Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies – pistachio cookies with vanilla filling, crunchy pecans, and a chocolate drizzle! The perfect Christmas cookie!
I think thumbprint cookies are so fun for the holidays. Some of my other favorites are Red Velvet Peppermint Thumbprints, Salted Caramel Chocolate Thumbprints, and Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookies.
It’s Christmas cookie season!
My kids were out of town for Thanksgiving 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.
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.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Instant pistachio pudding mix
- Mini chocolate chips
- Pecans
- Milk
- Semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prepare. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine wet ingredients. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, extracts, and salt.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and pudding mix.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Shape cookies. 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.
- Bake Bake in preheated oven for 10 – 12 minutes, until set but not browned. Use the teaspoon to press the “thumbprint” again if necessary.
- Cool. Let cool completely before filling.
- Fill cookies. Whisk together all filling ingredients until no lumps remain. Fill each cookie with the filling. Let set before glazing.
- Drizzle with chocolate. 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.
More Holiday Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Frosted Eggnog Cookies
- Iced Orange Cookies
- Italian Sugar Cookies
- Almond Bark Drop Cookies
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Pistachio Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp almond extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 (3.4 ounce) box instant pistachio pudding mix
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 cups pecans, roughly chopped
For the filling:
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 -3 tbsp heavy cream (or milk)
For the glaze:
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, extracts, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and pudding mix. Add to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- 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.
- 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.
To make the filling:
- Whisk together all filling ingredients until no lumps remain. Fill each cookie with the filling. Let set before glazing.
To make the glaze:
- 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.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 182Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 41mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 2g
Melody says
I came across this recipe and I thought these will be perfect for my St. Patrick’s day Bunko. Look forward to making these. Thanks for the recipe!
Jeri says
Discovered these in 2019. Made one batch for a family Christmas get together that year. Amazing! They were a big hit and everyone was requesting them for the next get together. Christmas 2020, I made four batches to handout to friends and family, (including sailors stationed at a Navy Hospital close to my home) and again these cookies were all everyone raved about. The Pistachio pudding just gives it such great flavor and my grand babies love that it turns green. Thanks for the great recipe.