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Last Updated: September 5, 2025

If you’re into cookies that hit that sweet spot soft and chewy in the middle, crisp at the edges, and unmistakably pistachio-heavy this recipe might become your new standby. It doesn’t ask for anything fancy or hard to track down. In fact, the secret weapon isn’t homemade at all: it’s a box of instant pistachio pudding mix. Not exactly glamorous, but it does wonders for chewiness and flavor. A whisper of cardamom leans toward the kind of spiced, nutty taste you’ll find in Indian mithai, though the cookies themselves stay firmly in the comfort-food zone. And if you think weighing ingredients is a bit obsessive, I’d argue it’s the number one thing separating a sad, flat cookie from one that bakes up just right.

Why These Cookies Actually Work

Pudding mix might sound gimmicky, but it’s doing more than adding neon-green tint. Its starch keeps the centers tender for days, while its sugar helps the edges caramelize into that delicate crispness. Butter (or ghee, if that’s what you’ve got) pulls double duty flavor and texture and lightly toasted pistachios add both crunch and depth. A small note from my tests: toasting seems optional until you skip it, and then the nuts taste flat. As for leavening, baking soda and baking powder are balanced so the cookies puff slightly without becoming cakey domes. That “gentle spread” into a classic disk shape is half the charm.

One last point: dough rest matters. An hour in the fridge isn’t busywork it lets the flour hydrate and prevents that gritty bite you sometimes get with pudding-mix cookies.

Ingredients (With Why They Matter)

• All-purpose flour — 180g (1½ cups): gives them structure.
• Instant pistachio pudding mix — 40g (one standard box): chewiness, color, pistachio punch.
• Baking soda — 3g (½ tsp).
• Baking powder — 2g (½ tsp).
• Salt — 2g (¼ tsp): balances the sweet.
• Butter or ghee — 115g (½ cup): crispness, richness (Amul or homemade ghee works perfectly).
• Granulated sugar — 100g (½ cup): sweetness and spread.
• Light brown sugar — 50g (¼ cup): caramelized notes.
• Egg (large) — 1 (50g): holds it all together.
• Vanilla — 5g (1 tsp): rounds out the flavors.
• Shelled pistachios — 50g (⅓ cup): toast lightly; they make or break the nutty flavor.
• Cardamom powder — 1g (¼ tsp): optional but transformative if you like spice-edge cookies.

Pro tip from trial and error: don’t eyeball here. A kitchen scale keeps your cookies consistent batch after batch.

Gear You’ll Want

At minimum: mixing bowl, baking sheet, parchment (or silicone mat), and a scale. If you want to make life easier, a cookie scoop keeps portions even, and an offset spatula is surprisingly handy when moving hot cookies that still look half-set.

Step-by-Step Method

Toast the Pistachios
Chop roughly, toast in a skillet for 2–3 minutes until they smell nutty, then cool fully. Warm nuts in dough will melt your butter prematurely (ask me how I know).

Mix the Dry Stuff
Sift flour, pudding mix, leaveners, salt, and optional cardamom. The green hue from the mix will make you question the whole recipe—trust it.

Cream Butter and Sugars
Butter/ghee plus both sugars, whipped until fluffy. Aim for pale and airy, but stop before it turns too whipped—over-creamed dough spreads thin and awkward.

Egg + Vanilla
Blend in. The batter should look glossy and smooth, not broken.

Combine
Mix dry into wet in two parts, just until streak-free. Fold in toasted nuts with a spoon, gently. Overmixing here equals dense cookies.

Chill
Cover and rest one hour. I skipped this once and ended up with sad, greasy pancakes.

Scoop + Bake
Preheat to 175°C (350°F). Use 1 Tbsp dough balls, leave space on the sheet. Bake 10–12 minutes, rotate once. They should look a little underdone in the center when you pull them—carryover heat finishes the job.

Troubleshooting Notes

• Too flat? Butter too soft, or you skipped chilling—no shortcut here.
• Dry and crumbly? Either overbaked or light-handed on the fat.
• Flavor weak? Your pudding mix might just be old. Shockingly, those little boxes have a shorter shelf life than you’d think.

