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A baking sheet is filled with Lemon Basil Cookies with White Chocolate and Pistachios.

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.