Lemon Basil Cookies with White Chocolate and Pistachios

If there is such a thing as a spring or summer cookie, then this is it!

Brightness from the tangy lemon presence (plenty of lemon goodness in these cookies), fresh basil for an earthy herby flavour which pairs exceedingly well with lemon, and then the velvety sweetness of white chocolate for contrast. Slivered or chopped pistachios add some colour and crunch.

Lemon Sugar

First things first, to ensure that the lemon flavour really stands out in these cookies, not a vague or banal attempt at achieving the best lemony presence, you will make up a batch of lemon sugar.  As the name suggests, it is lemon and sugar.  Many recipes are so weak, that I really want you to use a lot of lemon zest.  For each cup of granulated sugar, you will need the zest of two medium to large lemons.  Zest the lemons, not missing any of the skin. Do try to avoid the white pith, as this is more bitter than tangy. If you find that the zest is quite wet, spread it out on some paper towel for just a few moments to capture the excess moisture.

In a bowl combine the sugar and lemon zest. Crush them together between your fingers till well blended.  The zest will release the lemon oils as you press it into the sugar.  Once completely blended, transfer to a sealed container.  After even just two days you will find that when you open the container, the fragrance is just so joyful!  You will need some for the Lemon Meringue Hot Chocolate to follow, but the rest can be used in baking, in tea, even sprinkled on buttered toast!

Making the Cookie Dough

It all starts with room temperature butter and the lemon sugar.  Beat well using a stand or hand held mixer.  You want to beat until they combine to a light, fluffy mixture.  This should take about three minutes.  Then you will add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl.  If using a stand mixer, you will also want to scrape the bottom of the bowl to bring up any of the mixture which may have settled down there and isn’t getting incorporated correctly.  Now you will add the flavourings: lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon extract.  If you don’t have any extract, no worries, the cookies will still have that lemony presence.

Now, in a separate bowl, combine the flour, lemon zest, minced fresh basil leaves, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Use a whisk to blend evenly.  Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl with the butter, sugar and egg mixture.  Beat on low till JUST combined.  Add the remaining flour mixture, and again, beat on low till JUST combined.  Add most of the white chocolate chips, and all of the pistachios.  Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold these evenly into the dough.

Transfer the dough to a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill.  This step is key.  Chill for at least three hours, or overnight.  This will help the cookies keep their shape and avoid over-spreading on the baking sheets.

Baking Up the Cookies

When ready to bake up the cookies, take the dough out of the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature, about 15 or so minutes.  The dough should be malleable but not soft.  Roll up balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. You should get approximately 36ish cookies. They can be larger, the baking time will just be a bit longer.  Roll up and place the cookie balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  From here you can actually place the baking sheet with the cookies into the freezer.  Once frozen, the cookie balls can be transferred to a freezer bag.  This is a great option if you only want to bake up some of the balls right at the moment.

If you are baking up all of the cookies, you will need more than one baking sheet, or else bake them in batches.  I find that I can get eight cookie balls onto one sheet, to allow for spread as they bake up.  Place a few of the reserved chocolate chips onto each cookie ball.  Place the baking sheet onto the centre rack of a 350F pre-heated oven.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden and the cookies have puffed up slightly.  Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack.  If you find that the cookies have spread too much (the dough was too warm) here is a great trick to bring the cookies back to a pleasant shape: While still warm, use a biscuit cutter, or large glass to fit around the cookie.  You may need to move the cutter around to bring in the dough.  Then spin the cutter around the cookie, which will force the baked cookie to fold back in, and turn into a perfect circle.  The cookies below were baked with dough that wasn’t chilled perfectly, hence the spread.  But the final cookies were amazingly tender and melt in your mouth!

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes.  Then they will be firm enough to transfer to a wire rack without the baking sheet, using a small offset spatula.  Let them finish cooling.  They can be stored for up to five days in a sealed container.  Cooled cookies can also be placed on a baking sheet and put into the freezer. Once frozen, they can be transferred to a freezer bag.  This way, you can remove a few without them all clumping together as they freeze.  Let them thaw, and they will be as tender as when fresh!

When it comes to the pistachios, I always like using slivered pistachios as opposed to chopped whole pistachios.  The slivered version are always that bright green, while not all pistachios that require chopping will give you the same intensity of green colour.  Since they are a bit harder to find at the grocery store, I’m sharing a quick link for slivered pistachios.  This is just one option, there are many more to choose from, but this slivered pistachio link will get you started.

