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The ORIGINAL recipe for Pistachio Wedding Cookies that took the internet by storm! Thousands of people have pinned and tried this recipe with rave reviews time after time! These melt-in-your-mouth Pistachio Wedding Cookies will quickly become your new favorite! Once you try them you’ll see why they are a blog favorite!
The Christmas Cookie countdown continues this week with these buttery, melt in your mouth soft pistachio wedding cookies. I have to admit, these are probably my favorite cookie and I have my father to thank for getting me hooked on these. My dad brought over a tray of assorted Italian cookies, one of them being a soft pistachio cookie. I don’t think any of us could stop eating them. They were the first gone on the tray. I stopped at the bakery to see what they were called and they really had no name for them. They just said they were a pistachio cookie, however they were not filled with a lot of pistachios like other pistachio cookies I have tried in the past. I was on the hunt to find out what this cookie was. It was a blend between a Italian or Mexican wedding cake and a shortbread.
After researching my way through eating a few dozen cookies (the things we do to create a recipe) I finally came up with a close comparison to the cookie I just can’t get enough of.
These my friends, are simply amazing if I haven’t mentioned that already. They are also so easy, very similar to the ingredients you would find in wedding cakes but the secret ingredient in mine that give them that lovely minty green color and that hint of pistachio just like those cookies I fell in love with is instant pistachio pudding. If you love buttery, soft cookies these will quickly become of favorite of yours as well.
Pistachio Wedding Cookies
- Author: Jenn – Mother Thyme
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 minutes
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 3 dozen
- Category: baking, cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks butter), softened
- 1 cup confectioners sugar (divided)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3.4 oz package pistachio instant pudding mix
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl cream butter. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy. Add in vanilla extract.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, pudding mix and salt. Gradually mix flour mixture into wet ingredients until combined.
- Divide dough in half and form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from plastic wrap and make teaspoon size balls. Place on baking sheets and press down on the balls slightly spacing them about 1 inch part.
- Bake in preheated oven for 9-10 minutes. Don’t overbake. Remove from oven and let them sit on baking sheet for about 5 minutes. While cookies are still warm toss them in remaining confectioners sugar and set on wire rack until cooled completely.
- Store in airtight containers.
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Oh my these look and sound dangerous to me! I’m afraid I’d eat a dozen of them. I just might have to take that chance, oh dang I will take that chance! They just went on my must have list!
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Why is this My spouse and i never thought
of these?Reply
I love a melt-in-your-mouth cookie! These look like buttery perfection!
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I’m definitely going to try these. Do you think a handful of chopped
Pistachios would help or hinder the taste and creamy texture of these
cookies??Reply
You can definitely add in a tablespoon or two of finely chopped or even ground pistachios to enchance it if you would like. Enjoy!
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Made these today–delicious! Curious if u use salted or unsalted butter?
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Hi Karie, I use salted butter for these. Glad you thought they were delicious. 🙂
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Can these cookies be frozen? Can’t wait to try them!
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Yes these can be frozen without the powdered sugar. Just make the cookies as directed but don’t toss in the sugar. When you are ready to serve them let them thaw at room temp and then toss them in the sugar after they are thawed. Enjoy!
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These are so pretty and sound so delicious! Just added to my Christmas cookie baking! 🙂
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You totally had me at “buttery, melt-in-your-mouth”. Amazing, Jennifer!!
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How far in advance can these be made?
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These are so adorable! I love them!
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Oh yes please I’ll take a dozen, actually make that a baker’s dozen!
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Look soooooooooo wonderful. Picked up ingredients at store today and also got lemon pudding to try in another batch. If it works, the variety may be endless……………….. Thank you so much. Love your website and Tasty Kitchen too.
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Love that idea with lemon! You are right, the variety is endless. Let me know how they turn out for you. 🙂
I certainly will . Thanks for your response.
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These are amazing ! Good thing I made them to give away cause I’s eat them all myself ! These are now part of my permanent collection.
Going to try the lemon next and I’ll let you know the results. Can’t imagine they would not be equally as amazing.Reply
Hello
these are very similar to these cookies i make called melting moments.
oh yes the flavorings are probably endless. lemon, orange, butterscotch, lime hmmm i think i will experiment soon.
thank you for the recipes and ideas.
LindaReply
Did the lemon work?
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I bet lemon ones would be wonderful. Have you many them?
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These look yummy! I’m going to make them for a cookie exchange this week. Do they freeze well?
Thanks!Reply
Yes, these freeze great. Just wrap them in plastic wrap then place in a freezer safe container or storage bag. Just thaw on the counter when needed. Enjoy!
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Made these for a cookie exchange and they were superb! Super easy recipe! Soft and buttery with a nice taste of pistachio. My pudding mix had bits of pistachio in it and it was just right. I have found a new favorite!
