Croatian Walnut Cookies - Little Bit Of Home
Croatian Walnut Cookies
That C word (and i mean Christmas obviously) is creeping up on us really fast. As a bit of a food lover, i’d much prefer some personal gifts than something shop bought . I’m really not the easiest person to buy for. I don’t like cut flowers, don’t want bath stuff, and smelly candles don’t appeal to me (much rather have the smell of fresh baked cake).
These walnut cookies couldn’t get more personal.
Half of me is Croatian, and these cookies are a Croatian Christmas treat. My Dad was Croatian , when it was still Yugoslavia. An amazing man who spent time in a concentration camp before moving to the UK and becoming a coal miner in the North East if England. Of course, this is where he met my beautiful Mum and had 4 girls ( more about my Dad another time).
I try to go and visit family every other year. One year somewhere hot, one year in Croatia visiting family for new years eve.
The trip usually consists of me, and of course the lovely Mr G , spending most of our time eating. Why wouldn’t we? The food culture is amazing, with food traditions playing a role in so many holidays. This year i’m heading off with the lovely Mr G , my sister Dawn and her wife, the fab Caz. (Watch out for those posts and also Lee & The Sweet Life YouTube cooking posts)
Christmas Eve serves cod, pork for New Year and ham and boiled eggs for Easter.
My Croatian family have their own traditions, and these walnut cookies are among them. So Easy, so tasty and great for gifts. Package them up in pretty boxes and your sure to make someone very happy the Christmas.
Walnut Cookies at their best . Covered in icing sugar .
These cookies traditionally use walnuts. I have made them with pecans and even left out the nuts all together and use orange rind as a flavour. Equally as yummy.
Mixture with walnuts ready to form into rounds.
No need to use expensive ingredients. remember this site is all about real cooking, so i’m all about getting the most for your money . I love to shop at Lidl and Aldi (is this advertising and product placement ?) especially the middle section. Is it just me who always comes out of either of those shops with something from the middle? I cant resist all of those things .
Butter not at room temperature? Try this! Check out the Tip Box
Croatian Walnut Cookies
What You Need
320g Plain Flour
90g Chopped walnuts
2tsp Vanilla extract
225g Butter
80g icing sugar extra to dust once cooked
I want one now!
How Its Done
Pre-heat oven to 180c
Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and light.
Add the flour. Mix to combine.
Once the flour has been combined, add the chopped walnuts and mix gently until all of them are mixed into the mixture.
Wrap the mixture in cling film and place into the fridge for about 30 mins, just to firm up a little before forming into balls.
Once the mixture is a little more more firm, form into balls about the size of a walnut.
Place the walnut size pieces onto a baking sheet lined with non stick baking parchment. Flatten them just a little before cooking at 180c for approximately 10 mins until very pale golden brown. ( See Tip Box).
When cooked, remove from the oven and roll the warm cookies in icing sugar so they are fully coated . Let them cool completely and enjoy
Or if you are gifting them , package and give to your friends and family
Tip Box
Walnuts -This recipe uses walnuts, but i’ve used pecan nuts and orange zest. Give it a try with all of them.
Golden Brown- When baking the walnut cookies, make sure they are not over brown. They should be very pale when rolling in the icing sugar.
Butter - If the butter isn’t room temperature when you need to use it, heat a glass jug or bowl by adding boiling water to it. Empty out the boiling water and then put the hot jug or bowl over the top of your butter. The butter should be cut into small pieces to make it easier to melt. Repeat until the soft enough to use.
