How to Make Buttery Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Dairy Milk Chunks

Do you have a go-to cookie that is effective regardless of season or mood? Not too sweet, not too heavy, something that pairs with tea or goes on a gift plate? Everyone defaults to the classics—plain butter cookies or chocolate chip. But if you've got some extra time and a bar of Dairy Milk sitting around, this is the one to make.

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Dairy Milk Chunks tick all the boxes for that 'just right' treat. They're crispy without being arid, retain their shape, and that combination of roasted pistachios with melting chocolate bursts inside them makes them a compelling contender over bought ones. Be it baking for Rakhi, a weekend gathering, or simply because your oven's calling you, this one's a hit.

The key is in the combination—not the ingredients, but the timing, temperature, and how you treat the dough. Below is the recipe, followed by seven intelligent tips to get the proportions correct every time.

Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Dairy Milk Chunks Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter (soft, not melted)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup fine semolina
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios
• 100g Dairy Milk chocolate, coarsely chopped

Method:

1. Beat butter and sugar until light and smooth.
2. Add cardamom powder and salt.
3. Combine flour and semolina and add to make a dough.
4. Gently fold in chopped pistachios and pieces of Dairy Milk.
5. Roll dough into a log, cover in cling film, and refrigerate for 30–40 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 160°C.
7. Cut dough into rounds and place on a baking tray lined with parchment. Bake for 18–20 minutes until the edges just start to color.
8. Cool fully on tray.

7 Tips to Nail Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Dairy Milk Chunks

Use Room Temperature Butter Only

Butter sets the tone for these cookies. If it’s too cold, the dough won’t come together. If it melts, you’ll end up with greasy cookies that don’t hold. Room temperature butter—soft enough to press but still solid—is the sweet spot. It creams well with sugar and holds air without getting oily.

Choose the Correct Chocolate Cut

Dairy Milk melts quicker than baking chocolate due to its greater milk content. Wonderful for flavor, but pesky to bake. Instead of delicate shavings or minute chips, use coarse chunks—knife-cut into ½-inch pieces. Those lumps retain better in the oven, providing gooey pockets rather than vanishing into dough.

Don't Skip the Chill

Warm dough spreads. Cold dough holds. Chilling is the key to achieving the right shape and consistency. It also hardens the butter, which allows the cookies to cook evenly. Once you have rolled out the dough log, cover it and refrigerate for 30–40 minutes at least. If you are preparing ahead, you can even freeze it. This also stops the Dairy Milk from melting too soon in the oven.

Fold in Add-ins, Don't Mix Hard

Now that your base dough is made, fold in pistachios and chocolate lightly. Overmixing toughens the dough and leads to melting or smearing the chocolate prior to baking. Fold with a spatula or by hand just until they're combined. This fold also lets you observe whether the chunks are well distributed. In Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Dairy Milk Chunks, this light fold ensures each cookie contains some nut and some chocolate—no dry areas.

Add Semolina for a Chewier Bite

All-purpose flour only gives the dough a softness but sometimes results in being too light upon baking. Semolina added provides a crisper edge, so the cookie retains its shape and snaps cleanly. Fine semolina is ideal—it mixes in without a gritty finish. It also cuts the richness of the butter and chocolate. In a batch of Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Dairy Milk Chunks, semolina provides that lovely contrast: crisp edge, soft center, and a clean snap when you bite in.

Line Your Tray and Space Right

Dairy Milk melts quickly. It will burn or stick if it comes into direct contact with metal. Always line with parchment paper or a silicone mat. It prevents cookie base from browning too quickly and cleans up nicely. Also, leave room between cookies—about 1.5 inches. Even with refrigerated dough, there will be some spread. This area prevents the cookies from becoming one and allows air to circulate evenly while baking.

Allow Them to Cool on the Tray

The last trick? Patience. These cookies are soft when they come out and require time to set. If you attempt to move them too soon, they will bend, break, or leave behind melted chocolate smears. Always leave them to cool on the baking sheet for 10–15 minutes before cooling on a wire rack. This resting period allows the Dairy Milk pieces to settle and re-solidify, and the butter in the cookie to set correctly. For storage or gifting purposes, this step ensures your Pistachio Shortbread Cookies with Dairy Milk Chunks remain tidy and robust.