These are my absolute favorite Christmas cookies. Every Christmas Eve my family hosts a large party for family and friends. We cook the Italian feast and everyone else brings dessert. One year, my Jewish high school boyfriend’s family came to the party and brought these amazing pistachio cookies. My aunt asked for the recipe that night and I’m so glad I have it now because it’s basically one of the only wonderful things I still hold on to connected to that relationship. Ha.

These cookies are soft, sweet, have the perfect pistachio flavor, oh and they are an awesome color!

Pistachio Cookies

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup softened butter
• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• 1 package instant pistachio pudding (3.75 oz. box)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Beat together sugar, butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and egg. In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients; whip into butter mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Shape teaspoon fulls of dough into round balls or finger-like shapes and arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown on the bottom. Let cool.
5. Drizzle/decorate with melted chocolate and/or sprinkles. (I make them both ways!)

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