Rolling the dough into balls vs spooning or dropping the dough onto the baking sheet will create a more crispy exterior, with a fluffy soft interior.

These cookies are the perfect cookie for the warmer weather.  They will melt in your mouth, and make a charming addition to a summer shower or anniversary dessert table.

If you make these fun, happy lemony Lemon Basil Cookies with White Chocolate and Pistachios, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! It’s always lovely to hear from you guys, and I always do my best to respond to each comment or question. And of course, if you do make this recipe, and you post it on Instagram, don’t forget to also tag me so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is such a treat.

Love Jen

For other lemony sweet treats, check out Uber Lemony Lemon Cheesecake, Lemon and Raspberry Meringue Torte, Basil Strawberry Shortcake Parfait with Lemon Curd, Meyer Lemon Squares on Cardamom Shortbread

5 from 1 vote

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Lemon Basil Cookies with White Chocolate and Pistachios

Melt in your mouth lemony cookies, with the added punch of fresh basil, velvety white chocolate chips, and the crunch from green pistachios. A perfect spring or summer cookie!

Course Baking

Cuisine North American

Keyword lemon basil, lemon basil cookies, pistachios, white chocolate

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes

Chill 3 hours

Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (240 g) butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 2/3 (345 g) cups Lemon Sugar, see Notes
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp lemon extract optional
• 3 cups (375 g) spooned and leveled AP flour, can substitute with a cup for cup gluten free blend.
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon zest, from approximately two large lemons
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (170 g) white chocolate chips, reserving some chips to top the cookie balls before baking
• 1 cup (110 g) slivered or chopped pistachios, see Notes

Instructions

1. In the bowl of stand mixer, or using a handheld mixer, combine the butter and lemon sugar. Beat till light and fluffy, about three minutes.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat till combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
3. Add the lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon extract (if using) and beat to combine.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, lemon zest, basil, baking powder, baking soda and salt with a whisk.
5. Add about half of the flour mixture into the bowl with the butter, sugar and egg mixture. Beat on low speed till just combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture.
6. Add in the white chocolate chips and pistachios. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to fold these in evenly.
7. Move the dough to a bowl just large enough to hold it. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for a good three hours or even overnight.
8. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
9. Take the dough from the fridge and let it soften at room temperature for a good 15 minutes, or until malleable.
10. Roll dough balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter (they can be a bit larger, just adjust baking time) You should get approximately 36 cookie balls.
11. Place 6-8 dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet. Top each ball with some of the reserved chocolate chips.
12. Bake on the center rack till the bottoms are just turning golden, approximately 12-14 minutes.
13. Transfer the sheet to a wire rack to cool. Once they have cooled for a good10-15 minutes, they should be stable enough to transfer to the wire rack themselves. Cool completely. They can be stored in a sealed container for up to five days.

Recipe Notes

Lemon Sugar: for each cup of granulated sugar you will need at least one tablespoon of fresh lemon zest. You can use more if you really want the lemon to shine! Combine in a small bowl and use your fingers to rub the sugar and zest together. This will release the oils to the sugar. Store in a sealed container in the cupboard. By the next day you will already discover how fragrant the lemon sugar is. Use in baking or even in your favourite tea.
Pistachios: Slivered pistachios are great for baking, but if you can only source shelled pistachios, no worries. Place them in a tea towel and rub, to remove any excess skins. Chop into small pieces.
Chilling the dough is crucial: If you don't chill the dough, you will find that the butter and sugar will melt too fast in the oven, and cause the dough balls to spread out too far. The cooler the dough balls, the more puffy the cookie, and the more they will retain their shape. If you do find that spreading has occurred, just take a large glass or biscuit cutter and wrap it around each baked cookie on the baking sheet. Spin the glass to bring the edges back in towards the center. Cool and then transfer to the cooling rack.
Freezing the Dough Balls: You can freeze the unbaked cookie balls by placing them onto a wax paper lined baking sheet. Place this in the freezer. Once frozen through, transfer the balls to a freezer bag and store up to three months. Thaw in the fridge over night. Place them on the baking sheet and let them come to room temperature and proceed with baking as directed.