These chewy Dark Chocolate Chunk Pistachio Cookies are soft, rich, and easy to make at home. They have crisp edges, a gooey center, and plenty of dark chocolate chunks in every bite.

These pistachio chocolate chip cookies come together with simple pantry ingredients and very little prep. The dough is easy to mix in one large bowl, making them perfect for weekend baking or busy afternoons.

If you love chewy cookies with a perfect balance of chocolate and nutty pistachio flavor, this recipe is worth saving. They taste like a mix of classic chocolate chip cookies and buttery pistachio cookies with a soft, chewy texture.

Ingredients

This recipe calls for simple ingredients you can find at any grocery store. Full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Unsalted butter: Adds richness and helps create chewy cookies with crisp edges. Using room temperature butter gives the best results.
Brown sugar: Adds moisture and helps create a perfect chewy cookie texture.
Granulated sugar: Helps the cookies spread evenly and gives the edges a light, crisp texture.
Pure vanilla extract: Adds warmth and helps balance the pistachio taste and chocolate flavor.
Egg yolks: Help create a soft texture with a gooey center.
All-purpose flour: Gives the cookies structure while keeping them soft.
Cornstarch: Helps create a softer and more tender cookie form.
Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise and spread properly during baking time.
Sea salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the dark chocolate chunks.
Semi-sweet chocolate chunks: Melt into soft pools throughout the cookies and add extra richness from the milk solids.
Shelled pistachios: Add crunch and rich pistachio flavor in every bite.

Add-ons & Substitutions

These pistachio chocolate chunk cookies are easy to adjust depending on what you have at home or your favorite things to bake with.

Dark chocolate chunks can replace semi-sweet chocolate for a deeper chocolate flavor.
Chopped chocolate bars create larger melted chocolate pockets throughout the cookies.
Roasted pistachios add a stronger pistachio taste and extra crunch.
A spoonful of pistachio paste can be added for even more pistachio flavor.
Ground pistachios can replace part of the flour for a softer texture and nuttier flavor.
White chocolate chips pair well with the pistachio flavor if you want a sweeter cookie.
A small sprinkle of flaky salt on top helps balance the chocolate and nuts.
Mini chocolate chips spread more evenly through the dough if you prefer smaller bites of chocolate.

How to Make

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your cookie sheets or baking sheet with parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly and prevents sticking.

In a large bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and creamy. This usually takes about 1–2 minutes.

The butter should feel soft to the touch, but not melted. Soft butter blends better and helps create the chewy texture these cookies are known for.

Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract, then mix until smooth and fully combined. The mixture should look creamy and slightly thick.

Yolks and vanilla extract added to batter

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Mixing the dry ingredients first helps everything spread evenly through the dough.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir gently until combined. Stop mixing once you no longer see dry flour. Overmixing can make the cookies heavy instead of soft and chewy.

Fold in the chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Make sure every scoop gets some chocolate and pistachios for the best flavor and texture.

Dry ingredients added to the cookie batter

Pistachios and Chocolate chunks added to the batter

Cover the dough and refrigerate it for 30–45 minutes. Chilling is the best way to help control spreading and keep the cookies thick with crisp edges and a gooey center.

Once chilled, scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie and roll gently into cookie dough balls.

Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each cookie so they can spread properly.

Press a few extra pieces of chopped chocolate on top of each dough ball before baking. This gives the cookies melted chocolate pools on the surface and makes them look like bakery-style cookie recipes.

Bake for 11–13 minutes. The edges should look lightly golden while the centers still look slightly soft. Do not overbake.

The cookies will continue to set on the hot baking sheet after coming out of the oven.

Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet. This short resting time helps the cookies hold their shape while staying soft inside.

Expert Tips

Use chopped chocolate from a bar instead of only chocolate chips for bigger melted chocolate pools.
Chopping the pistachios helps spread the crunch evenly through every cookie.
Slightly underbaking is the key to getting a gooey center and chewy texture.
Use room temperature ingredients for smoother mixing and better cookie form.
Keep an eye on the oven temperature since ovens can bake differently.
For thicker cookies, chill the dough closer to 45 minutes before baking.
Roasted pistachios give the cookies a stronger pistachio flavor and better crunch.