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So glad to hear you enjoyed these. They are a favorite of mine too! Happy Holidays!
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there is nothing a waitress hates more than when people come into the restaurant right before it closes, unless you bring in a plate of these and then all is forgiven… so tonight i had a great meal served by great people who enjoyed some great cookies… thanks for the great recipe… next time i’m thinking subbing vanilla pudding mmmmmm…..
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These sound wonderful!! I am thinking of making a couple of batches! I might try one with some vanilla pudding and almond extract, but will def. try the pistachio too!!! I LOVE buttery cookies!!!
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I made these this weekend but thumbprinted them with raspberry jam and drizzled with white chocolate. The dough was excellent!
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I love your idea of making these a thumbprint cookie. I am making these later this week and I might have to try it that way too!
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Is it one box of pudding mix or 3??
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It is one 3.4 oz box of pudding mix. Enjoy!
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We made these cookies over the weekend. They are out of this world !!! I believe we have found a new cookie to add to our Must Make List !!!
Thanks Jennifer, and Happy Holidays !!!!!
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So happy to hear you enjoyed these! Happy Holidays!
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SUPER YUM!! I added a 1/2 c of finely chopped pistachios ( they were shelled & salted so I reduced the salt). Made them for my book club cookie exchange & they were a total hit! I’ll thank you for making me a hero, but not for adding to my waistline – I ate most of what I brought home. Hubby: What happened to those pistachio cookies? Me : Umm, I like them…a lot. Hubby: Can you make more?
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So happy to hear they were a total hit! Happy Holidays!
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Now I just hope I can find pistachio pudding mix or I’ll be doomed! 🙂
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Good luck finding the pistachio pudding mix. 🙂 I usually find it in the baking section with the other jello and pudding mixes.
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These sound delicious. Wish I could translate US measurements to GB ie lb and oz. Wonder if I can buy the pistachio pudding mix over here too!!!
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Stupidly I accidentally mixed in the whole cup of sugar in the beginning, LOL. Do you think that will affect the cookies much ?? I just won’t roll them in the sugar afterwards I guess. /:
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It will probably affect them. Do you have an extra box of pudding mix? I would suggest just doubling the batch but just don’t add anymore sugar. Let me know if you have any questions! 🙂
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I TRIED MAKING THESE COOKIES BUT SOMETHING WAS DEFINITELY WRONG. I HAVE A SILLY QUESTION, I JUST ADDED THE PISTACHIO MIX TO FLOUR BUT WHEN I MIXED WET WITH DRY IT WAS WAY TOO DRY. DO I MAKE THE PISTACHIO PUDDING ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS AND THEN ADD TO FLOUR? THE MIX WAS WAY TOO DRY AND CRUMLY I KNOW I MISSED SOMETHING SOMEWHERE .
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Hi Antoinette. No, you don’t need to make the pudding according to the directions. You just need to add the dry mix to the flour. The mix should almost be the consistency of play-doh, maybe a little firmer. Let it set in the refrigerator divided and wrapped in a ball in plastic wrap. When you are making the cookies, they may be a little crumbly. If so, just roll them on a clean surface then lightly pat them down with the palm of your hand or back of a spoon. Let me know if that helps!
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Thank you for the easy to follow recipe.
Loved how they looked. Great ‘spring’ cookie.
Family and friends loved it.
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Thanks Sandra! So glad to hear your family and friends enjoyed these.
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I just made these and it was a disaster! The cookies immediately spread on the cookie sheets and were completely flat. Couldn’t understand what happened…until I re-read the recipe. I confused 1cup (2 sticks) of butter when I was mixing with 2cups of butter! No wonder they didn’t turn out! I kept baking them anyway and am turning my crumbly, buttery mess into a trifle. Will definitely try making again with the right recipe!
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Sorry to hear they didn’t turn out for you. Let me know how they turn out for you when you bake them again.
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Hi, I’m planning on making these tonight. I’m a little confused by the recipe. It says, “divide dough in half and form into a ball”. What do I do with the other half of the recipe? Do I have to add the chilled dough to the room temp half just before rolling them up into balls to bake?
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Hi Tabitha, Sorry for the confusion. You want to divide the dough in half and wrap each ball in plastic wrap and chill both. The reason I suggest that is one ball can still chilled while you are working with the other. If it was all in one large ball it is sitting out longer and this dough works best chilled. Let me know if you have questions.
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Ok, makes sense now, thanks!
How long can the other half be in the fridge? Can I bake the second ball the next day or a few days later when the first batch is over?
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Absolutely! You can even freeze the dough if you would like as well. Enjoy! 🙂
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So I gave these another try last night following the correct recipe (after my goof up last time) and they were GREAT! The only “problem” was that I couldn’t stop eating the dough! So delicious!
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So glad to hear they turned out for you this time! 🙂
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Just made the pistachio ones as well as a lemon and chocolate ones for a party… i just switching out the pudding flavor… All 3 turned out great! 🙂
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This worked great with sugar free pudding also.
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I don’t usually comment on these but I tried this recipe and I love it. Simple and delicious, even my 2 yr old helped. I found a strawberries and cream pudding mix and tried it too. SO good! Thanks for the recipe.
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I started to make the cookies today and realized that I forgot to “divide” my powder sugar and dumped the whole cup in with the butter… I proceeded then to mix and it was way to dry and clumpy so I ended up going for more butter when I realized I didn’t have any more! Not wanting to have to run to the store I grabbed some butter flavor Crisco shortening (yeah, I really prefer butter but I specifically needed it for another recipe)… After adding about 3/4 of the cube and mixing I felt It may need more flour as well so I added maybe another 1/4 cup… Soooooooo they have chilled and I have my first batch in right now! I’m hoping the shortening doesn’t make the cookies spread out! We’ll see how I did in a few minutes. I think I”ll post my results when they’re done! Oh and both of my big boys are drooling and waiting for them so I’m really hoping I didn’t flub them up too much! lol…
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OK so I just ate my first cookie! I couldn’t wait until it had cooled all the way. Mmmmmm even with my mistakes they are yummy! I will for sure try them the correct way next time! They spread out because of the butter flavor Crisco so they looked like the boxed “Lemon Cooler” cookies but that’s ok as long as the taste is good! 🙂 Such a cool recipe idea, thanks! 🙂
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I pinned this recipe from pinterest. I just finished making these and my whole family absolutely loved them! I will definitely make these again. 🙂
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do you think this recipe would work using gluten free flour?
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I’m sorry I have never tested this recipe with gluten free flour to see what the results would be.
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Thank you for the recipe, I just made them and they came out great. I added one pistachio into the “thumbprint” before I baked them. They look pretty and taste delish!
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I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. I love your idea of adding a pistachio in the thumbprint!
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I got this recipe from Pinterest. I love shortbread-like cookies and I just happened to have a box of pistachio pudding mix in my panty my mom gave me a few weeks ago. So, I made these cookies yesterday and they’re already GONE!!! We loved them!!! My family couldn’t stop eating them last night. There was enough left this morning to enjoy with my coffee. It was heaven!!! I loved how easy they were to make. These cookies will definitely make a come back very soon!
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
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Hi Cindy! I’m so happy you found this recipe on Pinterest and had a chance to try them. These never last long in my house either. 🙂
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My fiancée and I loveeee these! However they came out a little floury tasting. Do you think I could substitute some of the flour with more confectioners sugar?
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Hi Corinne! So glad to hear you and your fiancée love these! I would suggest decreasing the amount of sugar slightly, like 2 or 3 tablespoons but you don’t need to increase the amount of suga as that may make them too sugary. Let me know if that works better for you.
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How much does this recipe yield? I want to make these for the guests at my wedding!
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Hi Emily, Congrats on your wedding! This recipe yields 3 dozen.
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These are delicious and so simple to make. I did the pistachio ones {my favorites}, then I did a batch with chocolate pudding and chocolate chunks, then one with vanilla pudding and peanut butter chips and the last with almond extract instead of vanilla and crushed almonds. So far they are all a hit. I am taking a bunch to my sisters for Thanksgiving on Thursday so that will be the real test. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe…
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Hi Debbbie! So glad you enjoyed these cookies. The Pistachio are my favorite too! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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I was so very excited to make these. I followed instructions to the T. Total disaster. They came out one big flat mess. I think the recipe calls for too much butter
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Hi Jennifer, So sorry to hear these didn’t turn out for you since so many readers including myself make these all the time with much success. I actually just made these last week and they were perfect. Just curious. did you chill the dough before baking these cookies?
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I just made these and they came out very flat.. 🙁 Any idea on what I could’ve done wrong? I followed each direction and triple checked to make sure I didn’t mess up an ingredient. They were very cookie like and not shortbread like. I would love to make them again if I knew what I did wrong!
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Hi Chelsea, Sorry these didn’t turn out as they should have. Did you chill the dough long enough?
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I made these today and was disappointed that my cookies were not able to keep the shape as the picture you have displayed. Any suggestions?
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Hi, my only suggestion is did you chill the dough long enough?
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Just made these cookies. They came out great. Followed recipe ingredients exactly. The ONLY difference– after I rolled and pressed down the cookies, I put them into the freezer for a few minutes on the parchment-lined pan because I noticed that the dough balls warmed up from my hands. I wanted to make sure they were cold when they went into the oven (hopefully to prevent the cookie from spreading). Next time, I think I would refrigerate the roll/flatten cookies from the beginning & then bake them. I would also add finely chopped pistacios. Good recipe. This is a great tasting and festive Christmas holiday cookie. Thanks!
