• Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact

Search

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact

Subscribe for EASY meals!

  • Appetizers
  • Breakfast
  • Sides
  • Dinner
  • Salads
  • Soups
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Lena's Kitchen

Lena's Kitchen

easy, elevated and approachable simple recipes for the everyday home cook

  • Weeknight Meals
  • Sides
  • Salads
  • Appetizers
  • Sweets
Home » Sweets

Orange Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

Posted: December 10, 2022 by lena gladstone | Updated: January 6, 2023

The divine flavors in these Orange Pistachio Shortbread Cookies are completely irresistible! Bright, citrusy, and earthy, adding fresh citrus and crushed nuts is the best way to take these classic Christmas cookies up a notch.

Jump to Recipe
orange and pistachio shortbread cookies in a pile and wrapped in red and white twine.

Pistachio and orange flavored shortbread

How can you make classic shortbread cookies even better? Flavor them with orange and pistachios!

These Orange Pistachio Shortbread Cookies have specks of fresh orange citrus and crushed pistachios throughout a buttery and crisp dough. Rolled in extra pistachios before heading into the oven, these nutty cookies are a tremendous treat for the holiday season and make delicious gifts!

a pile of baked shortbread cookies on a piece of parchment paper.

I love flavoring cookies with delicious and unique add-ins. Just take my Dark Chocolate Cherry Shortbread and Bacon Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for example! Not only do these flavors compliment the cookie but they’ll wow everyone lucky enough to indulge. Now, grab a few creative add-ins and bake some delicious shortbread!

flour, icing sugar, butter, and salt in individual white bowls.

Shortbread cookie ingredients

  • All purpose flour – Try to sift the flour into the dough so the cookies turn out light and airy.
  • Rice flour – Rice flour gives shortbread cookies a crumbly texture and slight crunch. If you don’t have rice flour, you can use cornstarch instead or replace it with more all purpose flour.
  • Unsalted butter – The better the quality of your butter, the more moist and tender your cookies will be. My favorite butter to use in shortbread cookies is European Kerrygold because it contains more fat than American brands. 
  • Sea salt – Or you can use salted butter and omit the sea salt.
  • Confectioner’s sugar – A.K.A. powdered sugar or icing sugar. This gives shortbread its melt-in-your-mouth texture.
  • Orange zest – Fresh orange zest gives each shortbread cookie a burst of citrus.
  • Pistachios – If you’re up for it, deshell the pistachios yourself for bright and vibrant green nuts. Pre-shelled pistachios have a brown color and won’t give your cookies that beautiful pop of green.
broken up cookie dough next two small bowls of pistachios and orange zest.
rolling a log of shortbread cookie dough in crushed pistachios.
slicing a shortbread cookie dough log.

How to make orange pistachio shortbread cookies

Shortbread cookie dough is easy to make in one bowl with a handful of ingredients. Once you knead in the orange and nuts, these cookies are rolled in even more pistachios for extra crunch and a festive presentation!

  1. Make the cookie dough.

    Combine the all purpose flour, rice flour, and salt in a bowl and set it aside. Beat the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer for 30 seconds, then mix in the confectioner’s sugar. Next, add the flour and beat everything together.

  2. Add the orange and pistachios.

    Transfer the cookie dough to a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle the orange zest and pistachios over the dough. Use your hands to knead the dough and incorporate the add-ins.

  3. Shape and wrap the dough.

    Roll the dough into a log shape and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.

  4. Cut the cookies and roll in pistachios.

    Once the dough is firm, cut the roll into ¼-inch slices. Roll the edges of each cookie in more crushed pistachios, then place them on a baking sheet.

  5. Bake and enjoy!

    Bake the orange pistachio cookies in the oven until the edges are lightly browned. Let them cool on a wire rack, then enjoy!

orange pistachio shortbread cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
baked orange pistachio shortbread cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Shortbread cookie tips

  • Mix up the flavors! Either swap the orange zest and pistachios for different add-ins or add any extras you love. White chocolate, dark chocolate, cardamom, lemon zest, pecans, dried cranberries, dried cherries, walnuts, almonds, and rosemary would all be delicious!
  • Try not to overmix the cookie dough. This could lead to tough and dense shortbread.
  • For the best results, use high quality, high-fat butter. Lower quality butter has more water which will make your cookies too wet.
  • Melted butter won’t work!
  • Instead of forming a log for slice-and-bake shortbread, press the cookie dough into the bottom of a square baking pan or round cake pan and score into rectangles before baking.
baked orange pistachio shortbread cookies next to a small bowl of green pistachios.

