Walnut Spice Cookies Recipes

WALNUT-TOPPED SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheet with foil. Beat first 7 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Mix in flour. Shape dough into walnut-size balls; arrange 1 inch apart on prepared sheet. Top each with 1 walnut half. Press walnuts to adhere to dough and to flatten balls slightly. Brush generously with glaze.
• Bake cookies until cooked through and light brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on sheet. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

MAPLE-WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the maple syrup, egg, vanilla and maple extract. (The mixture may look curdled.) Reduce the mixer speed to medium low; add the flour mixture and beat until combined. Cover and refrigerate until the dough is no longer sticky, about 30 minutes (it will still be soft).
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Put the turbinado sugar in a shallow dish. Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in the turbinado sugar. Press a walnut half into the center of each cookie and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the edges of the cookies are set but the centers are still soft, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

WALNUT FOOTBALL COOKIES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, walnuts, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.
• Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl on medium- high speed, scrapping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and egg and beat an additional minute.
• Reduce the speed to low and add the flour in 3 batches, beating until the flour is just combined. Place the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap and pat it into a round disk. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Dust the counter and dough with flour and roll the chilled dough to 1/4 inch thick. Using a football-shaped cookie cutter, cut the dough into footballs and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between each cookie. Bake until firm to the touch and starting to get a whisper of golden brown around the edges, about 20 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, orange liqueur and orange zest. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a narrow, round tip. When the cookies are completely cool, pipe lacing on the footballs. Allow them to set up completely before serving. Store in an airtight container to prevent drying out.

SPICE COOKIES WITH RAISINS AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• Beat butter and both sugars in large bowl until creamy. Beat in milk, egg and vanilla. Stir flour, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt in medium bowl. Add to butter mixture; beat to blend. Stir in raisins and walnuts. Cover dough and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours (dough will be sticky).
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto heavy large baking sheets, spacing evenly. Bake until cookies are pale golden, about 12 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to racks; cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; cool. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

WALNUT COOKIES (POLVORONES)

Steps:

• With an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in the flour, and then the chopped and ground walnuts. Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a large disc. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Cut the dough into quarters, and then cut each quarter into sixths for a total of 24 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough between your palms into 2-inch balls. Arrange the 24 balls onto the prepared baking sheets (12 cookies on each sheet), spacing them 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies until golden brown on the bottom and just pale golden on top, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Toss the warm cookies in the confectioners' sugar. Transfer the sugarcoated cookies to a rack to cool completely. (The cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature.) Sift more confectioners' sugar over the cookies before serving or toss in sugar a second time.

SPICED CHOCOLATE CHUNK WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat first 3 ingredients in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until blended. Sift flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon and baking soda into butter mixture. Beat until blended. Stir in chocolate and walnuts. Refrigerate dough until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper. Form dough into balls, using generous tablespoon for each. Roll each ball in powdered sugar. Place on prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
• Bake cookies until golden brown, about 18 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to racks. Cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

WALNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a medium bowl. Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugars with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in yolk and walnut liqueur, then add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Form dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Using a dry pastry brush, generously dust a walnut springerle mold with confectioners' sugar. Cut a piece of dough about the size of the mold. Press dough into mold with fingers, working from center. Gently coax dough out of mold with fingertips and onto a baking sheet, and trim edges with a knife. Repeat, spacing cookies 1 inch apart on sheets and cleaning mold often. Freeze for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake cookies until set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Pipe or spread 1 teaspoon chocolate-walnut filling on flat side of 1 cookie. Press flat side of another cookie onto filling to sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.

WALNUT SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• To toast walnuts, place on baking sheet and bake at 350* for 6 to 8 min or until pale brown and fragrant.
• Beat brown sugar, butter, baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and salt in large bowl at medium speed 3 to 4 min or until lightened in color and smooth. Beat in molasses and milk until blended. Beat in egg (mixture will look curdled). At low speed, beat in flour just until blended. Stir in walnuts. Cover and refridgerate 30 minute.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350*. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop about 2 1/2 tbsp dough per cookie onto baking sheets; slightly flatten with fork. Bake 11 to 13 min or until set and light brown around the edges. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely on wire racks.

GERMAN SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add the brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon and pepper. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the egg mixture. Stir in raisins and walnuts. , Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until surface cracks. Remove to wire racks to cool.