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Had to comment and say…I tried these and said “oh sweet jesus.” Such a great recipe. Thanks so much.
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Thanks so much Crystal! So glad to hear you enjoyed these delicious cookies!
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Hi! I want to make these as a Valentine’s Day gift. If I rolled out the dough and used a heart-shaped cookie cutter, do you think they would hold the shape? Or should I use the sugar-cookie-bar version of this? Thanks!
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Hi Melissa, I have not tried these with a cookie cutter, but I don’t think they will hold their shape.
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Sounds amazing, I’m trying them today for St Patty’s Day. The only thing I will be changing is the dry confectioner sugar I’ll be putting it in the food processor & adding 3 or 4 drops of green food coloring. The sugar stays dry & becomes a vibrant green. I do this at Christmas with red & green, Valentines day with pink & Easter with pastels. Thanks for the recipe.
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I sorry my first comment I forgot to say, I make the Italian Wedding cakes for all Holidays & that’s what I use the colored sugar on.
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I followed recipe exactly..they went flat as pancakes. Im bummed
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I’m so sorry these cookies didn’t turn out for you. Thanks for letting me know.
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One of the best nice!
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Horrible, dry… they had no taste. I followed this recipe to a T! When I took the dough out of the fridge it was hard as a rock. No making them into balls or anything else. I trashed it.
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Hi Mary, Thank you for your taking the time to comment on this recipe. I’m terribly sorry these delicious cookies did not turn out for you. I along with many others have made these with a great success rate. I make these often and they are always a hit. I apologize again they did not turn out for you.
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I just took out the batch I made and the cookie are all spread out and flat on the baking sheet 🙁
I re-read the recipe and all quantities and ingredients were mixed right.
Is it supposed to look like the picture ?
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Hi Anne, So sorry these cookies didn’t turn out for you. I make these cookies all the time and I have never had that problem. You didn’t happen to add any baking powder or baking soda because that would be the only reason why they would spread. I get comments from readers all the time that try these cookies which huge success so I’m sorry that didn’t happen for you. ~Jenn
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I am totally making these right now. One batch pistachio and one Oreo! I can’t wait to see how they turn out.
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Hi Bethany! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love your idea of using oreo pudding mix!
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I am confused with the butter amount. 1 cup “plus” 2 sticks or did you mean to put one of those in parenthesis: 1 cup (2 sticks) Butter? I noticed some of your followers had very flat cookies. I think they used 1 cup plus 2sticks. Please advise. Thanks
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Do you think if I doubled the recipe and used one box pistachio pudding and one box cream cheese pudding and added some fresh pistachio nuts ? would it work well with the powdered sugar ?
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In the oven right now. I refrigerated my dough overnight. How long should it sit out before you roll. It seems quite crumbly.
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These were delicious! I did make a mistake, I used regular sugar not confectionery sugar. They were so good so I am scared now to do the recipe correctly lol
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We’ve made these before and they turn out great! We made the dough and only cooked half the batch. The other half has been in the fridge. How long do you think the dough is good for being in the fridge?
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First time I made them exactly as recipe calls for and they were good. Today I made them and added some white chocolate chips and they were GREAT!
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So happy you enjoy them!
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These are so GOOD! I put a small heart in the middle to make a Grinch cookie. This is a wonderful and easy recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it!!
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These are very tasty, I like that someone mentioned they call them meltaways, I may need to borrow that name. ☺ My first attemp at making these was not as successful as my second attempt. My first attempt, I followed the recipe as noted. I did have difficulty shaping them after the refridgerated time, I ended up having to warm the dough in my hands a bit before I could shape them, then when I tried to form the thumb print, the edges would crack a bit. They still tasted great, I just had to tweek my technique with my second attempt. My second attempt, I used lemon pudding and did not refridgerate the dough at all. I shaped them, baked them for 10min, then after placing them to cool, I used a metal 1 tsp measuring spoon to form the little thumb print on the top, it worked perfectly. I hope this helps others, I do not always have time to chill my dough so tried this, it worked! ☺ Thank you for this recipe. ♥
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I’ve been making these several years now and they’re a family favorite. I add a bit of chopped pistachio, pistachio extract, and few drops of blue food coloring for a nice green color. Rolling them before refrigeration is much easier when using a cookie scoop.
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I’m so happy to hear these are a family favorite! I love your additions you make to them too!
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I’ve tried to read through all of the comments…has anyone tried to make these keto friendly with almond flour and granular monkfruit & powdered swerve?
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When you say “1 cup 2 sticks butter,softened”, do you mean 1 cup (which is 2 sticks of butter)? Making these tonight for a cookie party!
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Hi! Yes, 2 sticks butter. 🙂
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Can I leave the dough refrigerated for about 2 days before baking?
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Hi! Yes, you can make the dough ahead of time. Just keep it wrapped in the plastic wrap.
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