Quick Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
Flavorful and delicious, these quick cranberry pistachio cookies make the best holiday treat! They are soft, buttery and easy to prepare in 25 minutes. Add a simple drizzle of icing on top just before serving.
Let’s get into the Christmas spirit with these gorgeous festive cookies! Pistachio cranberry cookies are an ideal Christmas cookie choice for many reasons. They have a mouth-watering texture, are easy to make, are ready in 25 minutes and can be made ahead of time. To top it off, the green pistachios and red cranberries fit in perfectly with the Christmas colors (just like my Christmas biscotti!)
Why this recipe works
These cookies with pistachios and cranberries are made with easy-to-find ingredients. They are a spin on my oatmeal cookies with a few additional ingredients to give them a festive twist. One of these ingredients is dried cranberries which add a tasty tart flavor to every bite. While pistachios add a hint of saltiness and crunch to this memorable treat (similar to chocolate chip pistachio cookies).
Ingredient notes
- Pistachios: Select good-quality pistachios for this recipe. If you use shelled pistachios, remove the shell before using in the recipe.
- Dried cranberries: This ingredient adds a tart and slightly sweet taste to the cookies.
- Melted butter: Using melted butter gives these cookies a dense chewy texture. Make sure that the butter is cooled before combining it with the other ingredients.
- Rolled oats: Oatmeal gives these cookies a chewy texture. Rolled oats work best in this recipe. Do not use steel-cut oats.
Recipe variations
If you are a chocolate lover then you can add 1/2 cup white chocolate chips to the cookie dough along with the dried cranberries and pistachios to make pistachio cranberry white chocolate cookies. Semisweet or dark chocolate chips work too!
Another yummy variation is orange cranberry pistachio cookies. Swap the brown sugar for orange sugar to add a zesty citrusy flavor to these cookies. If you have leftover pistachios, try my pistachio bundt cake next.
Run out of pistachios? This recipe works with any type of nut! Walnut oatmeal cookies are a classic, but you can also use pecans or almonds.
How to make cranberry pistachio cookies
- Combine dry ingredients: Add flour, baking soda, salt and rolled oats to a bowl and whisk until evenly combined.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Then gradually add the eggs and vanilla.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Pour 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and mix. Repeat this step with the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined. Next stir in the dried cranberries and pistachios using a spatula.
- Prepare the dough: Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball then place it on the prepped baking sheet. Repeat this step for the remaining dough.
- Bake cookies: Bake ar 325 F for 12 to 14 minutes or until set. Then let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack.
- Prepare the icing: Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. Then, use a spoon to drizzle icing over the cooled cookies and enjoy.
Expert tips
Use old-fashioned rolled oats for the best results as they have the best texture. If you don’t have rolled oats, then feel free to use quick oats instead. Do not use steel-cut oats because they have a tough, grainy texture which does not work well with the cookies.
Use a weighing scale to weigh all of the ingredients to guarantee the best results. A weighing scale will ensure that all of the ingredients are measured accurately which is extremely important when baking.
To make extra chewy cookies refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. As the dough chills preheat the oven to 325 F and bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
To stop the cookies from spreading chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling them into balls. This should help the cookies to hold their shape as they bake.
Yes, store them in an airtight container and place parchment paper in between each cookie to prevent them from sticking. Freeze the cookies for up to one month. Defrost the cookies by leaving them out on a counter and let them come to room temperature.
Adding an extra egg yolk and brown sugar will make these cookies chewy. For even more chewiness, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before preheating the oven and baking.
Place the cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between layers to prevent the icing from sticking. The cookies should stay fresh for up to 5 days at room temperature.
Related recipes
Give these recipes a try if you love cookies and oatmeal.
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Get the Recipe: Quick Cranberry Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients
Pistachio Cranberry Cookies
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (128 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (1 1/2 sticks or 170 g) unsalted butter,, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (220 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk,, room temperature
- ¾ cup (124 g) whole shelled pistachios
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
Icing
- 1 cup (128 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2-4 teaspoons milk
- ½ cup (62 g) finely chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- Whisk together flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), combine the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until butter is well absorbed, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl if necessary.
- Gradually add the flour oat mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the pistachios and cranberries by hand.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into balls. Place onto parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake cookies for 14-16 minutes. The edges will look lightly browned and the centers soft. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.
- To make the icing, stir together the confectioner's sugar and milk until smooth and the icing reaches a drizzle consistency. Transfer icing to a ziplock bag. Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag. Drizzle icing over the cooled cookies and serve!
4 Comments on “Quick Cranberry Pistachio Cookies”
These look fantastic! Can’t wait for Christmas 🙂
These cookies were absolutely breath taking, i loved the dried, chewy goodness. I will be making this for Christmas cookies this year.
These cookies were really delicious! My kids can’t stop eating these!