pistachio dark chocolate chunk cookies

happy sunday, friends, good morning!

i’ve officially marked two full weeks here in virginia (the district, DMV, d.c.; juries still out on what the cool kids call it,) and even though things still feel a little hazy, i’m super committed to Doing The Most and really relishing in the tiny victories and little joys along the way. this week included: pints and a cheesy sausage brussel sprout pizza at a delightful german biergarten with new friends, volunteering at a local food bank to pack covid relief boxes, embarking on an ‘eat around the world tour’ - india was first, france is up next!, tentatively grabbing life by the barbells and lifting heavy again, and making roughly 5 dozen of these pistachio dark chocolate chunk cookies with Tree-Ripe Fruit Co. pistachios. it’s been a delicious week, it’s been a cathartic week.

Tree-Ripe Fruit Co. sent me a package of their New Mexico pistachios that are picked and harvested when they’re at their very best, always ripened on the tree (never in storage - v important here, friends.) they’re doing the most by partnering with farmers around the U.S. to bring people the freshest and the ripest, and i’m so so in for it! so in for it, that i made a lot of cookies about it.

these are real deal, flour sugar butter cookies, plus the added fun of roasted salted pistachios, dark chocolate chunks, a sprinkle of cardamom, and a chocolate dunking station. (yes, way!!!)

please believe me when i tell you that cookie + melted dark chocolate + dunk + pistachios + sea salt = therapy. it’s really the most soothing, and the reward here is perfectly chewy dark chocolatey cookies with a little salted pistachio crunch in every bite.

a few things before we get started:

- Tree Ripe Fruit-Co. delivers these pistachios right to your doorstep when they’ve been picked + harvested at their freshest. truly nothing better than that, and so super cool that they partner with local U.S. farmers, too
- make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before starting. this helps the cookies bake evenly!
- i did not attempt this with alternate flours/butters, but if you do, let me know how it goes (may the odds be ever in for your favor)
- i outlined how to set up your chocolate dunking station below, but it is KEY that you wait until the cookies are completely cooled before you do this
- the crumbled pistachios + the flaked sea salt take these cookies from super good to really, really special. please do this because you deserve it
- the cookies freeze great! i’m storing mine in a gallon freezer bag and sneaking several for breakfast with my coffee in the mornings and i fully support you in doing the same

pistachio dark chocolate chunk cookies
makes 18 cookies
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 10-12 minutes + 30 minutes for the chocolate dunk

8tbsp room temperature butter
3/4c packed brown sugar
1 room temperature egg
1tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2c all purpose baking flour
1tsp cardamom
1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1/2c Tree-Ripe Fruit Co. pistachios, chopped
1/2 dark chocolate chunks

for the chocolate dunk:
8oz block of dark baking chocolate
1tbsp coconut oil
1/2c Tree-Ripe Fruit Co. pistachios, chopped
flaked sea salt

preheat the oven to 350.
in a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy. then add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat again until smooth. add the flour, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and beat until just incorporated. then, gently fold in the pistachios and dark chocolate chunks.

line two baking sheets with parchment paper. using a cookie scoop, scoop tablespoon-sized dough balls and roll them into a little-more-uniform balls. place 9 cookie dough balls on each baking sheet, then flatten the tops of each slightly with your palm or the bottom of a glass. bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are just golden brown.

once the cookies have baked, transfer them to a cooling rack.

while the cookies are cooling, break the dark baking chocolate into chunks, and place in a sauce pan over low heat. once the chocolate is about halfway melted, add the coconut oil and stir to incorporate. you’ll want to go low and slow here, otherwise the chocolate can burn! once the chocolate is fully melted, transfer into a bowl that is large enough to dunk half the cookies.

at this stage, i like to set up an assembly station with three bowls: melted dark chocolate in one, chopped pistachios, in the next, and flaked sea salt in the last. working one at a time, dunk half of a completely cooled cookie into the chocolate, shaking off the excess, then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate. then, sprinkle the chocolate-dunked side with pistachios and flaked salt. once all the cookies have been dunked, chill in the fridge for 20 minutes until the chocolate is set.