Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies – pistachio cookies with vanilla filling and a chocolate drizzle! The perfect Christmas cookie!
It’s Christmas cookie season!
How excited are you?!
And how was Thanksgiving?!
My kids were out of town and since I very rarely get a night without kids and I’m also always whining about the lack of poke in our tiny city, BF drove us 45 minutes Wednesday night so we could have a Thanksgiving sushi burrito and poke bowl. He had to work real Thanksgiving and I was happy not to cook a single thing this year.
And then I never left the house the rest of the weekend except to pick my kids up yesterday.
It was perfect.
And the best part about Thanksgiving is that now that it’s over, we can spend the next month talking about nothing but Christmas cookies!
And fudge!
And Oreo truffles!
I have a couple cookies that I make every single year (these cranberry orange cookies and these no bake almond bark drop cookies) and then I just like to 57 other kinds that I’ve never made before.
I started an Evernote list for this year’s cookies last December. Before Christmas was even here.
Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies!
Anyway.
I love a pistachio cookie at Christmas time.
I mean, what’s more festive than a green cookie?! My kids took one look at these Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies and called them Grinch cookies and now I feel like I really missed an opportunity with some red heart sprinkles.
And these have both vanilla and almond extracts so they’re reminiscent of Blue Bell’s Pistachio Almond Ice Cream which is one of my absolute favorite things in the world.
The pistachio flavor and green color come from an instant pudding mix which gives cookies the absolute best texture. They’re soft but not chewy. And they’re made with powdered sugar so they have that melt-in-your-mouth texture that I just can’t resist.
They’re rolled in chopped pecans for a crunch and then filled with a vanilla filling.
From there you just drizzle with melted chocolate and let everything set!
If you’re one of those organized people that makes cookies in advance, you could either make the dough and freeze it or go ahead and bake them and freeze them – but I don’t think I would fill or glaze them. Wait to do that fresh.
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant pistachio pudding mix
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 cups pecans roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 -3 tbsp heavy cream (or milk)
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
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Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, extracts, and salt.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and pudding mix. Add to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
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Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in chopped pecans. Place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Use a teaspoon to make a "thumbprint" in the center.
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Bake in preheated oven for 10 - 12 minutes, until set but not browned. Use the teaspoon to press the "thumbprint" again if necessary. Let cool completely before filling.
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Whisk together all filling ingredients until no lumps remain. Fill each cookie with the filling. Let set before glazing.
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In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chocolate chips in 30 second increments, stirring after each time, until melted and smooth. Transfer to a plastic ziptop bag, snip off a corner, and drizzle as desired.
Things you may need for this recipe:
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- Pistachio Pudding Mix
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- Rimmed Baking Sheet
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- Stand Mixer
Want more holiday cookie recipes?
