These pistachio snowball cookies are deliciously crisp, buttery, and melt in your mouth! They get their delicious crunch, flavor, and earthy green color from fresh ground pistachios. The cookie dough whips up in a flash and in just 2 simple steps!
I've said this more times than I can count, but pistachios are ALWAYS a part of my Easter celebrations - and pistachio cookies are especially traditional in our humble abode! Buuuut these cookies also make a gorgeous and delicious addition to your Christmas or St. Patrick's day tables because of the green color - or any sort of dessert table for that matter!
In conclusion: no season is a bad time for pistachio cookies. And if you're loving snowball cookies as much as I am, check out these adorable little pumpkin cookies using a similar base cookie dough.
pistachio snowball cookie ingredients
• pistachios: Look for unsalted and shelled pistachios - unsalted so you can control the amount of salt and shelled so that you don't drive yourself nuts trying to shell enough pistachios for these cookies. Get it? Nuts...
Don't like pistachios? You can substitute with your preferred nuts! Like these classic pecan snowball cookies.
• flour: To ensure your cookie dough comes out perfect, make sure to either measure it by weigh (for the most accurate results) or if using cups, lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup then use a flat utensil to level off any excess. Don't scoop the flour directly from the bag using your measuring cup or this will pack in excess weight and make the cookies dry and brittle!
• sugar: It's important to use powdered sugar for these cookies because it dissolves more easily into the flour. We won't be creaming the butter and sugar together, so this ensures the cookies don't taste gritty.
• salt: Helps round out the sweetness and gives the cookies a better flavor!
• butter: Use super soft butter to make it easier to mix into the dry ingredients! I've used cold butter before when I'm in a hurry, and it works alright, but it is much more difficult to work it into the cookie dough when it's cool.
• vanilla: You could skip the vanilla if you prefer, but I love the subtle added flavor it gives the cookies.
• green food coloring: This is optional. Use if you'd like a more vibrant green color for your cookies. The color of the cookie dough is about the same color you should expect out of the baked cookies (it will just get slightly paler in color after baking), so use that as your guide! The pistachios will naturally give off a soft earthy green color. I didn't use any food coloring so you can kind of get a sense of what the natural color looks like from my photos.
how to make pistachio snowball cookies
1. Chop up pistachios. You can do this step in a food processor for finer crumbs or with a sharp knife on a cutting board. It's totally up to you how large or small you make the pistachio pieces. I like to do a mix of larger and smaller pieces for different textures and a nicer color!
* do note that, if you're chopping up your pistachios in a food processor, it is possible to OVER grind the nuts! If you pulse the pistachios for too long, they'll turn into pistachio butter.
2. Whisk together pistachios and dry ingredients.
3. Mix in butter and vanilla. Keep mixing until it comes together into a streak free cookie dough.
4. Chill the dough until firm enough to work with.
5. Scoop out 1 tablespoon sized portions of dough and shape into balls.
6. Bake the cookies. You can arrange the cookies quite close together on the baking sheet (they don't spread out much), but do leave some space to allow for air to circulate.
7. Cool the cookies enough to handle, then roll in powdered sugar.
8. Set aside on a wire rack to cool completely before serving! If you find the powdered sugar has dissolved and lost its powdery look, you can reroll the cookies in some more to freshen it up.
make these cookies vegan / dairy free
These cookies don't use a lot of ingredients, so they're that much easier to tweak for different dietary needs! To make dairy-free / vegan snowball cookies, swap out the regular butter with your favorite non-dairy / vegan butter. Use vegan butter that's sold in sticks as it's more suitable for baking.
make these cookies gluten free
Instead of all purpose flour, use your favorite 1:1 or cup-for-cup gluten free flour to make gluten free snowball cookies. Pick out a blend of gluten free flour that has xanthan gum listed in the ingredients - this is an important binder that will keep the cookies from crumbling. I do always recommend measuring GF flour with a scale because it tends to pack in more densely than all-purpose and can make the cookies drier as a result.
pistachio snowball cookie storage
Keep these cookies stored in an airtight container or plastic bag and they'll keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature. You can also make the cookie dough up to 3 days in advance and keep it stored in the fridge.
To freeze the cookie dough, portion and roll into balls then arrange the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen cookie balls to a plastic bag in a single layer, push out as much air as you can and seal. Freeze the cookie dough for up to 2 months.
To bake from frozen, you can either defrost the cookies in the fridge overnight and bake as instructed below, or bake (frozen) in the center of a preheated 325°F for 15 to 20 minutes. If baking frozen, the lower oven temperature helps defrost and bake the cookies more evenly.
Check out these other recipes!
• Pistachio Cake
• Pistachio Cupcakes
• Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oreo Balls
Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.
Print
Pistachio Snowball Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 35 cookies
Description
These pistachio snowball cookies are deliciously crisp, buttery, and melt in your mouth! They get their delicious crunch, flavor, and earthy green color from fresh ground pistachios. The cookie dough whips up in a flash and in just 2 simple steps!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (160g) unsalted shelled pistachios, raw or toasted
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¼ cup (33g) powdered sugar, plus more for rolling the baked cookies (about ¾ cup more)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Using a small food processor, or a knife on a cutting board, finely chop the pistachios.
For extra texture, leave a few pieces of the pistachios slightly larger. For a smoother cookie, finely chop all the pistachios. If using a food processor, take care not to pulse the pistachios for too long or they will start to turn into pistachio butter. - *For these cookies to come out perfect, it's VERY important to watch out for over measured flour! It's always best to measure by weight when you can, but if you prefer to use cups, make sure to gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup then use a flat utensil to level it off. Do not scoop the measuring cup directly into the flour or this can pack in more weight and dry out the cookies!*
- In a large bowl, combine ground pistachios, flour, ¼ cup of powdered sugar, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Add your butter and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Mix and mash together until you get a soft dough. I find it easiest to do this step by hand.
- Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes to help prevent overspreading when you bake the cookies.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Uncover your chilled dough and pinch off 1 tablespoon sized portions. Roll the portions into smooth balls and arrange on your baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch space between each ball of dough for air to circulate.
- Bake the cookies in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned along the edges.
- Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet or until cool enough to handle.
- Fill a medium bowl with about ¾ cup (97g) of powdered sugar then toss the cookies in the sugar to coat the outside.
- Arrange the cookies on a wire rack and set aside to cool completely to room temperature before serving. If you find the sugar coating has dissolved, you can give the cookies another light toss in powdered sugar to freshen them up.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Bake Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Cookies
Enjoy!
D Gro says
Before trying your recipe that seems to be delicious, I would like to know when and how to use the recommended food coloring.
Maria says
Easy, tasty, and rich cookies. I made the recipe twice. Last time I multiplied it by 3. I need to know, what to cover the balls with rather than icing sugar ?
Sheila Verghis says
Truly melt-in-the-mouth delights !! So simple yet so tasty . Thanks for sharing
Mai says
Oh my goodness, these are to die for. Made them twice already, the second time I added 1/2 tsp almond extract (and some green food coloring) and made the cookies smaller, around amaretti size. Absolutely heavenly 🤤💖
Diana says
Can I roll these out and cut them into shapes (cookie cutters)
Mimi says
Yes, you can! Just shape the dough into a rough disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours or until firm enough to roll and cut. If you have more intricate cutouts, I'd also recommend freezing the cutout cookies on the baking tray for 10 minutes before baking so they keep a nice crisp shape! ❤️