I first tasted pistachio cookies in Italy, about two years ago. My husband and I were searching for Il Gelato di San Crispino that was supposed to serve Rome’s best gelato when we chanced upon a little bakery selling these bright green chewy balls of pistachio cookies that were called Bocconcini al Pistacchio di Bronte. The gelato store was set aside for another day. Instead, we bought two cookies each (At 3.80 EURO each they were expensive!) and went to Sant’ Eustachio for a caffe and devoured the little gluten-free Italian pistachio cookies.
What happened next? Hoarder that I am, I bought 10 more cookies. They travelled over a thousand kilometers from Rome to Paris and I ate one a day for the remainder of our trip. Looking back, I must have subconsciously thought that it would be a very long time before I would have these cookies again so I made sure to eat as much as I could during my holiday. Why for the life of me I didn’t think of making them myself I don’t know!
Almost two years later I’ve finally made what I should have done years ago – and they taste EXACTLY as I remembered them to be.
World’s best Trissalicious Pistachio Cookies?
I know.
It’s a bold statement, especially when there are so many great pistachio cookies out there. But so enamoured am I with these cookies that I decided that if I was going to put my name to a cookie – this would be it. These fit my key requirements for a signature cookie – only four ingredients, takes minutes to put together and they are very, very addictive. I made a batch of these last week and my officemates demanded the recipe. I told them I would give it to them only on one condition – that they passed it on to their friends and family as Trissalicious Pistachio Cookies – and they couldn’t leave out the Trissalicious!
Italian Pistachio Cookies
By Trissalicious
- 90 grams PLUS 100 grams Pistachios (raw, shelled)
- 100 grams almond meal
- 120 grams caster sugar
- 50 grams eggwhites (from around 1 to 2 eggs)
- Green food colouring (optional)
- Lightly toast the pistachios for around 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 160c. Chop the first 90 grams of pistachio finely (you can use a food processor for this) and the other 100 grams of pistachios roughly.
- In a bowl place the finely chopped 90 grams of pistachios, almond meal, sugar and egg whites. Mix well (you can add a few drops of food colouring now if you wish) until you form a paste.
- Scoop the cookie batter and form into little balls, (at this point, if you find the batter too sticky add a little bit more almond meal to the paste) then roll them in the remaining 100 grams of pistachios.
- Place then in a baking sheet, around 2 cm apart and bake for around 13 minutes at 170c (fan forced).
- Update on recipe: Dust with icing sugar when cool.
Absolutely yum. Baked them and yes they are the best. Thank you for sharing. A delightful recipe for keeps.
[…] The recipe I used is below (sourced from Trissalicious Pistachio Cookies) […]
Hi i just tried this recipe. Delicious. Thank you. I did have to adjust the temp and time though.
I baked it on 140ºC for 20mins to get the outside crunch. I honestly don’t know what type of oven i have. All i know its old and crap haha.
[…] Recipe adapted from Trissalicious […]
Dear Triccialicious,
Just like EJ Sandigo, I also discovered these Bocconcini al Pistaccio di Bronte cookies at the wonderful Antico Forno Bakery in Rome just this weekend, so I was really delighted to find your recipe and also quite chuffed to see that you have adopted my native Australia as your home!
I now live in Copenhagen and love travelling in Europe, and can’t believe that this was my fourth Rome visit and that I had not fallen across this bakery before. I’m really looking forward to baking your recipe!! Thanks so much for sharing :o)
Funny I should stumble upon your recipe when trying to find a recipe for these “Bocconcini al Pistacchio di Bronte” from what looks to be the very same bakery I am enamored with, Antico Forno on the corner of Via della Scrofa and Via della Stelletta! Thanks for cracking the code to these delicious morsels… I paired mine with cappuccino from Taza D’Oro and fell in love. I just returned from my second visit to Rome and happened to stay in an apartment around the corner from what had previously been my favorite pizza spot, this bakery, Antico Forno… I recommend it to all!
These sound so interesting and exotic! I love pistachio desserts so I’ll have to try these!
Made these for our Christmas cookie bake last year and they were a big hit. Don’t scrimp on the food coloring. They look best really green. This year I want to try a variation. Ideas please? Hazelnut/orange zest? Chocolate almond? Chocolate/hazelnut? Of course nothing will look Christmasy like green…
[…] to Yoghurt Cake. The winning idea was Pistachio Cookies by Dish Piglets, a recipe adapted from Trissalicious […]
this was Awesome recipe~ Thanks for sharing it. I baked them last week, and it was a hit~
Brilliant. Like being back in Europe 🙂 I over-roasted my pistachios a little but they still taste amazing! Thanks for a great recipe 😊
i have started adding chopped rosemary to this cookie recipe the other day…. brings a whole new element to a great recipe….
