The Lemon Pistachio Smash Cookie is a chewy, soft cookie with a lemony flavor from fresh squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest, plus freshly ground pistachios in the cookies and the frosting. The pairing of lemon and pistachio is unforgettably terrific!
Lemon Pistachio Smash Cookie
Pistachio is a very popular flavor in Europe. You can find pistachio ice cream, pistachio macarons, and definitely pistachio cream in Italian cannoli. I could hardly wait to try the flavor in a dessert when I moved back to the US. I loved the fact that I could purchase a bag of already-shelled pistachios at Costco!
My favorite flavor-pairing guru, cakebycourtney.com, released a cake recipe a few months ago, Lemon Pistachio Cake. What an intriguing flavor combination! I just had to try it as a smash cookie. And I LOVE IT!
The lemon flavor is light, refreshing and not too overpowering. And the pistachio flavor is very subtle. The nutty texture that the finely ground pistachio create is divine. The cookie texture with the fluffy frosting texture combine so beautifully in your mouth. And the cookie just speaks “sophisticated” and “fancy” with each bite.
Ingredients in the Lemon Pistachio Smash Cookie:
- Pistachios: Shelled and salted pistachios are the main ingredient in both the cookie and the frosting. I used my Vitamix blender to finely grind 1 ½ cups of whole pistachios. I just set them aside in a bowl, then measured the amount I needed for the cookie/frosting with my digital scale.
Side Note: Have I told you how much I love my digital kitchen scale? I find I cannot bake without it any more. It just so easy to throw ingredients into a bowl on top of the digital scale and just watch the numbers, instead of carefully measuring ingredients like flour and powdered sugar with a measuring cup. Baking can be so precise and when baking in grams with a digital scale, you can be guaranteed your measurements are as exact as they need to be. It’s so worth the investment! And digital kitchen scales are not too expensive…
- Lemons: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is a must for this cookie. The flavor difference is noticeable. Plus, you need lemon zest. So just grab a couple of large lemons, zest the skin, then squeeze the juice. Viola!
- Unsalted butter and Shortening: Both are used in the cookie dough and in the frosting. I love the taste of butter in baked products, plus butter adds some crispness and chewiness to the cookie. Shortening is used in the cookie to create a soft texture that can last for days. Shortening in the frosting allows the surface to harden slightly, ideal for a cookie.
- Sour cream: In this cookie recipe, sour cream is an egg alternative. I like the little bit of sour taste in the cookie as well.
- Avocado Americolor gel coloring: I added a couple of drops of this avocado color to the frosting recipe to enhance the pistachio color. I wanted the frosting to be a slightly different color than the cookie.
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How to Make the Lemon Pistachio Smash Cookie:
Lemon Pistachio Cookie Dough:
- Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C) and lightly grease baking sheets.
- In blender or food processor, finely grind 1 ½ cups whole, salted pistachios. Set aside for use in cookie dough, frosting, and topping.
- Measure flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- In mixer with paddle attachment, cream ingredients in this order, scraping bowl between each addition:
- butter and shortening for 2 minutes on medium-high speed
- granulated sugar and lemon zest for 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed
- lemon juice and sour cream for 1 minute on medium speed
- ¾ cup (115g) finely ground pistachios for 2 minute on medium speed
- Add flour mixture all at once. On low speed, mix just until all the flour disappears.
- Using a 2” cookie scoop, place dough on lightly greased baking sheets (8 cookies per pan). Lightly spray bottom of flat-bottomed glass with cooking spray. Dip in sugar and press cookie flat (to about ½-3/4” tall). Leave a rough edge around the cookie. Dip in sugar again before pressing each cookie.
- Bake at 350° F (177° C) for 12 minutes. The cookie tops are barely firm, but not browned on edges. DO NOT overcook! Allow the cookies to cool in the pan. The cookies will continue to cook slightly.
Lemon Pistachio Frosting:
- In bowl of stand mixer, cream ½ cup (75g) finely ground pistachios, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape bowl.
- Add lemon zest, dash of salt, and then powdered sugar all at once. Mix on low speed until clumps form. Scrape bowl.
- Add lemon juice and milk. Mix on low speed until milk is not splashing. Scrape bowl. Add drop or two of avocado Ameri-color gel coloring (if using). Then, mix on medium-high speed until fluffy and light. 2-3 minutes.
Assemble Cookie:
When cookies are completely cool, spread 3 teaspoons of lemon pistachio frosting on top of the lemon pistachio cookies (leaving a slight edge of cookie showing). Sprinkle with finely ground pistachios.
The color and the flavor of the Lemon Pistachio Smash Cookie is absolutely amazing! I can’t wait for you to try them!
–Kim
Lemon Pistachio Smash Cookie
Ingredients
Lemon Pistachio Cookie Dough:
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (92g) shortening
- 1 ½ cup (297g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (9g) lemon zest
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup (227g) sour cream
- ¾ cup (115g) finely ground pistachios, salted (see note)
- 3 ¾ cup (450g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
Lemon Pistachio Frosting:
- ½ cup (75g) finely ground pistachios, salted (see note)
- ¼ cup (56.5g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (46g) shortening
- 1 Tablespoon (9g) lemon zest
- Pinch salt
- 3 cups (340g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- Avocado Americolor gel coloring
Instructions
Lemon Pistachio Cookie Dough:
- Preheat oven to 350° F (177° C) and lightly grease baking sheets.
- In blender or food processor, finely grind 1 ½ cups whole, salted pistachios. Set aside for use in cookie dough, frosting, and topping.
- Measure flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together and set aside.
- In mixer, cream butter and shortening on medium-high speed, about 2 minutes or until fluffed together. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.
- Add granulated sugar and lemon zest. Mix on medium-high speed for about 3-5 minutes. Scrape bowl.
- Add lemon juice and sour cream and mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape bowl.
- Add ¾ cup (115g) finely ground pistachios all at once. Mix on medium speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape bowl.
- Add flour mixture all at once. On low speed, mix just until all the flour disappears.
- Using a 2” cookie scoop, place dough on lightly greased baking sheets (8 cookies per pan).
- Lightly spray bottom of flat-bottomed glass with cooking spray. Dip in sugar and press cookie flat (to about ½-3/4” tall). Leave a rough edge around the cookie.
- Dip in sugar again before pressing each cookie.
- Bake at 350° F (177° C) for 12 minutes. The cookie tops are barely firm, but not browned on edges. DO NOT overcook!
- Allow the cookies to cool in the pan. The cookies will continue to cook slightly.
Lemon Pistachio Frosting:
- In bowl of stand mixer, cream ½ cup (75g) finely ground pistachios, butter, and shortening until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape bowl.
- Add lemon zest, dash of salt, and then powdered sugar all at once. Mix on low speed until clumps form. Scrape bowl.
- Add lemon juice and milk. Mix on low speed until milk is not splashing. Scrape bowl. Add drop or two of avocado Americolor gel coloring (if using). Then, mix on medium-high speed until fluffy and light. 2-3 minutes.
Assemble Cookie:
- When cookies are completely cool, spread 3 teaspoons of lemon pistachio frosting on top of the lemon pistachio cookies (leaving a slight edge of cookie showing). Sprinkle with finely ground pistachios.
Notes
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