Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Seattle has been living up to it's rainy reputation for the last few days. I love living here, and I really do love the rain, but even I can get a little down when it just goes on for days.

But one thing that always makes me feel better is getting in the kitchen and baking up something for my family to enjoy. Cookies are always welcome, and when my grandchildren get home from a long day at school, it's always a nice surprise for them.

I love being a Nana who bakes treats, and hopefully that is something they will always remember about me.

My granddaughter Ashley is only four but she is already my baking buddy in the kitchen. When we get ready to bake something, she'll ask if we need brown sugar, baking powder, the spatula? She makes me laugh because she's already familiar with what we need for baking.

And Ashley did help me with this very easy and delicious recipe for these cookies. They are soft and chewy, and filled with milk chocolate and chopped walnuts. If you don't want nuts in your cookies, you can leave them out, but they do add so much flavor.

These are the perfect cookies for a milk and cookies kind of afterschool snack. But grownups love them too!!

Recipe for Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 2 eggs, large
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 2¾ cups flour
• 11.5 ounces milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat butter, brown sugar, and sugar with hand mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until mixture is very fluffy and turns lighter in color
3. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and baking soda for 1 minute on low speed. Scrape the sides of bowl as needed.
4. Gradually mix in flour just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until golden around the edges - about 11 to 13 minutes.
6. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 30 cookies.

 

Double Chocolate Walnut Donuts Recipe

The other day when I was at the grocery store, at my favorite coffee shop, and out running errands, I kept seeing donuts. Donuts seemed to be everywhere, but I resisted buying any, I didn't need donuts, right?

When I got home, I still wanted donuts, so I pulled out my donut pan and decided to make these delicious Double Chocolate Walnut Donuts, which I think are just as good as any bakery sells.

One of the great things I love about making donuts is that, except for the buttermilk, I always have the ingredients on hand. I used to think they would be hard to make but they aren't, in fact it's very easy.

These donuts are chocolate, with a chocolate glaze, and can be made with nuts or sprinkles, or just left plain. Either way, they taste great.


Recipe for Double Chocolate Walnut Donuts

Ingredients:

 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Glaze:

 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
big pinch salt
4 tablespoons whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup walnuts, chopped small

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a donut pan with a light coating of nonstick baking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar.
In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together until all of the ingredients are well combined. Use a small spoon to portion batter into the prepared doughnut baking pan.  Each doughnut mold should be about two-thirds full.  Bake doughnuts for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into one of the doughnuts comes out clean.  Remove from the oven.  Allow to rest for five minutes before inverting doughnuts onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Allow doughnuts to cool completely before glazing.
Repeat the baking process until all of the batter is turned into doughnuts.

 To make the glaze, in a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.  Add 2 tablespoons of milk and all of the vanilla extract.  Whisk to combine.  Mixture may be thick.  Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, until the glaze is thick but still pourable.
Dip each donut about halfway down into the chocolate glaze. Place on a wire rack, and then sprinkle on walnuts.
Let the donuts sit for a few minutes to settle.

Makes 10 donuts.