Hi,
what if I try to whip the egg whites until they turn to peak form? will that affect the cookies?
Hi, your cookies seems so yummy !! I have a question, you used a fan forced oven, while mine is a regular gas oven, will it affect the result? Thanks
Hi Mays
It all depends on how your oven heats – suggest you try a few pieces on a small tray at the temperature I suggested and then maybe see how you go from there – for example, if it’s overcooked, turn down the temperature a few celcius.
Hope that helps!
Trissa
$40.00 per kilo or $1.20 each at the Australian Gelati store I visited today. The girl behind the counter did a big-sell on them including saying they would last a month in an airtight jar. She didn’t understand me when I said “A month? That’s ambitious” (as in there is no way they would last that long in my home!) Thanks for the recipie, will be treating myself by making them at home
These look great & they are a lot like “rough” macarons.
Triss,
These quantities will yield???
Thanks,
Aaron
Hi Aaron sorry for the late reply – around 30 to 40 cookies, depending on how large you make them.
Thanks for the info, these have been permenantly added to my cookie list. A quadruple batch was enough to keep everone happy. Whew!
Aaron
I went to a conversion table: use these amounts in the US:
190 grams is 6.7 oz.
100 grams is 3.5 oz.
120 grams is 4.23 oz.
50 grams is 1.76 oz.
the fahrenheit temp. would be 338.
Did anyone convert this to US system ?
Maryann
I just did –
2/3 cup pistachios (raw, shelled, finely chopped)
3/4 cup pistachios (raw, shelled, coarsely chopped)
1 cup almond meal (flour)
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup egg whites (two medium eggs)
Green food coloring (optional)
320 degrees to roast the pistachios; 338 to bake.
Thank you Leann!!
like one of the previous reviews, would you kindly convert this yummy recipe into the american measuring standard? thank you.
Would also like to know if the egg whites have to be whipped before mixing, or if they are just combined with the other ingresdients without whipping. thanks.
Hi Vicky, no need to whip the egg whites. Cheers
Trissa
I wish yo could convert to american weights and measures. I would love to try them they look so yummy!!!!!!
I do all my weight conversion here…
http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_common.htm
Genny,
I found a tool online to convert the recipe. Made them today, they are delicious.
90 gm= 3.2 oz, 100 gm= 3.5 oz, 120 gm= 4.2 oz, 50 gm= 1.8 oz
I think I made them too big, only ended up with 17 cookies. I am going to make them again when I can get some good pistachios…. good luck
Here in the US, we don’t use metric for measuring, any idea how I can convert this amazing recipe to the American measuring standard? I wouldn’t ask, but I have no idea how to do it! 🙂
I do all my weight conversion here…
http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_common.htm
Buy a cheap digital kitchen scale…..far more accurate than our standard “american” measurements.
Made this cookies just an hour ago.
They are not only good, they are fantastic! Thanks for the recipe. This definitely is a keeper!
[…] adapted from Trissalicious! I left out the food colouring as I didn’t have any in my pantry, so they didn’t turn […]
Bummer, my family is vegan. Any vegan alternative with no egg white? (no milk either)
Bummer, my family is vegan. Any vegan alternative?
[…] Italian Pistachio Cookies by Trissalicious – Love the simplicity (4 ingredients!) and the colour of these cookies. […]
[…] pistachio with matcha powder, almond meal, and sugar – an Indian/Asian twist on the doughier traditional Italian cookies, Bocconcini al Pistacchio di Bronte. Topped with a little powdered sugar and whole pistachios, […]
How many does this make please?
[…] Italian Pistachio Cookies by Trissalicious – Love the simplicity (4 ingredients!) and the colour of these cookies. […]
These are the best! i made them three times already.. i saw similar cookies in bakery windows in Italy, too; but i must say that your version is much better than those. Thanks for a great (and gluten free) recipe. PS. Walnut variation is also good.
[…] Hier wurden sie mit Lebensmittelfarbe grün gefärbt; hier mit Puderzucker bestäubt. Beides habe ich bei meinen […]
that really does look pretty awesome. gonna try that soon.
