Name: Hojicha Pistachio Cookies
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Ingredients: 1⅔ cup (8⅓ ounces/236 grams) all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons hojicha powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon table salt; 12 tablespoons unsalted butter , softened; ¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar; ½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar; 2 large eggs; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; ½ cup (3 ounces/85 grams) white chocolate chips; 1 cup shelled pistachios , finely chopped

Why This Recipe Works

For a cookie that balances sweetness with depth and complexity, we turn to hojicha powder. Made from ground roasted green tea, hojicha brings a toasty, smoky underpinning to the cookies. Using caramelly, hygroscopic brown sugar in tandem with granulated sugar gives the cookies a soft chew while reinforcing the roasty notes of hojicha. A handful of creamy-smooth white chocolate chips adds pops of sweetness, while finely chopped pistachios stirred into the dough provide both crunch and a nutty echo of hojicha’s toasty flavor.

Before You Begin

Hojicha powder can be purchased online and in some Asian markets. We like the hojicha powder from Ocha and Co. The cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk 1⅔ cup (8⅓ ounces) all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons hojicha powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt together in bowl.

Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat 12 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, ¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces) light brown sugar, and ½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. Add 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla and continue to beat until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until dough is uniform, about 1 minute. Add ½ cup (3 ounces) white chocolate chips and mix until just combined.

Place 1 cup shelled pistachios, finely chopped, in bowl. Working with 3 tablespoons dough at a time, roll into balls and drop into pistachios. Coat 1 side of dough balls and space evenly over 2 parchment paper-lined rimmed baking sheets (8 dough balls per sheet). Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, about 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer sheets to wire rack and let cookies cool completely before serving.