Cookies are synonymous with the holidays. All in one, holiday cookies represent nostalgia, baking, gifting and a welcome for the big guy in the red suit on Christmas Eve. Walnuts are a classic holiday ingredient that adds extra flavor, texture and crunch.
Let’s go on a holiday journey with cookies. We’ll start with classic holiday favorites, then follow Santa’s sleigh and select special cookie recipes from around the world.
Classic Holiday Favorites
1. These California Walnut Sugar Cookies are a fresh take on a classic sugar cookie with finely chopped walnuts mixed into sweet dough, giving it delicious nutty undertones. Use your favorite holiday-themed cookie cutters to make these extra festive and colorful.
2. Mini Gingerbread Cheesecakes with Candied Walnuts are a new spin on a vintage flavor. Gingerbread dates to the 16th-century reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who had her royal bakers make gingerbread figures to represent foreign dignitaries and people in her court. These delectable one-bite cookie-and-cheesecake combos offer a flavor explosion. Graham cracker crunch contrasts with creamy gingerbread cheesecake filling. Candied cinnamon walnuts drizzled with white chocolate top it all off.
3. Yummy Chocolate Walnut Crinkle Cookies are soft, chewy and overwhelmingly chocolatey. They include a bit of brewed coffee to further deepen the chocolate notes. A walnut is nestled in a thumbprint at the top – perhaps one of your little elves added that!
4. Rugelach is a traditional Jewish treat at Hanukkah and New Year celebrations. Cookie meets pastry in a crescent of flaky, buttery dough filled with nuts, fruits or pastes. This very American version, California Walnut and Apricot Rugelach, is sweetened with brown sugar and apricot marmalade. Cream cheese makes the pastry extra rich, and cinnamon, ginger and cardamom spices are warm and seasonal.
Santa’s Flight Around the World
5. Chocolate Walnut Snowball Cookies are beloved everywhere, but likely originated in Russia. This dark chocolate variation is intense, rich and crunchy thanks to chopped walnuts. These snowballs are festive, delicious and done in just 20 minutes.
6. Our tasty version of Walnut Linzer Cookies hails from the Linzertorte, which originated in Linz, Austria. This recipe uses finely ground walnuts in a moist, rich dough flavored with warm cinnamon. The icing combines vanilla or rum flavor with finely chopped walnuts. A raspberry jam fills this wonderful American walnut version.
7. Turning to Italy, we’ll enjoy these Walnut and Anise Biscotti. Anise flavors many Italian holiday cookies and pairs well with walnuts and dried tart fruit. These crunchy, flavorful cookies are perfect for dunking in your holiday coffee.
8. Strawberry-Kissed Walnut Sablés are straight out of a Parisian café. The yolk-rich batter makes a sweet and crispy result. Nutmeg and toasted walnuts add warmth. Strawberry jam adds a lively brightness to these holiday cookies. They’re small but délicieux!
9. The last stop in Europe is Scotland for Brown Sugar Walnut Shortbread Squares. Shortbread, a Scottish native, crumbles and melts in your mouth. This bar-cookie recipe champions the tender shortbread crust and includes a luscious brown sugar and vanilla-sweet walnut topping. You could make a few batches for lovely, boxed gifts but save some for yourself too.
10. Mexican Wedding Cookies or Polvorónes are a traditional five-star holiday cookie. Like the Russian version, they are simple to make with ingredients you probably already have on hand. These blonde versions are richly flavored with toasted walnuts.
America’s Holiday Favorite — Chocolate Chip Cookie
11. Although it may not be the first to come to mind when you think of holiday cookies, the Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie easily wins our vote. It’s soft, chewy, crispy and crumbly, but always chocolate-creamy and amazing. The New Yorker credits Ruth Wakefield for inventing these tasty treats in the 1930s. She ran the popular Toll House restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts. This version would make her proud. Go double chocolate or blond, but in both use crunchy walnuts — the perfect accompaniment to chocolate.
12. These Gluten-Free Walnut Brownie Cookies ensure your gluten-free eaters have their own favorite (but they’ll need to hide them). Sea salt is the trick here. It lifts all the gooey chocolate goodness out from those intense and sweet depths, allowing the brown sugar and vanilla notes to rise. Of course, the walnuts add toastiness for a rich and incredibly satisfying holiday brownie cookie.
It’s a fun and festive adventure trying out classic and traditional holiday cookies from all over the world. Make your favorite or try a new one. Be sure to include California walnuts, which make the season tasty, nutty, wholesome and delicious.