I just made these with my toddler and oh my god they are SO good. Thanks for a great recipe!
[…] that’s okay, because just when I thought that my Trissalicious World’s Best Pistachio cookies couldn’t get any better, I made this with that accidental supply of almond meal and sugar […]
So I baked these today… they’re delicious. Try them with pumpkin ice cream! Amazing! They were a little bit finicky, but I baked them in a strange oven, so that may have been part of it. (Also, it was incredibly difficult to get 50g of egg whites! Any tips??)
Double the batch. Your percentage will be more accurate if you try to get close to 100 grams than if you are off some while trying to get close to 50 grams.
Myson loves anythng green colored. …tweaked your recipe by adding pistachio compound (instead of green coloring) intensifying the pistachio taste and it came out absolutely and insanely good! Maybe a squirt of Amaretto will do wonders too…will have to try that next time.
Amazing! The color alone is enough to make me want a handful. Will have to try this intriguing recipe.
Cheers,
*Heather*
could you pls tell me how could i print these without printing your whole blog.
@Mareza you can cut and paste into a word document to print it.. but I’ve emailed you the recipe as well!
I keep coming back to this recipe trissa, drawn to the chewy chewy look of these biscuits – I am just dying to sink my teeth in!
Have just started to make a batch…are the egg whites beaten until stiff peaks or just folded in unbeaten? They look great, thanks, Paul
@Paul – just fold them in unbeaten to create a paste
So ridiculously easy and tempting even non-baker duds like me might be coaxed into baking! They look fantastic!
I’ve never had pistachio cookies!! Thank you for opening up that idea to me. When I was in KL I had the pleasure of trying a double scoop of flavours I’d never tried before: pistachio ice cream and hazelnut ice cream. they were heaven together! these cookies sure make my mouth water, too. Pistachio seems to go well with hazelnut, so that almond you’ve got in this recipe is bound to kick ass too.
Ohh that is some pistachio goodness.
My my look at that gorgeous green color! I’ve never had a cookie like this, but as I love the flavor of pistachio, I think we’ll get along quite well! 🙂
I will have to try out these babies when I get back from NZ… it will please my visiting mum I hope!
I think I ate nearly every available pistachio sweet treat in Italy, so delicious. These look amazing. I’ve horded food during my travels too. A terrible, but necessary behaviour. 🙂
Ooh, I like pistachio and this looks delish! So simple to make too!
I think I want to try doing this soon, thanks for sharing and you have a great blog site!
Um… what? These sound way too easy for the result you get! I think you need to include the word “magic” in the title too…? 😉
They sound great Trissa!
Thank you!! Pistachios are my current favourite nut, and one of the things I loved most about visiting Italy this year (for the first time) was how their pisatchio baked goods actually tasted like pistachio, not “vaguely nutty” as is so often the case here! I can’t wait to try these!
They look so vibrant and scrumptious 🙂 I can imagine they’d taste pretty awesome!
the picture says it all: “quite possibly the world’s best trissalicious pistachio cookies” they look so good.. i ‘d hoard these cookies for me, myself and I hahaha!
Gee- they were expensive!! Glad you have found a home made alternative that is probably much cheaper!
I love how you have a story for every food related memory Trissa! I think it’s time I started my Xmas baking with these on the top of my list! Love the pistachio chunks!
OK, Trissa! You have me here!
I am making these. I cannot find anything like the cookies I love in Italy to make… any recipe. I have tried several, and none taste as good as the ones there… so, this is on THE LIST!
🙂
Valerie
(WIth YOUR name on it!)
Xo
Aww Trissa these sound so good I wish I wasn’t completely allergic to them! It’s one of those times when I think I would consider popping an antihistamine and trying a bite anyway haha!
Pistachios!!! As cookies!!! Definitely going to try this.
I love Pistachios. I will be making this for sure. Its so green and its calling out my name.
Hey!!! It’s really an interesting recipe!!! I love them:))
Greets from bfc
I love how easy this is! I have a friend with celiac disease and I’m always dismayed to find gluten free recipes with 5 different kinds of flour. I have all but the almond meal, and I’m sure I’ll use that in other recipes. They look delicious!
that’s a lot of green! i daresay this is my favorite kind of green, after the paper kind, of course. 🙂
These look ridiculously yummy. I absolutely adore pistachios but my partner’s nut-allergy has removed this joy from my life! I think I shall have to run away to a friends house and just become a cookie-glutton one weekend and make loads of these.
