Glazed lemon cookies with pistachios are easy to make and lovely enough for a celebration.
Iced lemon pistachio cookies are topped with crunchy pistachios for a wonderful explosion of flavor and texture. These won’t last long on the plate.
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I have always enjoyed attending wedding and bridal showers.
Of course, celebrating the new couple or the new family is important, but it’s almost guaranteed that there will be cookies. And cookies are pretty important too!
I love how celebrations encourage people to go beyond the norm when it comes to the cookies and cupcakes that are served.
Some of the best pistachio desserts I’ve tasted were served at a party and iced lemon cookies are always a big hit. Anything with sprinkles, nuts or other decorations always goes over well.
These lemon pistachio cookies have that fancy, celebration look to them and are perfect for serving at a party. But today, I’m just enjoying a delicious cookie.
Best of all? This pistachio lemon cookie recipe is incredibly easy to make. The sweet and tangy flavor of lemon paired with the crunch of the pistachios is worth celebrating just for the sake of making cookies.
They’re similar to my pistachio lemon bars, only in a lovely cookie form!
Lemon and Pistachio For the Win
Lemon and pistachios are the stars of these tasty cookies.
By using both the juice and the zest of the lemons, we have infused this pistachio lemon cookie recipe with the luscious sweet-tart flavor of fresh lemons.
The pistachios add a lovely crunch factor and the saltiness helps to balance the lemon flavor.
Pair this cookie with a cup of coffee or hot tea and pamper yourself any day of the year.
More Lemon and Pistachio Recipes to Try:
- Lemon Pudding Cookies
- Pistachio Pudding Cookies
- Lemon Ice Cream
- Pistachio Ice Cream
- Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Magical Lemon Cobbler
- Instant Pot Lemon Cheesecake
- Lemon Bundt Cake
- Pistachio Fluff Salad
- Pistachio Cream Pie
- Easy Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
- Italian Pistachio Cake from Scratch
- Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
How to Make Lemon Pistachio Cookies
It’s really easy to make these iced lemon cookies.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon zest
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Powdered sugar
- Fresh lemon juice
- Chopped pistachios
How to Make It:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Make the Dough. First, you’ll combine granulated sugar and lemon zest.
Rub it with your fingers until fragrant, then combine with butter in a stand mixer.
Add the remaining wet ingredients and then add the dry ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms.
Shape and Bake. Next, you’ll use a small cookie scoop to scoop out tablespoons of dough.
Place on a baking sheet and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.
Bake 12-14 minutes and then cool.
Ice and Eat. Last, you’ll prepare the icing by combining powdered sugar and lemon juice (this is similar to what I use on my pineapple cookies).
Ice the cookies (I turn them upside down and dip the tops in the glaze) and then sprinkle with chopped pistachios before serving.
Notes and Adaptations:
- Try using different citrus flavors in place of the lemon. Lime, orange and grapefruit would all be lovely adaptations.
- If you prefer, use a food processor to chop the pistachios into smaller pieces before sprinkling over the cookies. I liked leaving them a little chunky, but you can certainly chop them more finely.
Recommended Equipment:
Iced Lemon Pistachio Cookies
These lemon pistachio cookies have a bright and zippy flavor, paired with crunchy pistachios and a satiny icing on top!
Ingredients
- For the Cookies:
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 TBSP lemon zest
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- For Topping:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, combine granulated sugar and lemon zest, rubbing together with your fingers until well-combined and fragrant.
- Add this lemon-sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add butter to the bowl and beat until combined and fluffy.
- Add egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract, mixing well to combine.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until a soft dough forms.
- Use a small cookie scoop (or a Tablespoon) to scoop out dough. Roll each scoop of dough into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Use the bottom of a drinking glass or your fingers to gently press each ball so it is slightly flattened on top.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until edges are just starting to turn golden.
- Remove cookies from oven and cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling, prepare the icing by whisking together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth.
- Dip the top of each cooled cookie in the icing, then sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Allow the cookies to sit until the icing is completely set to a satiny finish.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 172Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 51mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
Be sure to save this recipe to your cookie recipes board on Pinterest!
Can you freeze these cookies?
Hi Liz! I haven’t personally tried freezing these cookies, but I think it should work fine. You may want to stack them with a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper in between layers, just in case the icing is a little stickier after thawing out. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi. I just made these cookies this morning. They turned out perfect look exactly like picture and taste delicious by the way. Will definitely be making them again and so easy. Thank you for the receipe.
Thank you, Nada! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them! 🙂