Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies

Delicate, buttery, and beautifully nutty: these Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies are a holiday classic with a twist. Made with roasted pistachios, almond meal, and a hint of sweetness, they melt in your mouth while adding a touch of festive colour to your Christmas cookie tray. Whether dusted with powdered sugar or dipped in chocolate, they’re elegant, fragrant, and absolutely irresistible.

Hey, folks – I hope you’re all doing well and ready for some holiday baking!

These Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies are one of those simple yet sophisticated recipes that belong in every Christmas cookie collection. Buttery and crumbly, with a delicate pistachio flavour, they’re perfect for gifting, holiday dessert platters, or pairing with a cup of coffee during those cozy winter afternoons. So let’s dive into these pistachio crescent holiday cookies.

Why You’ll Love These Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies

• Festive: These crescent-shaped cookies look stunning on your Christmas dessert table or wrapped in a gift tin.
• Nutty and rich: Pistachios and almond meal create a delicate, buttery texture and a beautiful green hue.
• Perfectly balanced: These cookies are flavourful yet not overly sweet, making them ideal for those who prefer refined, subtle holiday treats.
• Customizable: Choose from four coating options — from powdered sugar to chocolate-dipped finishes — to match your holiday mood.
• Make-ahead friendly: The dough chills well and the cookies keep beautifully for several days, ideal for stress-free Christmas baking.
• Holiday-perfect: Subtle sweetness and refined flavour make them stand out among traditional holiday cookies.

Flavour and Texture Profile

These Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies have a buttery shortbread texture that crumbles delicately with every bite. The roasted pistachios add richness and a subtle saltiness that pairs beautifully with the sweet coating. Each crescent is light, fragrant, and full of festive charm – perfect for both Christmas celebrations and everyday indulgence throughout the holiday season.

Ingredients You’ll Need for These Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies

• Pistachios: Use roasted, salted pistachios for a rich nutty flavour. Half are finely chopped for the dough, while the rest can be blended into a festive coating.
• Almond meal: Adds lightness and helps create that melt-in-your-mouth texture characteristic of buttery crescent cookies.
• Flour: All-purpose or pastry flour works best for soft, tender results.
• Powdered sugar: Gives the cookies a delicate sweetness and smooth crumb.
• Corn starch: Keeps the cookies light and helps maintain their crescent shape.
• Butter: Use soft, high-quality butter for richness and perfect shortbread-style consistency.
• Salt: A small pinch balances the sweetness and enhances the nutty depth.

The Exterior:

Choose from four festive coatings – each creating a unique look and flavour:

• Finely ground pistachio “dust.”
• Pistachio and powdered sugar blend for a sweet-nutty finish.
• Classic powdered sugar coating for traditional elegance.
• Melted white or dark chocolate with chopped pistachios for a luxurious, bakery-style appearance.

How to Make Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies

Beat the butter with powdered sugar until creamy and light. Stir in the chopped pistachios, almond meal, flour, corn starch, and salt, mixing until the dough forms. Cover and chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 170–175 °C and line baking sheets with parchment. Shape small portions of dough into crescents – keeping them thin, as they’ll spread slightly. Bake for 8–12 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Let cool for about 10 minutes (they’re fragile when hot).

For coatings, gently toss the warm cookies in pistachio or sugar mixtures, or, once cooled, dip them halfway into melted chocolate and sprinkle with nuts. Allow the chocolate to set for about 30 minutes before serving.

More Festive Holiday Cookies Recipes

Are you looking for more festive cookie ideas for Christmas? Be sure to check them below:

• Orange Clove Christmas Cookies – Festive Spiced Shortbread
• Festive Spiced Shortbread Cookies for Santa
• Festive Brandy Snaps with Brandy Whipped Cream
• Cranberry Rosemary Christmas Shortbread Wreath Cookies
• Soft Ginger Christmas Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze

I’d love for you to try these Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies. If you give this festive recipe a go, please share your results in the comments, message me on Instagram, or post your photos with the hashtag #havocinthekitchen. I look forward to seeing your creations and hearing your thoughts!

Cheers!

Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

Festive Pistachio Crescent Cookies with roasted pistachios – a nutty, melt-in-your-mouth holiday treat perfect for Christmas baking.

Course: Cookies, Christmas, Christmas Cookies

0.0 from 0 votes

Print

Servings

16-20

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Chilling time

30

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 1 cup (100 g) shelled salted pistachios, roasted and finally chopped (about ½ chopped)

• 3 tbsp. almond meal

• 2 cups all-purpose or pastry flour, sifted

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

• 1 tbsp. corn starch

• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, soft

• A good pinch of salt (only if using unsalted pistachios)

• The Exterior:

• Option 1: ½ cup salted or unsalted pistachios, finally minced in a blender (You’ll need basically nut dust)

• Option 2: ½ cup salted or unsalted pistachios and 1/3 cup powdered sugar, finally minced in a blender

• Option 3: about ½ to 2/3 cup of powdered sugar

• Option 4: about 100 gr. chopped and then melted white or dark chocolate + ½ cup pistachios, chopped

Directions

• Beat the butter with the powdered sugar for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until resemble the dough.
• Cover and chill for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to about 170-175 degrees C. Layer baking sheets with parchment.
• Shape little pieces of dough into crescents (Try making them thinner as they will spread out a bit) and arrange on the sheets.
• Bake between 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool about 10 minutes (Very fragile when hot!)
• Then, if you proceed with options 1, 2 or 3, transfer still warm cookies in the bowl with the mixture and gently cover them to coat.
• If you opt for the option 4, completely cool the cookies, then dip them halfway into melted chocolate, them sprinkle with the nuts. Let the chocolate set for at least 30 minutes.