These walnut cookies are everything you want in a treat: crunchy edges, soft centres and melted fudge running through the dough. You make a simple cookie batter, stir in toasted walnuts and caramel and then bake until golden. They look homely, taste rich and disappear much faster than they cool.
At a glance
- Preparation: 10 minutes • Bake time: 15 minutes • Total: 25 minutes
- Servings: 25 cookies
- Calories: about 222 kcal per cookie
- Difficulty: easy
- Key ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, butter, light-brown sugar, sugar, egg, walnuts, fudge, vanilla extract.
- Allergens contains: gluten (flour), milk (butter, fudge), egg, nuts (walnuts). Does not contain fish, soy, sesame (based on ingredients, always check all labels).
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Crunchy Walnut Cookies with Caramel
When I bake these, I need to work fast. The smell of toasted walnuts and caramelizing sugar spreads right into the living room, and suddenly there are "helpers" leaning on the counter. The secret is those walnuts from the garden and little pieces of fudge that melt into gooey pockets in the oven.
The first bite is always the same: crackle from the edge, soft middle and then a sweet, nutty chew. They are the kind of cookies people start asking for by name. "Are these the walnut ones?" Yes. Better grab two.
When to Serve these Walnut Cookies
These walnut cookies are perfect for:
- To serve with coffee or tea when you have visitors.
- A more 'grown-up' cookie on a mixed cookie platter.
- Filling a cookie tin as a homemade gift.
- Weekend baking: bake on Sunday and enjoy them over the next days.
Why this Works
- Toasted walnuts: Roasting the nuts first boosts their flavor and crunch.
- Fudge pieces: Little caramel bombs that melt into the cookie.
- Two sugars: Brown and white sugar give both chew and crispness.
- One-bowl style: Simple method, no complicated steps.
- Pretty finish: Half a walnut pressed on top tells you exactly what's inside.
What You'll Need
Exact amounts are in the recipe card.
- Flour: Forms the base of the dough.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies spread and crack nicely.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness.
- Butter: Gives richness and structure.
- Light-brown sugar & sugar: For flavor, color, and crunchy edges.
- Egg: Binds the dough.
- Walnuts (toasted, chopped): Add crunch and nutty taste.
- Fudge: Soft caramel pieces that melt inside.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavor. Make it yourself with this vanilla extract recipe.
- Walnut halves: For decoration on top.
How to Make It
You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven and line a baking tray. Roast the walnuts in a dry frying pan.
- Mix flour, baking soda and salt in one bowl. Cream butter with the sugars until light and airy, then beat in egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture to make a dough.
- Fold in chopped walnuts and fudge pieces.
- Scoop mounds of dough onto the tray, press a walnut half on top and bake until golden.
Top Tips
- Toast the walnuts gently in a dry pan for extra flavor.
- Use two spoons (or a scoop) to keep your hands clean when portioning dough.
- Leave space between cookies; they spread while baking.
- Don't overbake, the edges should be golden, centres still soft is perfect.
- Let the cookies sit on the tray for 5 minutes before moving them; they firm up as they cool.
- For neater cookies, use the same size scoop each time.
Did you make this delicious recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram! I love to see what your creation looks like and regularly share the most beautiful photos of you! Did you like this recipe? Then leave a rating on the recipe card! Your feedback helps other home cooks and me enormously.
Need more inspiration?
- You can find video recipes on my YouTube channel.
- And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest, so you can easily find them again next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
- 2⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg, size L
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1⅓ cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
- 5 oz. fudge
- 25 walnuts, halves for decoration
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355 °F.
- Mix flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl.2⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In a second bowl, beat butter with the two sugars for 2-3 minutes until airy.2 sticks butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup sugar
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again for 2-3 minutes.1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture and mix into a smooth batter.
- Stir walnuts and fudge pieces through the dough with a spoon.1⅓ cup walnuts, 5 oz. fudge
- Use two spoons to place mounds of dough on a lined baking sheet, leaving space between them.
- Press a walnut half on top of each mound.25 walnuts
- Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.
- Leave on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
- Room temperature: Keep in an airtight tin for up to 4 days.
- Freezer (baked): Freeze for up to 1 month; thaw at room temperature.
- Dough: Freeze in scoops on a tray, then bag and bake from frozen.
Nutrition
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