These soft and chewy Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies have toasty chopped walnuts and bittersweet chocolate chips mixed in with butter, flour, and sugar to make a delicious cookie to enjoy with coffee or any hot beverage. These walnut chocolate chip cookies recipe calls for a traditional creaming method that yields tender, slightly chewy cookies that perfectly contrast the usual Christmas cookie options, which are often very firm and use a sugar cookie base.
These chocolate chip cookies with walnuts are ideal for Thanksgiving, festive brunch, or a holiday cookie swap; the cookie dough freezes well and is a great make-ahead option for the busy holiday season. Simply scoop into desired portion size and freeze on a cookie sheet, then transfer the walnut chocolate chip cookie dough balls to a freezer bag and store them for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Jump to:
- What are Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
- Tools You’ll Need
- How to Make Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Substitutions
- Variations
- How to Store
- Make-Ahead
- How to Freeze
- Tips for Making Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- FAQ
- More Favorite Holiday Cookies Recipes:
- 📖 Recipe
What are Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Chocolate chip cookies with walnuts are made from flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, and a combination of chocolate chips and walnuts. The dough for walnut chocolate chip cookies is typically made by creaming together the butter and sugar, then adding the eggs one at a time, followed by the dry ingredients.
Chocolate chips and walnuts are then added to the dough. The dough is then chilled and rolled into balls, which are then placed on a baking sheet and baked until golden brown.
Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
Note: The full ingredients list is provided in the recipe card below.
- Unsalted Butter: It gives richness, tenderness, and structure to cookies.
- Granulated Sugar & light Brown Sugar: It functions as a sweetener and provides flavor. It also helps to create a tender and moist texture.
- Pure vanilla extract or Clear Vanilla: It enhances the flavor.
- All-purpose flour: It creates structure and helps bind the other ingredients together, creating a more consistent cookie.
- Baking soda & Baking Powder: It helps the cookies rise.
- Egg: It adds structure, leavening, color, and flavor
- Chocolate Chips: They add a bit of sweetness and richness that can’t be beaten. I use Bittersweet chocolate chips, but you can use any chocolate chips you prefer.
- Nuts: Toasted walnuts or pecans add texture as well as a nutty flavor
Tools You’ll Need
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheets
- Stand Mixer or electric mixer
- Medium bowl
- Whisk
- Plastic wrap
- Small bowl
- Cooking rack
- Airtight container
- Cookie scoop
How to Make Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Note: The full instruction is provided in the recipe card below.
Whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cornstarch in a large bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer) until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to incorporate.
Beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to medium, add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts if using. Transfer the cookie dough into a medium bowl, cover it tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. If chilling for 3+ hours, make sure you let the cookie dough sit at room temperature for at least 1o to 15 minutes before rolling into balls; the cookie dough will be very stiff after being in the fridge that long.
Form and bake the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches. Using a 2-inch ice cream scooper, scoop the dough, scraping each against the bowl as you scoop. Roll each mound in your hands to form a ball.
Place on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies have puffed up and the tops begin to crackle, 10 to 11 minutes; do not overbake. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat forming the remaining dough into balls. Store the walnut chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container.
Substitutions
- Sugar: You can swap the light brown sugar for dark brown for a richer flavor. For crispier Walnut Chocolate chip cookies, use granulated sugar and bake them a little longer.
- Nuts: Instead of using walnuts, you can use Macadamia nuts, chopped pecans, pistachios, or almonds.
Variations
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to Store
Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container (not a cookie jar with a loose lid) for up to 3 days.
Make-Ahead
Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies dough can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to Freeze
Chocolate Chip Cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months: Drop the cookie dough in heaping tablespoons onto a sheet pan, let them set in the freezer until solid, then place them in a freezer bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake directly from frozen, as directed in the recipe, but add 1 to 2 extra minutes to the baking time.
Tips for Making Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Light or Brown sugar and a shorter baking time are the main keys to achieving a cookie with crispy edges and chewy centers. Light brown sugar adds additional moisture in this case, guaranteeing a chewy texture instead of a cakey one. For crunchy walnut chocolate chip cookies, increase the white sugar and decrease the brown sugar or leave it out entirely.
- Remove the cookies from the oven when they begin to dry out and brown around the edges, usually about ten minutes; the cookies will continue to bake on the sheet pan.
- Use white sugar for crispier cookies and bake them a little longer.
- Experiment with mix-ins. Chocolate chip cookies with walnuts are just the beginning: consider adding shredded coconut, chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or macadamias, a swirl of peanut butter, dried cranberries, dried cherries, chopped dates, or a dash of cinnamon to your cookie dough.
- Choose from chocolate chip styles; This recipe for Walnut chocolate chip cookies features bittersweet chocolate chips but feel free to try semisweet chocolate, white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or a combination. For gooey chocolate centers, use a three-quarter cup (or even a full cup) of chocolate.
- Store in a cool, dry place; For best results, store chocolate chip cookies with walnuts in an airtight container and enjoy them within a week. For longer storage, rest the unbaked cookie dough balls on a sheet of parchment paper, seal them in a freezer bag labeled with the date, and lay them flat for storage.
FAQ
Can you freeze baked Walnut Chocolate chip Cookies?
Baked Walnut Chocolate chip cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Allow the cookies to cool completely before layering them between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months: Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
How long should walnut chocolate chip cookies bake?
Small Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies bake for around 10-11minutes. Large Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies bake for around 12-13 minutes.
Why Are My Cookies Flat?