These little cookies look Devine! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
Quick, you need to trademark that name asap! From now on, when I see pistachio cookies, I will think of Trissalicious 🙂
Ooh, I love pistachio cookies–have made them twice in my life but since this recipe comes with your strong endorsement, I believe it will be wonderful. Will have to try it sometime.
I also do something similar when traveling. If I find something good, I’ll enjoy as much of it as I can since I, too, think I might never have it again. What a novel concept to try stuff at home, right? 🙂 Glad these turned out just the way you remembered. Now you’ll always remember that trip with these beautiful cookies. 🙂
yummy Trissa and super simple to make thanks for sharing!
Oh wow. These look goooooood!
Pistachios are my favourite nuts! I’m definitely making these, and I promise to call them Trissalicious! 😉
Hi…would love to make this but what is almond meal?? Apprec if you could adv me. thanks
If you open Google search and type almond meal, you will get an answer:
Almond meal, almond flour or ground almond is made from ground sweet almonds. Almond flour is usually made with blanched almonds (no skin), whereas almond meal can be made both with whole or blanched almonds. The consistency is more like corn meal than wheat flour.
It is used in pastry and confectionery – in the manufacture of almond macarons and other sweet pastries, in cake and pie filling, and is one of the two main ingredients of marzipan and almond paste. In France almond meal is called frangipane and is an important ingredient in the traditional Galette des Rois cake.
Almond meal has recently become important in baking items for those on low carbohydrate diets. It adds moistness and a rich nutty taste to baked goods. Items baked with almond meal tend to be calorie dense.
They look awesome and pistachios are the best, gotta try out these little babies, I think they should make my Christmas cookies look wonderful. Thanks Trissa.
beautiful!! I heart pistachio cookies! The best I have tried is those made by a Turkish baker who visited me briefly once. Too bad I never asked for the recipe. Silly me? 🙂
I want, i want some of these! Can’t wait to dig my teeth into them 😉
These look and sound wonderful! I’m a big fan of nuts, and I always think pistachios are wrongfully overlooked. Love how you added the green food coloring. I bet these are lovely with a cup of tea.
Omg, they absolutely look like the BEST pistachio cookies ever! I have to try them and I think Trissalicious Pistachio Cookies would make a great homemade Christmas gift! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Trissa, now I am so tempted to make these! Don’t worry, I will make sure I tell everyone that they are The Trissalicious Pistachio Cookies!
You really mean business with the pistachios!! I just love how many of them there are in these cookies. Oh! so rich and indulgent and perfect!
I have heard about bronte pistachios. From what I understand they are very bright green and super expensive. I have never seen them here in the UK.
You know I am going to have to make these cookies right? Pistachio is one of my all time favorite flavours :). I think its wonderful that you decided to share it with us 😀
*kisses* HH
p.s. this is going to the top of my bookmark list
p.s.s. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
These sound amazing and look awesome! I like the idea of rolling them in pistachios.
I have done the same thing while on vacation with pineapple tarts. They’d be so easy to make at home, but for some reason… I’ve just never done it!
I definitely have to make this….love pistachio=P and I got plenty of leftover eggwhites, yummy!
Wow, I’m really intrigued now – I’ll have to try baking some of these pistachio babies ! And I promise, I’ll call them the Trissalicious cookies 😉
Those look so good! They remind me of Italian Pignoli cookies…which, are a favorite of mine. I love the color.
I have never had a pistachio cookies, so why not have the best one ever be my first taste 🙂
Those cookies are a fabulous treat! I bet they’re addictive!
Thanks for sharing. Will be trying the recipe soon 🙂
Wow these pistachio cookies looks so crunchy and delicious. It sounds super rich and healthy, too. I know my family will love these green gems.
Thanks for sharing!
I love pistachios! I haven’t tried the Italian version but I would love to try yours. Your cookies looks great Trissa and I like the whole pieces of nuts in them.
Magda
Look so much better than those in the bakery! I am going to borrow your recipe….hopefully soon. :-))
hehe, I like how you roll eating 1 per day for the rest of the trip! When something is that good, I would do the same
These look geeewd- do you have my postal address? *hint* 🙂
Pistachialicious! If I didn’t just have a huge bowl of tiramisu ( I think you know which one) then I’d easily fit a few of these babies in.