Old-Fashioned Black Walnut Cookies Recipe

Black Walnut Cookies

The Spruce Eats / Diana Rattray

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 14 mins
Total: 29 mins
Servings: 36 servings
Yield: 36 cookies

This old-fashioned recipe for black walnut cookies is moist, chewy, and absolutely delicious. Flour, butter, brown sugar, and other ingredients are combined with the chopped black walnuts mixed in, and then these cookies are shaped and dipped in sugar before baking. Black walnuts give them a distinct flavor and texture. Once you make these, you will be making them again. 

What differentiates black walnuts from the everyday walnut we usually use in baking? While black walnut trees—native to Eastern North America—are grown primarily for their wood, the nuts are sought after for their distinctive taste. These nuts are some of the most expensive ones available on the market. The nuts are harvested in the autumn months when they fall to the ground. The majority of the black walnuts produced commercially in the U.S.—about 65 percent—come from Missouri.

If you have black walnut trees, here is some helpful information about harvesting, hulling, and storing the nuts. 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup light brown sugar

  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup black walnuts, chopped

  • 1 cup granulated sugar, for dipping

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. Heat the oven to 375 F. 

  2. Grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

  3. In a mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream the brown sugar and butter until light. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.

  4. In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, and salt—and mix to blend well.

  5. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture along with the black walnuts; mix well.

  6. Shape the dough into small balls about the size of walnuts.

  7. Dip the cookie balls in sugar. Place them on the prepared cookie sheet and press with the bottom of a glass to flatten slightly.

  8. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Tip

Use a teaspoon to get the amount of dough you need to shape for the cookie balls.

How to Store and Freeze

These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. They will last for up to two months in the refrigerator, or up to 12 months in the freezer (in a freezer-safe container), also. Always make sure your cookies are cooled down before putting them in the refrigerator or freezer though, so they don't get soggy. 


Make an extra batch and freeze the cookie dough so you can bake some later. Shape them into balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and freeze. Once firm, put into an airtight freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. When ready to bake, pull out of the freezer and bake while still frozen, adding a couple of minutes or so to the baking time. You can also let them thaw out so you can flatten them slightly with the bottom of a glass.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
108 Calories
5g Fat
15g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 36
Amount per serving
Calories 108
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 12mg 4%
Sodium 71mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 6%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 34mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Black walnuts. The Harvest. www.black-walnuts.com.