Chocolate Chunk Cookies (Pistachio)

Salted pistachio chocolate chunk slice and bake cookies have pistachio chunks, dark chocolate, brown sugar, sea salt, and a crunchy sugar edge. Their upgraded taste and texture puts them above the rest!

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (170 g)
⅔ cup light or dark brown sugar, packed (133 g)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (spoon and leveled) (250 g)
½ tsp. sea salt
6 oz chocolate, coarsely chopped (170 g)
¾ cup pistachios, finely chopped, divided (75 g)
coarse sugar, for rolling (I like raw sugar)
sea salt, for sprinkling on top (optional)

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla extract on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, and continue to beat until fully combined. On low speed, beat in the flour and salt until combined. The cookie dough will be thick and slightly sticky. Switch to high speed and beat in most of the chocolate (leave a few chunks aside, for later) and 2/3 cup of the pistachios until combined.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and, with floured hands, divide or cut into two. Shape each half into an 8" log, about 2½" in diameter. The measurements don’t have to be exact. Roll each log in a mix of coarse sugar and the leftover pistachios. Tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 5 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I prefer to chill mine for 4 hours or even overnight– the colder the dough, the thicker the cookies.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.

Slice each log into 12 equally thick cookies and place cookies on baking sheets about 2" apart. (The chocolate chunks in the cookie dough will be very hard and may not slice, leaving gaps in some cookies. Press any extra chunks you set aside into the tops, if needed.) If desired, sprinkle each with sea salt.

Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week.

Cook's Notes:

• Make-Ahead:  Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving. You can make/assemble the cookie dough logs and chill in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cookie dough logs freeze well too, up to 3 months. Allow the logs to thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bake as directed.
• Chocolate:  You can find 4 oz chocolate baking bars in the baking aisle. You’ll need 1.5 of them. (Save the other ½ of a bar for your next batch!) I like using Ghirardelli. You can use milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate, or bittersweet chocolate, whichever you prefer.
• Pistachios:  You can use salted or unsalted. This would depend on how salty you want your cookies. I use salted. If you’re using a sweet chocolate, like milk chocolate or white chocolate, maybe salted pistachios are the way to go. If you want a sweeter cookie, unsalted is your best bet. If you want a super dark chocolate, wonderfully salty cookie with a little sweetness, use salted. Depends on your tastebuds.