Wild Black Walnut Cookies are earthy, and somewhat exotic tasting, an Old-Fashioned recipe that has remained in our family for generations.
Wild Black Walnuts – Natures Gift
No holiday season would feel complete without a nod to nature’s own gift, the Black Walnut Cookie. Where I live, black walnuts begin to fall in late autumn, their distinctive shells dotting the ground like little treasures waiting to be gathered. Their flavor is bolder and more complex than regular walnuts, deep, woodsy, and just a touch wild, the kind of taste that instantly evokes the spirit of the season.
In these cookies, the black walnuts take center stage, lending their unique aroma and satisfying crunch to a tender, buttery dough. As they bake, the kitchen fills with a toasty, nutty fragrance that feels like the very essence of late fall giving way to winter. Each bite captures that fleeting moment between seasons, earthy, comforting, and quietly festive. They’re simple yet sophisticated, the perfect cookie to enjoy with a mug of Hot Cider or a splash of mulled wine as the snow begins to fall.
Walnuts and Wild Black Walnuts
One of the most unusual tasting nuts, and not very often shared in recipes, is the Black Walnut.
There is an almost smoky, definitely earthy flavor to them, and they lend themselves beautifully to the richness of a shortbread type of cookie.
My Swedish grandmother couldn’t cook the way my Syrian mom could, which I am sure was what first snagged my dad, but at Christmas each year, she made these fabulous Black Walnut Cookies I want to share with you.
Old-Fashioned Recipe Memories
Since I was a little girl and only tasted this unusual nut around the holidays, I came to think of it as ‘grandma’s old-fashioned black walnut cookies for special occasions.
Fast forward to my current adult life, in which many of my recipes are Mediterranean inspired, I created a fabulous Black Walnut Date Bread for the holidays that definitely tastes exotic.
Wild Black Walnut Trees
What makes black walnuts wild? Well, unless a nut is a groundnut, like peanuts, they are most often found in trees.
Black walnuts are native to America and grow wild throughout the central and eastern regions.
It just so happens that after living in my home for eight years, which backs up to a wooded area, I just discovered a wild black walnut tree in the woods.
I was so excited, gathered a few from the ground, cracked the outer shell open with a rock, removed the inner black walnut, then discovered the stain from the inner shell would remain on my hand for days!
Later doing proper research, I discovered how to open them and go about using them for my culinary delights.
Cooking With Wild Black Walnuts
Did you know that nuts are not just for sweets or baking recipes? That’s right! Having grown up in a Mediterranean influenced home, many of the dishes used nuts in place of meats.
Furthermore, nuts were used in meat dishes to contribute to a thicker texture to the broth or gravy of a dish.
For instance, a popular Iranian dish, called Fesenjan, a chicken stew, uses ground walnuts to add texture to the stew.
Black walnuts would make for the perfect exotic tasting nut to use in this dish.
On a lighter note, and definitely American, black walnuts pair perfectly in Autumn’s Fancy Apple Cabbage Bowls.
Toss some leftover turkey in that salad, and you’ve got a complete meal!
Old-Fashioned Black Walnut Cookies
Not sweet like almonds or peanuts, not meaty tasting like regular walnuts, these exotic tasting wild black walnuts make for the most amazing cookies ever.
Made with a shortbread type of recipe, dusted slightly with confection sugar, they aren’t fancy looking but they sure are fancy tasting.
I hope you enjoy this cookie recipe from my Swedish grandmother, one of the few recipes I have from her.
Walnut Oil
If you love cookies, like I do, you know how much texture, taste and crunch nuts add to cookies.
The oils from the nuts (especially walnut oil), we love to cook with, enable us to use less butter in a cookie, and rely more on the natural oils in nuts.
In fact, experimenting with the oil in nuts, I discovered that the oil in walnuts, particularly, is sufficient enough to burn them as a candle, which I now call these my Walnut Candles!
Walnut Cookies and Other Nuts
Having grown up with a Syrian mom, most of our desserts were made with nuts, and so I am delighted to share some of my favorite cookies with nuts!
- Pistachio and Ouzo Cookies – it doesn’t get more Greek than these, the crushed pistachios bring their gentle sweetness and nutty perfume, while a hint of ouzo, that unmistakable anise-scented spirit, gives each bite a whisper of old-world charm.
- Guilt-free Almond Cookies – no dairy, no gluten and no processed sugar, almost too healthy to be a cookie, but definitely delicious.
- Chestnut Cranberry Linzer Cookies – a Mediterranean twist on a recipe that turns a European classic into something deeply personal and beautifully unique. Instead of the traditional almond base, I use chestnut flour, which gives the cookies a tender crumb and a subtle, earthy sweetness that pairs perfectly with the season.
- Baklava/Baklawa – while not a cookie, certainly one of the most well known Middle Eastern nut pastry dessert.
