walnut cookies

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

for the dough:

• 1 cup white granulated sugar

• 2 whole eggs

• 2 sticks/8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature and sliced

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• pinch of salt

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp dark cocoa powder

• 2 tsp almond extract

• 2 tsp bourbon vanilla sugar

to shape:

• non-stick cooking oil spray

• walnut cookie molds or press, I used the molds given to me by my late grandmother (see pictures for reference)

to bake inside:

• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

to fill:

• buttercream of choice, I used a cream cheese coffee buttercream

to decorate:

• white granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Arrange the molds onto a baking sheet and spray each mold with cooking spray. Set aside.

2. With the help of a mixer, cream the sugar and eggs into a medium sized bowl for 3 minutes. Add the butter and cream for another 3 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Add this mixture to the egg mixture, also add the almond extract and the vanilla sugar. Form a soft pliable dough. If needed dust your fingers with flour so that the dough doesn't stick.

4. I divided the dough into 106 small balls (that's how many cookie molds I have) and I pressed it gently into the walnut cookie molds.

5. Place a pinch of chopped walnuts in the middle of each walnut cookie and refrigerate the walnut cookie halves for 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F convection setting and bake the cookies for approximately 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool down to room temperature, then remove the cookie halves from the molds.

7. Fill half of the cookies with the buttercream, then top with the other half of the cookies so as to form a whole walnut cookie.

8. Serve as is or roll in granulated sugar in order to obtain a more festive look.

9. Depending on the buttercream you use, the walnut cookies might be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a month or so.