Candied Walnut Cookies are how I use up leftover candied walnuts. These are chocolate chip cookies decorated with a candied walnut.
Looking for a way to use up leftover candied walnuts? These cookies are the perfect treat! They’re soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies topped with a crunchy candied walnut for an extra layer of sweetness.
My love for candied walnuts started with Chinese Honey Walnut Shrimp. Several years ago, a coworker introduced me to the dish, and it quickly became one of my favorites. While I often order it, I end up with extra candied walnuts.
Glazed with sugar and honey, these walnuts are usually tossed with the shrimp, but I have plenty left over. Rather than letting them go to waste, I bake cookies and use the walnuts as a delicious garnish. Waste not, want not!
Perfectly Soft and Crisp Cookies
When it comes to chocolate chip cookies, I prefer them soft in the center with a slightly crisp edge. To prevent the cookies from hardening too much after cooling, I discovered a simple trick: reduce the baking time by two minutes. After removing them from the oven, let the cookies finish cooking on the stovetop. As soon as the edges begin to crisp, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. This technique keeps the centers soft and chewy, just the way I like them!
Substitutions
If you have a nut allergy, by all means, either omit the walnuts, or substitute seeds. Pumpkin seeds are large and would fit nicely. You could also use sunflower seeds. During the summer months, if you have roasted watermelon seeds, those would be a great and healthy alternative.
Don’t have leftover candied walnuts? You can use plain walnuts, pecans, or almonds. Candied nuts are easy to make by dunking the nuts in a hot syrup ratio of 3:1 sugar to water.
Candied Walnut Cookies Recipe
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Candied Walnut Cookies
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup candied walnut, about 36
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F / 190 C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon. Have your mise en place ready.
- In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
- Cream the butter.
- Add the sugars and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy
- Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour mixture just until blended (dough will be stiff).
- Stir in chocolate chips or add them by hand..
- Using a small ice cream scoop, drop dough on to a parchment paper lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. You should be able to fit 12 cookies on each sheet.
- Flatten each cookie a little bit with a fork, then put a walnut in the center..
- Bake for 9 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies sit on the stove top on the cookie sheet. After about 5 minutes, you can transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Nutrition
