Receta Pistachio and Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
I have actually dreamt about these cookies since making them. They are hands down the best cookie I have had in ages–which is not to detract from any of the other fabulous cookies I have waiting to share with you. They are good, in some cases amazing, too. But this one, well… Wow. It was the kind of good that leaves you speechless.
These cookies also mark the end of a lifelong habit of always avoiding nuts in my chocolate chip cookies. You see, my mom loves nuts. Like, really, really loves them. In everything. And the nut she loves best? Walnuts. As it turns out I am one of those people who really tastes the tannins in walnuts and finds them super bitter. So between avoiding the texture of the nuts (as I said to my mom more than once during my childhood: who wants to suddenly encounter a hard nut that just gets stuck in your teeth when eating something chewy/creamy/what-have-you?) and avoiding specifically the flavor of walnuts, I just stuck to a simple rule of never putting nuts in my cookies or brownies.
So what about pistachios changed my mind? I have absolutely no idea. None whatsoever. I had been seeing pistachios a lot on Pinterest lately and just suddenly wondered if it might be good. Well, folks, as I said at the beginning there are no words. Except make these. Fast. (I lied–I will also add, after discussing it with my dad, that we both think the texture of pistachios somehow perfectly suits cookies, as it is a less crunchy and more crispy tender nut.)
Dark Chocolate Chunk and Pistachio Cookies
Adapted from the famous New York Times recipe
- 2 cups (8 1/2 oz) AP flour
- 2 cups (8 1/2 oz) white whole wheat flour
- 1 1/4 t baking soda
- 1 1/2 t baking powder
- 1 1/2 t coarse salt
- 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups (10 oz) light brown sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 T (8 oz) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 T natural vanilla extract
- 3 bags (18 oz) Scharffenberger Bittersweet Chocolate Chunks
- 1 cup roasted and salted pistachios
- Coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. With speed on low, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Mix in the chocolate chunks and pistachios. Cover the dough with something airtight and refrigerate at least overnight (I bake a tray or so a day, until the dough is gone, thereby ensuring fresh cooking each time).
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Using a cookie dough scoop or an ice cream scoop of medium size, scoop the cookies onto the prepared tray, 6 per sheet. I was aiming for 2-3 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Sprinkle the cookies with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still a little soft, about 13-15 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cookies individually to a cooling rack.