Storing and freezing shortbread

Not ready to indulge quite yet? Both the baked cookies and raw shortbread cookie dough can be stored in the fridge or freezer for later. Here’s how it’s done:

  • To store the unbaked shortbread cookie dough: Wrap it well in plastic and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • To store the baked cookies: The cookies store well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
  • Freezing unbaked cookie dough: Wrap the logs of dough in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.
  • Freezing shortbread cookies: The baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
a pile of orange pistachio shortbread cookies on a piece of parchment paper.

More holiday desserts you’ll love

  • Cherry, Almond, and Cardamom Galette
  • Raspberry Lemon Basque Cheesecake
  • Dark Chocolate Covered Stuffed Dates
  • Apple Fritters with Vanilla Lemon Glaze

If you give these Orange Pistachio Shortbread Cookies a try, let me know in the comments below. I love seeing your pictures too, so please tag me on Instagram @lenaskitchenblog and use #lenaskitchenblog so I can share them on my page!

Orange Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

3.3 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes mins
Chill Time for Dough: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Servings: 45 cookies
Author: Lena Gladstone
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Ingredients

Classic Shortbread Cookie Dough

  • 3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup rice flour
  • ¾ tsp sea salt
  • 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cup confectioners sugar

Orange Pistachio Shortbread Cookies (enough for one log)

  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • ¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup pistachios, finely chopped for rolling edges of cookie

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a bowl, combine the two flours and salt. Mix to combine.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the confectioner’s sugar. Beat until combined.
  • In 2 batches add in the flour and mix on low until all combined.
  • On a lightly floured surface, shape the dough into a wide log, cut it into three equal pieces.
  • You can now add flavors to the cookies. Each log can be different. Or triple the amount of filling if using one flavor.
  • Add the Orange Pistachio add-ins to the dough. Gently knead with your hands to incorporate.
  • Roll into a log and wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Chill for 1 to 24 hours or until firm.
  • Before cutting the cookies, roll the edges in the finely chopped pistachios. Cut into ¼-inch slices. This makes one of the 3 batches.
  • Place slices 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
  • Stack 5 cookies together and wrap in twine or ribbon give as a gift or enjoy at home. Or add to a bag and tie a ribbon to gift.

Nutrition

Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 258IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

You might also like:
Fresh strawberry cake on a cake platter.Fresh Strawberry Cake (With Lemon)
Baked peaches.Baked Peaches
Frozen yogurt bark on a table.Frozen Yogurt Bark
Slices of strawberry snacking cake on plates.Strawberry Snacking Cake
Classic Shortbread Cookie Recipe
Raspberry Lemon Burnt Basque Cheesecake
Dark Chocolate Covered Stuffed Dates
Grilled Peaches and Ice Cream Recipe

Reader Interactions

3.25 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Reviews
Questions

Primary Sidebar

Welcome, glad you’re here!

Hi, I’m Lena Gladstone, the recipe developer and food photographer behind Lena’s Kitchen. Here you will find approachable food recipes to share with the whole family. Keto friendly, weeknight dinners all made with fresh ingredients. Click here to learn more!

Let’s Connect

Craving More Easy Recipes?

Subscribe for weekly ideas in your inbox.


 

More like this

Overhead shot of Greek lamb chops served with herbed sauce on the side.

Greek Lamb Chops

A bowl of freshly made pico de gallo with diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapeño, surrounded by lime, salt, chips, and fresh ingredients.

Fresh Pico De Gallo

A white plate with slices of grilled steak, some medium-rare, with a gold serving fork; surrounded by bowls of chopped vegetables and herbs.

Easy Carne Asada Recipe

A bowl of simple guacamole, garnished with tortilla chips, is surrounded by fresh cilantro, lime, and tortilla chips on a marble surface.

Simple Guacamole Recipe

A white bowl filled with easy artichoke dip, garnished with olive oil, and a spoon inside. Surrounding items include pita chips, fresh herbs, a lemon wedge, and a jar labeled “Farms.”.

Easy Artichoke Dip

A plate of butter lettuce cups filled with grilled corn, sliced radishes, prosciutto bits, shredded cheese, and creamy dressing.

Butter Lettuce Salad

A glass jar filled with lemon vinaigrette sits on a small round coaster.

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

Overhead shot of air fryer carrots on a plate topped with parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley.

Air Fryer Carrots

RECIPE CATEGORY

Craving More Easy Recipes?

  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Home
Recipes
Contact
Shop

FAQ
Privacy Policy
Accessibility

Copyright © 2025 · Site Credits · Sitemap

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.