Some of my favorite flavors from Indian desserts are packed in these coconut cardamom pistachio cookies. They’re chewy, have texture, and are full of delicate flavors.
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Everyone has that one person in their life who is difficult to satisfy. For me, it’s my dad. I’ve been on a quest to make cookies he likes for awhile. He has a big sweet tooth (but only for Indian desserts) and he happens to be anti-chocolate. My options are clearly a bit limited so I made these coconut cardamom pistachio cookies: Indian-inspired flavors in an American package. Personally, I’m not a fan of the texture of many Indian desserts and I’m not particularly familiar with recreating them at home. Adding these flavors to cookies, a treat I’m quite familiar with baking, was the smartest thing I did this month.
My dad is the kind of person who says something is ok when he thinks it’s pretty good. You know how the waiter or waitress asks you how things are going at a restaurant? He usually says it’s ok, so I smile at them to make sure they know it’s actually quite good. He said these cookies are “really good,” so I think that’s enough evidence to confirm that they just turned into a permanent family recipe.
Tips for Making Coconut Cardamom Pistachio Cookies
Lightly toast the pistachios! This will improve their flavor.
Grind fresh cardamom. You could use already ground cardamom, but using cardamom pods will lead to a better cardamom flavor since whole spices retain their freshness better than ground spices.
Use a mix of all-purpose flour and a whole grain flour. I like how some whole grain flours add to the texture and flavor of the cookie. I used spelt, but you could also use buckwheat, whole wheat, or rye.
Make sure the coconut oil is softened and not melted. That way you can mix it with sugar similar to the way you’d beat sugar and butter.
CHILL your cookie dough! This prevents excessive spreading. These cookies don’t spread much after refrigerating for 30 minutes.
Bake for longer if you want a more crispy cookie. I’d say it’s safe to bake up to 20 minutes. The crunch is delightful! If you like chewy cookies, go for 12 minutes as listed in the recipe!
Coconut Cardamom Pistachio Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut oil, softened (not melted!)
- ½ cup coconut sugar *or cane sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 flax egg (mix 1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 2.5 tbsp water and set aside for 5 minutes)
- ¼ cup plant-based milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup spelt flour *sub another whole grain flour (whole wheat, rye, buckwheat, etc.)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup chopped pistachios + more for topping at the end
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- 1 tsp ground cardamom *if you're using green cardamom pods, you'll need 6
Instructions
- Add softened coconut oil, coconut sugar or cane sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Cream together with a fork until it comes together. You could use a hand mixer for this step if you'd like.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients to the bowl: flax egg, plant-based milk, and vanilla extract.
- Add all dry ingredients to a separate bowl and mix: all-purpose flour, spelt flour, baking soda, sea salt, pistachios, shredded coconut, and cardamom.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry. Mix until the wet and dry ingredients are well incorporated with one another. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes (optional, but recommended to prevent spreading) and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Use a small cookie scoop or a spoon to scoop 1 heaping tablespoon (it was closer to 1.5 tablespoons) of cookie dough per cookie on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. For a more crisp cookie, bake for 15-20 minutes.
Notes
If you like these coconut cardamom pistachio cookies, you have to try…
Miso Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
