The cold and sometimes stormy weather has another side effect too, triggering the tastes for heartier, warming and (admittedly) higher-calorie and -fat food. It's a natural impulse - after all, back in the paleolithic times, humans needed that extra nourishment to keep warm and make it through until the next spring's plants and animals returned. Today, it's not a necessary yen, but still a persistent one... and should be looked at not as a source of "dreaded weight gain" but as an opportunity to embrace new and varied sources of nourishment.
Times have changed - somewhat. While my sister and I still don't eat nuts (her out of preference, mine since discovering an allergy to the very ones I avoided), our circle of family and friends has expanded to include many a nut-lover. So who am I to deny them - especially when I have something as fresh and rich as the goodies in my California Walnuts gift basket to use?
This year's "nut cookie" uses the walnuts in three forms for a variety of textures and tastes: ground nuts freckle the batter slightly and give the cream cheese cookies a hint of sandy buttery-ness, diced "crumbles" add pops of more assertive walnut character, and finally a maple-glazed half crowns each sugar-rimmed slice for a glistening, bitter-sweet finish. After consulting with one of my favourite taste-testers, I added currants to half the batch, but I have it on good authority that the recipe is just as delicious without them.
Triple-Walnut Cookies
Makes 32
5.3 oz (a generous 2/3 cup) salted butter, softened
5.3 oz (a generous 2/3 cup) shortening
4 oz cream cheese
5.4 oz (13 tbsp) sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1 cup oat flour
pinch nutmeg
1/3 cup ground California Walnuts
2 cups finely chopped California Walnuts
1/4 cup currants (optional)
coarse turbinado sugar for rolling
32 California Walnut halves
Maple syrup for brushing
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.
- Add vanilla, beat in well.
- Add flours, nutmeg and ground walnuts, beating in.
- Fold in the chopped walnuts and currants (if using).
- Scoop 1/2 the batter (it will be very soft and sticky) onto a sheet of wax paper set on a double layer of foil.
- Using damp hands, roll dough into a log about 2" in diameter.
- Wrap in the waxed paper / foil layers and freeze until very firm, at the least 3-4 hours and up to 6 months.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
- Unwrap one log and roll it in the coarse sugar to coat the sides completely.
- Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the log into 1/4" thick rounds and place them 1" apart on sheets.
- Lightly press a walnut half onto the tacky surface of each cookie (dough will have defrosted somewhat) and using a pastry brush lightly glaze the top of each round.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, for 16-17 minutes. They will not look overly browned but this is OK.
- Cool completely on the sheets.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 205.2
Total Fat: 16.9 gCholesterol: 16.7 mg
Sodium: 37.9 mg
Total Carbs: 12.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.1 g
Protein: 2.8 gDon't forget to enter my KitchenAid Food Processor holiday giveaway! Entries close at 11:59PM on Saturday, don't delay!!
Somebody likes nuts! |
No comments :
Post a Comment
Thanks for the feedback!