Orange Pistachio Chewy Sugar Cookies

Orange Pistachio Chewy Sugar Cookies || Orange zest, freshly squeezed orange juice, and ground pistachios add a flavorful twist to this chewy sugar cookie recipe. The delicious result: light, chewy, nutty, fragrant, orange-infused sugar cookies that are the perfect treat.

“Orange Pistachio Sugar Cookies + me” sums up how I feel about these slightly crispy, light and chewy, orangy, fragrant and nutty sugar cookies. When paired with my morning coffee my fondness only deepens. The nuttiness of the pistachios and the bright sweetness of the orange makes for morning-coffee-cookie-pairing magic.

My recipe for orange pistachio chewy sugar cookies is adapted from this (very yummy) chewy lemon sugar cookies recipe by My Baking Addiction. Here, instead of lemon, I use the zest of one large orange, and its juice, for a fragrant, sweet twist. I also add half a cup of shelled pistachios, which I pulse in my handy little Kitchen Aid food processor until coarse and slightly crumby). The ground pistachios add amazing texture and flavor and balance out these sweet cookies. I also skip the vanilla that is called for in the original recipe, which lets the fresh orange flavor shine through.

How to make these Orange Pistachio Chewy Sugar Cookies:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep your ingredients.
• Wash and dry a large juicy navel orange. Grate off the orange zest (of the whole orange)—roughly 1 tbsp. Next, squeeze the juice into a small bowl— one orange will give you about 4 tbsp. Set aside.
• In a small food processor, like this one, or using a rolling pin, pulse/roll pistachios until they resemble large coarse crumbs (see picture below). Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and the pistachio crumbs. Set aside.
• In another large mixing bowl, cream softened butter with sugar. Add egg, orange zest, and orange juice and beat (using a hand mixer) until light and creamy—about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer to cream and then beat the mixture.
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/orange mixture and stir until well combined and the cookie dough has formed. Let the dough chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. This will make the cookie dough easier to scoop and help the cookies keep their shape while baking.
• Time to bake. Using a cookie scoop, place dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing the cookie dough an inch and a half apart. Do NOT smush or flatten—the cookies will spread out on their own. In place of a cookie scoop, use a spoon and roll the dough between your palms into balls.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes if using a small cookie scoop (2tsp). Bake larger cookies for 12-14 minutes (a medium scoop).
• LET COOL. EAT. REPEAT.

How many cookies will this recipe make?

Ok, let’s get into numbers. I’ve made these orange pistachio sugar cookies multiple times and I’ve used various sized scoops.

When using a small cookie scoop (equal to 2 tsp) you will get 46 cookies. If using a medium cookie scoop (equal to 1 1/2 tbsp) you will get 38 cookies.

Now, talking favorite kitchen gadgets, and ones I can’t live without, these oxo grips cookie scoops ARE IT. They save me so much time and effort and result in perfectly round, equally sized cookies EVERY TIME.

Happy cookie making.

xo

Bri

P.S. On the subject of cookies, I IMPLORE you to try my Ultimate Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies. My favorite, favorite cookie recipe.

Orange Pistachio Chewy Sugar Cookies

Orange zest, freshly squeezed orange juice, and ground pistachios add a flavorful twist to this chewy sugar cookie recipe. The delicious result: light, chewy, nutty, fragrant, orange-infused sugar cookies that are the perfect treat.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 38 cookies depending on your scoop

Ingredients

  

• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup raw pistachios processed into large coarse crumbs using a small food processor
• 1 cup butter softened
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 egg
• Zest of one large orange finely grated
• 4 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prep your ingredients.
• Wash and dry a large juicy navel orange. Grate off the orange zest (of the whole orange)—roughly 1 tbsp. Next, squeeze the juice into a small bowl— one orange will give you about 4 tbsp. Set aside.
• In a small food processor (or using a rolling pin) pulse/roll pistachios until they resemble large coarse crumbs (see picture above). Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and the pistachio crumbs. Set aside.
• In another large mixing bowl, cream softened butter with sugar. Add egg, orange zest, and orange juice and beat (using a hand mixer) until light and creamy—about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer to cream and then beat the mixture.
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/orange mixture and stir until well combined. Let the cookie dough chill in the fridge for 10 minutes. This will make the cookie dough easier to scoop and help the cookies keep their shape while baking.
• Time to bake. Scoop your dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing the dough an inch and a half apart. Do NOT smush or flatten—the cookies will spread out on their own. In place of a cookie scoop, use a spoon and roll the dough between your palms into balls.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes if using a small cookie scoop (2tsp). Bake larger cookies for 12-14 minutes (a medium scoop).
• LET COOL. EAT. REPEAT.

Notes

When using a small cookie scoop (equal to 2 tsp) you will get 46 cookies.

If using a medium cookie scoop (equal to 1 1/2 tbsp) you will get 38 cookies.

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