Some foods are simply underrated, don’t you think? Never get the credit they deserve.
Can’t you think of a few?
Take the lowly walnut, for example. Everyone’s always blathering on about peanuts, cashews and almonds like they’re coated in gold. If this was Nutty High, those golden nuts would be the Cool Kids, sitting at their own table at lunchtime and hating on all the other poor nuts at the Friday night football game.
That’s just sad.
Walnuts are that quiet girl at the back of the classroom wearing only black and listening to New Order or Morrissey when she’s not in the art studio. She’ll grow up to be a Mensa-joining super model. Where will Ms. Cashew be then?
One thing’s for sure: that ten years reunion will be NUTS! (ew) (gross) (I’m SO sorry.)
I’ve been making these simple cookies for a few years now and, just like walnuts, they’re sleepers.
It’s the butter, and powdered sugar and, of course, the walnuts: everyone is always surprised by how much they enjoy each and every bite.
And just like any other icebox cookie, the hardest part of preparing them is waiting for them to chill solid so that you can slice and bake.
You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!
Just be sure that when you do slice you make your cookies nice and thick.
Oh, and I guess now would be a good time to mention that there is one more slight challenge to preparing these polverones: if you do slice them as thick as I did approximately 1/2″), and you freeze them from frozen solid, also like I did, you’ll need to wait 30 whole minutes for them to bake. While your kitchen smells like Walnut Butter Heaven.
You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!
And it makes sense that, since the word polvo means ‘dust’ in Spanish, these cookies are finished with a sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar.
OK, it’s actually more like complete and total submersion in a powdered sugar bath, but let’s not dither over details.
Especially since I need to tell you about one more difficult step in polverone prep: you need to let your cookies cool for 5 minutes before the sugar dunk. Otherwise your cookies will melt! The sugar will melt! You will melt!
I KNOW you can do this.
See? I believed in you all along.
Now reach into that sugar bath and pull out your prize.
Do you forgive me for the waiting? The chilling? The cooling? The horrible nut puns?
I’m so glad. It would be horrible for us not to be friends anymore. I think I just might go nuts.
Polverones
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. white sugar, granulated
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 large egg yolks
1 c. walnuts, roughly chopped
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks and then the flour. As the dough comes together it will become thick, solid and crumbly. I have found that, when it comes time to fold in the chopped nuts, the best way to do this is simply with clean hands. Roll your finished dough into a log approximately 2″ in diameter, wrap it tightly in parchment and chill. I opted to freeze my dough until solid, which took about 30 minutes.
Once you are ready to bake your cookies, preheat the oven to 350°. Unwrap your dough and slice off cookies at a thickness of approximately 1/2″. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet (these cookies will not spread – you can fit up to 16 on a standard-sized baking sheet) and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Please note that if you slice your cookies as thick as I did and bake from frozen, you really will need to bake them for a whole half of an hour. That said, overbaking these cookies is not good. Start checking your cookies at 20 minutes; finished, they’ll be firm and just turning light golden brown on the bottoms.
Remove baked cookies and cool for 5-10 minutes. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Toss the still-warm cookies in the confectioners’ cookies and remove to a rack or sheet of parchment to cool and set completely.
YIELD: approximately 24 cookies
They look so mel-in-your-mouth!!!
I absolutely agree..lets use walnuts…they are a really wonderfood!
These cookies looks delicious!!! I can’t wait to make some:)
Mmmmm, I LOVE Walnuts! These look so delicious…
No ‘back of the class, black-wearing, morrissey-listening’ walnuts in my house. They are on the shelf marked ‘super star’ – absolutely love ‘em and thrilled to have a new recipe for them!
Because I live in California where walnuts grow, they are my go-to nut. I find them more flavorful than almonds. I don’t enjoy cashews much unless they are roasted. I use walnuts in pesto, in granola and, like you, in cookies, especially in Russian tea cakes at Christmas. The tea cakes are a variation of this cookie. Some people call them Mexican wedding cookies. The main difference is that they contain no granulated sugar, only powdered sugar.
Are you kidding me? I loooooove walnuts. More than almonds and hazelnuts. This is my kinda cookie. Will bookmark them and wait patiently (I’ll try) while I make them…
I made these, told you! I also posted them and linked back to you!
They look fabulous! Quick and simple – win/win!!
I can seriously taste these right now… Wow!
Walnuts are not just underestimated but are possibly even more beneficial than almonds and peanuts. Looks super easy btw.
It’s always the quiet ones isn’t it! These look melt in your mouth delicious.
Oh I remember having these as a child!! You are too right, walnuts aren’t showcased enough in recipes. Must try this recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
Awesome cookies! this will be my next target tomorrow
im sure my kids my will love this.
Hey Foodbuzz buddy! Great day for you to comment and bring me over to your page again because holy delicious… these cookies look wonderful. Love Love!!!
Nutty High… *giggle*
I never knew walnuts were so goth…
hehe I love the way you introduce your posts. These cookies look delicious by the way!
Looks like someone already took a bite out of that cookie in the top left corner on that last picture.
I agree with you on the nut thing. Except for me, the neglected nut is usually pecans. But that’s just the south in my family tree coming out. But you’re right…ignoring walnuts is just nuts.
Tee hee hee. Bite taken.
What great cookies!! If these were made anywhere near my dad and I, they would all be gone in like 4 seconds!
They look wonderful, can’t wait to make a batch!
Heeheehee. I love the way you spot-light walnuts and these cookies looks really scrumptious. This recipe look kinda fun. Will have to try this soon!
These look like my favorite Christmas cookie with a different name: Anemics. Terrible name but wonderful cookie. Thank you for re-inventing them! And congratulations on your #1 Slot on Food Buzz, Meags!
There is at least one family that deeply loves walnuts: ours…:) tree of us eat about 4-5 pounds of walnuts per month! And I cook with it too, and I love to see as many recipes with walnuts as I can… I think I smell the cookies through the screen…:) My mother gave me a similar recipe, but she adds salt to it too. Love your blog!
Beautiful cookies! With a glass of milk, I could easily eat the entire batch. Yum!
Lovely cookies. I would love these. Great recipe!
Oh, these are gorgeous. I love nut cookies, and this looks like the kind fi cookie that will just melt in your mouth. Well done!
I love how powdery these cookies are, They sound simply fabulous!
These look so delicious, I think I have to make them this week. I love walnuts and am always looking for new recipes for them. Thanks!
cookies look fabulous deliciously done
So delicious! I adore any cookies dunked in sugar!! Sugar + more sugar=Winner!