Here are the 4 most common reasons why cookies spread so much.
- The Butter Is Too Soft: Butter is the foundation of delectable cookies. The butter should be left out at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour until it’s pliable but still cool to the touch. (it should hold a thumbprint with a bit of resistance). When creamed with sugar, room temperature butter has just the right consistency to incorporate air. Because of the trapped air pockets, the Walnut chocolate chip cookies rise and become fluffy. If the butter is too warm, it will not incorporate enough air, resulting in a lower rise in your cookies. Furthermore, butter that is warmer than room temperature melts in the oven in an instant, encouraging the dough to spread quickly with it. A quick fix is to chill the Dough. Refrigerate the remaining dough for one to two hours or until it feels firm to the touch. This chills the butter, preventing it from spreading too quickly in the oven. Although your cookies will not be as fluffy as they once were, they will not turn into pancakes.
- You’re Baking on Hot Baking Sheets: After the first batch of Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies has been baked, a new batch of dough is transferred to the baking sheet. While the first batch was perfect, the second batch spread a lot, possibly to the point where the cookies fused together. What happened? Everything comes back to the butter. Hot baking sheets cause the butter to melt really quickly, bringing the dough with it. A quick fix is to Cool the Baking Sheets Under Running Water for a few minutes, so they’re warm, not screaming hot. Then rinse them off under room temperature water until they’re no longer hot to the touch. Then, dry them off and place your Walnut chocolate chip cookies on the cool sheets.
- Your Oven Is Too Hot: If your Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies consistently come out flat, no matter what recipe you use, your oven is probably too hot. Here’s what’s going on. In an overheated oven, the butter melts quickly before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. As a result, as the butter spreads, the entire liquid cookie spreads. A quick fix is to reduce the temperature of your oven and increase the baking time. In the long run, consider purchasing an oven thermometer and keeping it in your oven so you know the exact temperature of your oven. Then you can adjust the heat as needed, or better yet, consult the oven’s manual to learn how to calibrate it.
- Incorrectly Measured Ingredients: If your flour, butter, and sugar ratios are off, the cookie might spread too quickly. This can occur if you aren’t precise with your measurements. If your recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, for example, and you add a slightly heaping cup instead of leveling off the cup precisely, you’ll end up with too much. This is because sugar sucks up liquid, and when those cookies bake, it’ll release the liquid and cause the cookies to spread out. Likewise, if you use too much butter, the Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies will end up flat and greasy. And if you use too little flour, the amount of butter and sugar will be proportionally too high, meaning the cookies will spread for the reasons mentioned above. A quick fix is to bulk it up a Little. If you used too little flour, stir a couple more tablespoons into the batter. Otherwise, shape your Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies and freeze them on the baking sheet until they’re solid. Although the cookies might still spread some, the frozen butter will counteract the action. If all else fails, consider repurposing your flattened cookies: crumble them up like ice cream toppings or mix-ins, or stir them into cake batter for a decadent treat.
How do you keep cookies fresh after baking?
Store cool cookies in an airtight container (not a cookie jar with a loose lid) at room temperature. Putting cookies in the refrigerator will dry them out. It’s just the physics of how refrigeration works: the fridge removes moisture from the air as it cools, so it will suck moisture out of your cookies. Three days is the maximum time you should keep cookies unless you’re freezing them, which is the best way to store most cookies long-term (up to six weeks).
Putting a slice of fresh white bread in the container with the cookies will help the cookies stay soft: fresh bread is moist, and that slice will give up its moisture for the greater good: keeping the cookies from drying out. We recommend white bread so that no flavor is transferred to the cookies. Keep an eye on the bread to be sure the moisture level isn’t high enough to cause the bread to mold.
How to Soften Hard Cookies
There are two options to soften hard cookies: the microwave or a terracotta disk. Warm cookies are soft cookies, and the microwave can help revive a cookie. Wrap one or two crackers in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave them at 50% power for 10 seconds. Repeat if necessary, making sure the paper towel is not too wet. A terracotta disk is a piece of unglazed clay that can absorb water and then release it.
They are sold as brown sugar savers and can also gently release water into your cookie tin. Soak it for 15 minutes and ensure it doesn’t drip water when you put it in the cookie bowl. In an hour or two, you will have softer cookies.
More Favorite Holiday Cookies Recipes:
Did you make this recipe?📖 Recipe
Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Tools
- Stand Mixer or electric mixer
- cooking rack
- cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 225 g (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 200 g (1 cup) packed light brown sugar
- 100 g (1/2) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs , cold
- 1/2 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tablespoon clear vanilla or pure vanilla extract
- 375 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour, Spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups 11oz bittersweet Chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Premium Baking Chips.
- 200 g toasted walnuts or pecans , chopped
Instructions
- Whisk to combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cornstarch in a large bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and both sugars on medium-high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer) until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition to incorporate.
- Beat in both types of vanilla. Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Reduce the speed to medium, add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts if using.
- Transfer the cookie dough into a medium bowl, cover it tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. If chilling for 3+ hours, make sure you let the cookie dough sit at room temperature for at least 1o to 15 minutes before rolling into balls; the cookie dough will be very stiff after being in the fridge that long.
- Form and bake the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.
- Using a 2-inch ice cream scooper, scoop the dough, scraping each against the bowl as you scoop. Roll each mound in your hands to form a ball.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies have puffed up and the tops begin to crackle, 10 to 11 minutes; do not overbake.
- Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat forming the remaining dough into balls. Store the walnut chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container.
Notes
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
