These melt-in-your-mouth Pistachio Lemon Sandwich Cookies are impossible to resist! Pistachio and lemon scented buttery shortbread cookies are baked until just golden and sandwiched together with a layer of melted white chocolate.
These delicious sandwich cookies are adapted from my hazelnut baci di dama cookies that I shared a few weeks ago. I ended up making a double batch for our neighbors and everyone enjoyed them. It's a must try if you love hazelnuts and Nutella!
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♡ Why You Will Love These Pistachio Lemon Sandwich Cookies
- Easy to make. The cookie dough is made entirely in a food processor. You don't even need to let the butter come to room temperature, as cold butter is pulsed into the flour/pistachio mixture.
- Melt-in-your-mouth delicious. These cookies are incredibly tender. The key is to bake just until the edges are golden. If you'd prefer a crispier cookie, you can bake them longer.
- Flavor. Pistachio and lemon are a match made in heaven, that's why you'll also love my lemon pistachio cake and pistachio pesto recipe. They also remind me of these lemon creme cookies I grew up eating.
- Cute as a button! These cookie are so cute that you'll want to share them with your loved ones. They are perfect for snacking, parties, gifting or a cookie swap.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes about all the ingredients used in these Pistachio Lemon Sandwich Cookies. Quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card below!
- Pistachio - You can use raw or roasted pistachio nuts. I tested a few batches with raw and roasted nuts and didn't find a huge difference in terms of flavor. The raw pistachio cookies baked up a bit more green than the roasted ones.
- All-Purpose Flour - I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your flour for best results. Adding too much flour can make your cookies dry and dense.
- Sugar - A little bit of granulated white sugar will lightly sweeten the cookies.
- Salted Butter - I used salted butter, but you can use unsalted butter. You'll want to add ⅛ teaspoon of fine salt to your dough.
- Lemon Zest - Adds zesty lemon flavor and brightness, which works so well with pistachios.
- White Chocolate - If you're not a fan of white chocolate, you can use milk, semi-sweet or dark chocolate.
*See recipe card for quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make these Pistachio Lemon Sandwich Cookies! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Step 1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse pistachio nuts, flour, sugar and lemon zest until finely ground.
Step 2. Add cold cubed butter and pulse until the dough starts to clump together. Do not overmix it.
Step 3. Transfer the dough onto a work surface and gently knead it into a cohesive dough. Then using a small, 2-teaspoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough into about 26 dough balls.
💡 Tip
If you do not have a small cookie scoop, you can use a teaspoon to scoop out 8 gram dough balls.
Or you can divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, roll into a skinny log, and then cut into small pieces. However, if you want the cookies to be consistently sized, use a kitchen scale to portion out 8 gram dough balls.
Step 4. Then cut each dough ball in half, to make a total of 52 pieces.
Step 5. Roll each piece of cookie dough into a smooth ball in between the palms of your hands. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Step 6. Bake cookies, 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 14 to 18 minutes at 325ºF (162ºC).
Step 7. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 8. Melt chocolate in microwave or over a small pot of simmering water. Once melted, place in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Remove from the fridge, stir, then leave on the counter and allow to thicken up. It will take about 30 minutes or so.
Step 9. Once the cookies are cooled, add about ½ teaspoon of the white chocolate on the flat side of half the cookies, then top with the other half of the cookies to create a sandwich. Serve and enjoy!
Substitutions
- Pistachio Nuts - You can use raw, pre-roasted or toast the pistachios yourself.
- Salted butter - You can use unsalted butter. Be sure to add ⅛ teaspoon fine salt to the cookie dough.
- Lemon Zest - If you don't have any lemon zest, you can omit it completely.
- White Chocolate - If you're not a fan of white chocolate, you can use milk, semi-sweet or dark chocolate. I also made a batch and filled it my pistachio cream and it was amazing!
Variations
- Other Nuts - You can also use almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts or pistachios.
- Spices - Pistachios work will with cardamom, cinnamon, clove or nutmeg.
- Other flavors - You can add vanilla extract, almond extract or rose water, as seen here in my pistachio rose cake.
