The recipe for walnut cookies was passed on to me by my mother-in-law. They are very easy to make and stay tasty, crunchy, and fragrant for many days. They are very aromatic, thanks to the presence of liqueur, orange peel, and vanilla. Great for dipping in milk, as a snack for the kids, during a coffee break, or after dinner, and they go great with a good herbal tea, a cup of tea, and chocolate. The walnut cookies can be enriched with raisins, chocolate chips, and so on.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 80 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- 8 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.1 lbs walnuts
- 2.5 cups sugar
- 5 medium whole eggs
- 1/4 cup Strega liqueur
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tsp baking ammonia
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla (In paste or essence)
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- to taste grated orange peel
Preparation
Prepare the tools you will need: 2 square baking sheets 15 x 15 inches and a smaller sheet, two tablespoons, a large mixing bowl, and parchment paper to line the sheets.
In a very large mixing bowl, place the already chopped walnuts, sifted flour, salt, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, grated orange peel, and baking ammonia. Begin mixing the dry ingredients with your hands.
Add the lightly beaten eggs, liqueur, and milk. Mix everything until you get a semi-dense mixture. You can use a stand mixer or knead by hand. The mixture will be very sticky. Scoop a heaping spoonful of dough and, using the second spoon, place it on the baking sheet. Space the cookies at least a finger apart from each other, as they will spread during baking. Continue this way until the mixture is used up. Place the sheets in the fridge for 1 hour.
After the time has passed, preheat the oven to 392°F (200°C) and bake the cookies at mid-height in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. They are ready when the base of the cookies is golden. Take them out and bake the second sheet.
In the meantime, wait about 5 minutes, then cut the already baked cookies in half (lengthwise), leaving them on the sheet. Remove the second sheet, cut them in half as well, and so on.
Once all the cookies are baked and cut in two, put them back in the oven, with the temperature set to the minimum for about 45 minutes maximum, depending on how crunchy you want them to be. This step is crucial to ensure that the cookies achieve the right consistency. The crunchier and drier they are, the longer they will keep. Make them golden on the surface with the grill. Once cooled, they are ready to be enjoyed. Walnut cookies should be stored in a tightly closed tin box.
