Salted Honey Pistachio Cookies (Print Version)

Soft, chewy treats with pistachios, honey, and sea salt for perfect sweet-salty balance.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
03 - 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
04 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Wet Ingredients

05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1/2 cup honey
07 - 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
08 - 1 large egg
09 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Nuts & Topping

10 - 3/4 cup shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
11 - Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and fine sea salt until well combined.
03 - In a large bowl, beat butter, honey, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until creamy and light, about 2–3 minutes.
04 - Add egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat until fully incorporated and smooth.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Fold in chopped pistachios until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
07 - Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten each ball of dough.
08 - Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
09 - Bake for 10–12 minutes, until edges are lightly golden but centers are still soft.
10 - Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The honey keeps these cookies incredibly soft for days, unlike traditional sugar cookies that can turn into hockey pucks
  • That finish of flaky salt on top transforms them from ordinary cookies into something that feels like it came from a fancy bakery
02 -
  • Honey makes dough stickier than standard cookie dough. Chill your bowl for 10 minutes if the dough becomes too warm to handle.
  • These cookies continue to firm up significantly as they cool. Removing them from the oven when centers still look slightly raw is correct.
03 -
  • Measure honey by spraying your measuring cup with non-stick spray first. The honey slides right out instead of leaving half behind.
  • Rotate your baking sheets halfway through baking. Even the best ovens have hot spots that could give you uneven cookies.

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