Description
Classic Walnut Butter Cookies blend rustic charm with delicate nutty sweetness, offering a simple yet elegant dessert that whispers comfort. Crisp edges and melt-in-your-mouth centers invite absolute delight with each heavenly bite.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Sweeteners:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
Additional Ingredients:
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional: powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Prepare the oven environment by heating to 350F (175C) and line baking surfaces with parchment paper for optimal cookie performance.
- In a spacious mixing bowl, whip butter and both sugar varieties until the mixture becomes airy and voluminous, creating a smooth foundational texture.
- Introduce egg and vanilla extract, blending thoroughly to create a cohesive, silky base that will provide moisture and depth to the cookie dough.
- Separately combine flour, baking powder, and salt, creating a delicate dry mixture that will contribute structural integrity to the cookies.
- Gently incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until just combined to prevent overworking the dough and maintaining a tender crumb.
- Fold chopped walnuts throughout the dough, ensuring an even distribution of nutty crunch in every potential bite.
- Shape the dough into compact spheres, approximately one inch in diameter, positioning them strategically on the prepared baking surfaces with sufficient spacing to allow for gentle expansion.
- Apply a gentle press to each dough ball, slightly flattening to create a more uniform cookie profile and encouraging even baking.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, watching for delicate golden edges while maintaining a soft, yielding center.
- Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for a brief cooling period, then carefully transfer to a wire rack for complete cooling and optional dusting with powdered sugar for an elegant finishing touch.
Notes
- Toast walnuts before chopping to enhance their nutty flavor and create a deeper, more complex taste profile in the cookies.
- Use room temperature butter for smoother creaming and better cookie texture, ensuring even mixing and consistent results.
- Replace some all-purpose flour with ground walnuts for an intense nutty flavor and gluten-free option, perfect for those with wheat sensitivities.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking to prevent excessive spreading and create thicker, more structured cookies with beautiful edges.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 156
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 38 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg