingredient lists for different baked goods, but pistachios make a wonderful addition to so many treats. Not only do they taste amazing, but you can easily use them to alter the color of your treats (and no other nut does that!)
I like to use roasted pistachios with no salt. This gives me the ability to control the salt content. I also highly recommend buying the shelled pistachios to save you time.
Adding instant pudding mix to your cookie dough will not only create a soft texture but also add tons of flavor.
🍪 More Amazing Cookies To Try
- Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies - Peanut butter cookie dough is swirled with Nutella and then topped off with more after baking.
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies - Tender red velvet cookies that are beautiful and delicious.
- Cowboy Cookies - Thick cookies filled with chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, and more.
- Chocolate Blossoms - Chocolate cookie dough is rolled in sugar, baked, and topped off with a Hershey's Kiss.
- Matcha Cookies - Vibrant green cookies taste just like matcha tea.
- Snickerdoodles - Soft sugar cookies are coated in cinnamon sugar for a classic snickerdoodle recipe.
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📖 Recipe Card
Pistachio Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (softened, at room temperature)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3.4 oz instant pistachio pudding mix (one package is 3.4 ounces)
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- ½-¾ cup pistachios (chopped)
- 1½ cups white chocolate chips
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use your stand mixer or hand mixer to cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes at medium-high speed). Stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix between each one. Then add the vanilla and almond extract and beat until combined.
- Add the salt, baking soda, and instant pistachio pudding mix and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Gradually add in the flour in small increments, mixing slowly until combined. The dough should have a texture similar to playdough, and not be stiff or crumbly.
- Use a silicone spatula to stir in the chopped pistachios and white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Use a cookie scoop (or measuring spoon) to drop heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops have set and the edges are beginning to turn golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Using room temperature butter helps it to cream together properly with the sugar! Find out the best methods for softening your butter to room temperature here.
- Your cookies are done when the edges are just beginning to turn a golden brown color, don't overbake them!
- For bigger cookies, use a large 1½-inch cookie scoop and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- The pistachio pudding mix colors the cookies a light green color. However, you can add in a drop or two of green food coloring if you want to enhance the color!
- For an extra effortless pistachio cookie, you can use store-bought sugar cookie mix or Bisquick and just add in the pudding mix, pistachios, and white chocolate chips!
- To store: Keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- To freeze cookie dough: Unbaked cookie dough can easily be frozen. Simply portion it into balls and place onto a baking sheet. Pop them in the freezer for a few hours and then transfer the dough balls into a Ziploc bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- To bake thawed dough: When ready, move the frozen cookie dough to the fridge and allow it to thaw overnight. Then, bake as directed.
- To bake from frozen: Bake as directed, but add a couple of minutes to the baking time.
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