Variations & Substitutions

• Egg-free: thick Greek yogurt or applesauce works, but cookies lean more cake-like.
• Dairy-free: refined coconut oil or a decent vegan butter swap.
• No pistachios? Cashews + almonds make a decent stand-in.
• Flavor riffs: swap cardamom for cinnamon, try adding lemon zest, or get adventurous with dried rose petals for a “kulfi-in-cookie-form” twist.

Storage & Freezer Tips

Counter-stored, they’re good for about 5 days (still chewy thanks to the pudding). Dough balls freeze like a dream—bake from frozen, just add 1–2 minutes.

Serving Ideas

I like them with masala chai, but a cold glass of milk wouldn’t hurt. If you want a bigger dessert moment, sandwich them around ice cream or jam.

From My Test Batches

• First run without chilling = greasy puddles. Lesson learned.
• Overmixed attempt = cardboard-chewy.
• Expired pudding box = almost flavorless (don’t risk it).
• Extra cardamom = overpowering. Stick to ¼ tsp max.
• Final batch, with everything dialed in = chewy inside, crisp edge, pistachio-forward. Exactly what I was aiming for.

Wrap-Up

These pistachio pudding cookies aren’t trying to be fancy patisserie they’re simple, slightly nostalgic, and surprisingly addictive. The boxed mix may raise eyebrows, but it works in ways homemade substitutions often don’t, keeping the centers moist without giving up crisp edges. Small details like toasting the nuts, chilling the dough, or weighing instead of scooping flour make the difference between “good” and “oh wow, make those again.”

If you’re someone who likes baking projects with endless steps, these won’t scratch that itch. But if you want a cookie that feels a little special without taking all afternoon, this recipe is likely to stay in rotation. I usually bake half the dough, freeze the rest, and forget about it until some random evening when I want something sweet with chai, and then those frozen scoops feel like a small gift from my past self.

Pistachio Pudding Cookies: Soft & Chewy

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

24

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

12

minutes

Calories

90

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Soft, chewy cookies loaded with toasted pistachios and spiked with a hint of cardamom, made uniquely tender by instant pistachio pudding mix—easy, impressive, freezer-friendly, and perfect with chai.

Ingredients

• 180g (1½ cups) all-purpose flour—for structure

• 40g (1 standard 4-serving box) instant pistachio pudding mix—for flavor and moisture

• 2g (¼ tsp) salt—balances sweetness

• 3g (½ tsp) baking soda—lift

• 2g (½ tsp) baking powder—lift

• 1g (¼ tsp) cardamom—for warmth (optional)

• 115g (½ cup) unsalted butter or ghee, at room temperature

• 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar—sweetness and spreading

• 50g (¼ cup) light brown sugar—moisture and caramel flavor

• 1 large egg (50g)—binding

• 5g (1 tsp) vanilla extract—aroma

• 50g (⅓ cup) shelled pistachios, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped—crunch and real pistachio flavor

Directions

• Toast the Pistachios
  Roughly chop pistachios. Toast in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, just until fragrant. Let cool.
• Mix Dry Ingredients
  Sift together flour, pudding mix, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cardamom (if using). Set aside.
• Cream Butter & Sugars
  Beat butter/ghee, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy (2–3 minutes with a mixer, 4–5 by hand).
• Add Wet Ingredients
  Beat in egg and vanilla until fully combined.
• Combine
  Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing just until no streaks remain. Fold in toasted pistachios.
• Chill
  Cover and refrigerate dough for 1 hour (do not skip—this prevents overly flat cookies).
• Portion
  Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Scoop 15–18g (1 tbsp) portions, roll, and place 2 inches apart on lined sheets.
• Bake
  Bake on the middle rack for 10–12 minutes, rotating tray halfway, until edges are golden and centers look set but soft. Let cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Notes

• Success Tips
  Weigh ingredients for best texture.
  Toast nuts for deeper flavor.
  Chill dough to control spread.
  Watch timing—even 1 minute makes a difference between chewy and dry.
  Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.
• Dietary Swaps
  Egg-free: Use 60g (¼ cup) thick Greek yogurt or 50g applesauce.
  Dairy-free: Swap butter for refined coconut oil or vegan butter.
  Gluten-free: Use 1:1 GF flour blend (add ½ tsp xanthan gum if needed).