Ingredients Needed To Bring These Old Fashioned Black Walnut Cookies To Life
- Butter – Rich, creamy butter forms the heart of these cookies, giving them that tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture that defines old-fashioned baking. When creamed with sugar, it creates a light, fluffy base that carries the deep, nutty aroma of the black walnuts beautifully.
- Sugar – Classic granulated sugar sweetens the dough and helps the cookies achieve a delicate golden hue as they bake. It’s that simple sweetness that allows the distinctive flavor of the wild black walnuts to shine through.
- Egg – A single egg binds everything together while adding just enough moisture to keep the cookies soft but not cakey. It’s a small but essential ingredient that gives these cookies their perfect crumb.
- All-Purpose Flour – The structure and balance come from good old all-purpose flour, sturdy enough to hold the dough’s richness while allowing a gentle tenderness that crumbles just right with each bite.
- Wild Black Walnuts (Ground into Flour) – This is where the magic happens. Wild black walnuts lend an earthy, bold flavor that’s unmistakably nostalgic, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, deeply aromatic. Ground into a coarse flour, they infuse every bite with a rustic nuttiness that feels like a walk through autumn woods.
- Baking Powder – A touch of baking powder gives the cookies just enough lift, keeping them light instead of dense. It’s what helps them puff ever so slightly, giving that home-baked charm.
- Salt – A pinch of salt might seem small, but it’s the secret that sharpens every flavor, balancing sweetness, deepening the butteriness, and enhancing the complexity of those wild black walnuts.
- Vanilla Extract – A splash of pure vanilla rounds out the nutty and buttery tones, adding a warm, familiar note that ties everything together. It’s the aroma that greets you before the first bite.
- Powdered Sugar – A dusting of powdered sugar finishes these cookies with a touch of old-world charm, soft, snowy, and delicate. It adds just enough sweetness to complement their rustic flavor, creating a beautiful contrast of texture and taste.
The Tools That Make Baking Feel Timeless
- Food Processor – The food processor is essential for turning those wild black walnuts into a fine, fragrant flour. A few quick pulses release their oils and deepen their aroma, transforming rustic nuts into a flavorful ingredient that blends seamlessly into the dough. It’s the modern shortcut to that old-fashioned texture.
- Baking Sheet Pan – A sturdy baking sheet pan is your stage for these classic cookies. Its even heat distribution helps the cookies bake to a delicate golden finish, crisp around the edges yet soft in the center, just the way they should be.
- Parchment Paper– Is every baker’s quiet helper. It keeps the cookies from sticking, ensures an easy cleanup, and helps them bake evenly. Plus, there’s something satisfying about lining a pan with parchment, a small ritual that signals baking time has truly begun.
- Measuring Cup – Precision matters in baking, and a reliable measuring cup keeps the balance of butter, flour, and sugar just right. Each measurement ensures that familiar consistency that’s been passed down through generations of cookie recipes.
- Measuring Spoons – Those little spoons bring the magic of balance, a teaspoon of vanilla, a pinch of salt, a careful measure of baking powder. They remind us that even the smallest amounts can make the biggest difference in flavor and texture.
- Knife – A simple kitchen knife helps with small but necessary tasks, trimming parchment, loosening cookies from the sheet, or chopping a few extra nuts to sprinkle on top. In old-fashioned baking, even the most unassuming tools earn their place.
- Oven – And finally, the oven, the heart of every bake. As the cookies bake, their buttery walnut scent fills the kitchen, evoking memories of holidays past and cozy afternoons spent baking with family. Watching them turn golden through the glass feels like time slowing down, just for a moment.
Old-Fashioned Wild Black Walnut Cookies
Equipment
- Food processor
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour extra for dusting
- 1 cup Wild Black Walnuts crushed to a powder/flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 cup Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place butter, sugar and egg. Cream butter mixture with a hand mixer or stand mixer, until light and airy. Add teaspoon vanilla and blend into the mixture.
- In a medium bowl, place the all purpose flour, crushed black walnut flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and whisk to blend.
- Slowly, on medium speed, add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, scraping down the sides of bowl until the mixture comes together into a dough ball.
- 2-Ways To Make Cookies
- There are two ways to go about shaping and baking the black walnut cookies. With a small ice cream scoop, make walnut-sized balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet to bake. Or, gather the cookie dough, place on a sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a log, and chill 30-minutes.Once chilled, make half inch slices, and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets to bake.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 and bake cookies until lightly golden brown. Baking time will vary on flat cookies vs round ball cookies, however 13-15 minutes is the average bake time.
- Once cookies have cooled, lightly dust with powdered sugar.
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Notes
I believe the table... that place that draws people to gather, is the most powerful symbol of togetherness. All that happens before the table is set, the planning, the gathering, the preparing, are all an intricate part of the dance that create the mood of celebration to share with friends and loved ones.