Storage
- Room Temperature - You can store these cookies in an airtight container, in a cool place for up to a week.
- Refrigerator - If your kitchen is warm, you can also store these in the fridge.
- Freezer - For prolonged storage, store in an airtight container or freezer bags in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let it come to room temperature before serving.
⭐️ Expert Tips
Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. Baking in grams, rather than volume, is the best and most accurate way to bake! All my recipes include gram conversions based on King Arthur's Weight Chart.
If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.
For uniform cookies, use a small cookie scoop to portion out the dough or use a kitchen scale to make sure they are evenly divided. Each dough ball is about 8 grams each.
For a tender cookie, bake for about 14 minutes or just until the edges are starting to brown. If you prefer a crispier texture, bake for about 18 minutes.
Make sure the white chocolate is cooled and thickened before using. After melting the chocolate, place it in the fridge for 10 minutes. Stir and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. This will make it easier to sandwich the cookies together.
FAQ
Traditional Baci di Dama, which translates to "lady's kisses," are Italian hazelnut cookies, originally from the region of Piedmont. Baci di dama consists of two hazelnut biscuits joined together with a chocolate filling, which represents the "kiss."
You do not! I made a few test batches and didn't notice a huge difference in flavor. The only thing I noticed was, the batch made with raw pistachios were more green, than the batch made with roasted pistachio nuts.
Sure, you can use a 1-t0-1 cup gluten-free flour blend!
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📖 Recipe
Pistachio Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Equipment
- food processor
- kitchen scale
- Small Cookie Scoop (optional)
- Baking Sheets
INGREDIENTS
- 1 Cup (120g) Pistachio Nuts (raw or roasted)
- 1 Cup (120g) All-Purpose Flour
- ⅓ Cup (67g) White Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Fine Lemon Zest (1 small to medium lemon)
- ½ Cup (113g) Salted Butter (add ⅛ teaspoon fine salt if using unsalted butter)
- 3 Ounces (85g) White Chocolate Bar melted and cooled
Instructions
- Make Cookie Dough - In the bowl of a food processor, pulse pistachios, flour, sugar and lemon zest until finely ground. Then add cold, cubed salted butter and pulse until the dough starts to clump together (about 20 to 24 pulses). Do not overmix it. 1 Cup (120g) Pistachio Nuts (raw or roasted)1 Cup (120g) All-Purpose Flour⅓ Cup (67g) White Granulated Sugar2 Teaspoons Fine Lemon Zest (1 small to medium lemon)½ Cup (113g) Salted Butter (add ⅛ teaspoon fine salt if using unsalted butter)
- Divide Cookie Dough - Transfer the dough onto a work surface and gently knead it into a cohesive dough. Using a small, 2-teaspoon cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie dough into about 26 dough balls. Then cut each dough ball in half, to make a total of 52 pieces.
- Freeze Cookie Dough - Roll each piece of cookie dough into a smooth ball in between the palms of your hands. Place on a small cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 30 to 60 minutes.If you have enough space in your freezer, you can freeze the cookie dough balls on 2 large cookies sheets and pop them directly in the oven when you're ready to bake.
- Preheat Oven - Preheat the oven to 325℉ (162℃). Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Bake - Bake cookies 2 inches apart for 14 to 18 minutes, switching the pans between the top and bottom rack and rotating half way through. For tender cookies, bake for 14 minutes or just until the edges are barely golden. For crisper cookies, bake them longer.
- Cool - Allow cookies sit on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt & Cool Chocolate - While cookies are chilling, melt your white chocolate. Place finely chopped white chocolate into a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave in 20 second intervals, making sure to stir in between. Or you can melt the chocolate over a simmering pot of water. 3 Ounces (85g) White Chocolate BarPlace the bowl in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Then remove, stir and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is thick and no longer runny (see photos for reference if needed). This will make it easier to fill the cookies.
- Assemble Cookies - Once the cookies are completely cooled and the chocolate is ready, flip half of the cookies over with the flat side facing up. Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the white chocolate on the flat side, and then gently press the second half of the cookie on top to create a sandwich. Enjoy!
Notes
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