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Ingredients
2 cups walnut halves
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1-inch
cubes
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract |
Method
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Put the walnuts on a
baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Toast for ten minutes,
stirring the walnuts halfway through. Remove from the
oven and cool completely.
Meanwhile, sift the flour,
baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium
mixing bowl. Put the butter, sugars, and 1/2 cup walnuts
in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment. Cream on medium speed, scraping down the sides
of the bowl as necessary, until the walnuts break up and
the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time and
then add the vanilla. When fully incorporated, scrape
down the bowl and add the flour mixture and mix on low
speed just until you don’t see any traces of flour.
Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours and up to
three days.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees, and
line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1-inch
diameter ice cream scoop or measuring spoon, scoop the
dough into balls and place 2-inches apart on the baking
sheets. Use your palm to slightly flatten each ball and
gently press a walnut half into the center of each cookie.
Bake until lightly golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool
on a wire rack and serve.
Makes 3 dozen
Time: 45 minutes, plus time to chill
Chef’s Note:
Creaming the butter with some walnuts results in more
aromatic cookies. If you don’t have a standing mixer,
you can also do this by hand with a wooden spoon. Crush
the nuts a little first, then cream vigorously.
Before fortune cookies soared in popularity in the 1950s,
egg-glazed almond cookies came with the check at many
Chinese restaurants. This is my take on that classic cookie.
Walnuts are the preferred nut in Chinese cooking, both
because they are perceived to be classier than almonds
and because they are good for you. Unlike their hard,
crunchy ancestors, these cookies crumble in your mouth.
Recipe adapted from “An Exotic Finish” By
Pichet Ong
(Morrow-Harper Collins, 2007)
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