I recently tried a new to me cookie recipe this Christmas season, and it did not disappoint! And since I loved it so much, I figured I would share this walnut and brown sugar shortbread cookie recipe with you all today.
These cookies are so fun and easy to make! I’ve actually never made a cookie before using the roll, slice, and bake method, but I loved it! It was much easier than rolling the dough out and cutting out shapes with a cookie cutter or cookie stamp.
You don’t have to get out your rolling pin and do the whole lightly floured surface thing. It makes cleanup so much more easier! These are actually some round, thick cookies that pack a lot of flavor in every bite!
So if you’re looking for some new Christmas cookies to make this season, I highly recommend trying this recipe card out! I may have to add this into the rotation of my top Christmas cookies that I make every year now too!
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Ingredients for Brown Sugar Shortbread Recipe
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I use my homemade vanilla extract for this!)
1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups walnut pieces
Where To Get Espresso Powder
I was excited to try this recipe out because it calls for espresso powder. Most of everything else this recipe calls for is from very simple ingredients, but I’ve never made anything with espresso powder.
So that is was really drew me in to trying this one out. I got the original recipe from this winter’s issue of The Magnolia Journal.
We all know I am a sucker for anything Joanna Gaines puts in that magazine, and this recipe was no exception! When I went to the grocery store to get the basic ingredients for making these delicious cookies, I couldn’t find espresso powder.
Now, your grocery store may be better stocked than mine and you may have no trouble getting it. But, if you’re not finding it either, the good news is that you can easily order it off of Amazon!
And it comes in a decent sized package so I can easily use it for more yummy recipes in the future just like this. I will link the exact one I used for you below too!
How To Make Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Sift the flour and kosher salt together in a large bowl and set aside. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder on medium-high speed until uniform, usually takes one minute.
Then, lower the speed on the stand mixer and add the flour and salt mixture slowly. Continue mixing until the brown sugar shortbread cookie dough starts to come together.
Finally, stir in the chopped walnut pieces. Now, form the mixture into cookie dough logs. About a 2-inch thick log should do. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before baking.
To bake cookies, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the cookie dough log into 1/4 inch thick slices and arrange on prepared baking sheet. These cookies don’t spread much, so you don’t need a ton of room between them.
Bake at 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown on the bottom. Cool cookies on sheet until firm and then transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling process. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Can I Make These Cookies Ahead Of Time?
If you want to be on top of your game and make these cookies ahead of when you actually need them, you can definitely do that. Follow the steps up until rolling out the cookie dough log above.
Then, instead of baking after one hour of being in the fridge, you can keep the piece of dough in the fridge for a few days.
Depending on how soon after making the shortbread dough you want to bake them, you can also freeze the dough for up to 1 month as well too. So, if you want to be prepared and ahead, go for it!
Enjoy These Shortbread Cookies!
Well, I hope you enjoyed this walnut and brown sugar shortbread cookie recipe! It is a tad different from a classic shortbread recipe seeing as how it has walnuts and espresso powder in it.
But, they really were the easiest cookies to make and they tasted delicious too! I also thought about dipping them into some melted chocolate and sprinkling some more chopped up walnuts onto the chocolate too.
Next time I make these, I may do that. These cookies aren’t super sweet, so if you like a sweet cookie, you may want to try dipping them into chocolate to sweeten them up. However, these cookies have a great depth of flavor and are a little chewy.
So they go great with a cup of coffee in my opinion! If you try these cookies out, let me know what you think! I hope you love them just as much as we did!
If you’re looking for more cookie recipes, check out some of these below too:
Walnut And Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups walnut pieces
Instructions
- Sift the flour and kosher salt together in a large bowl and set aside. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder on medium-high speed until uniform, usually takes one minute.
- Then, lower the speed on the stand mixer and add the flour and salt mixture slowly. Continue mixing until the brown sugar shortbread cookie dough starts to come together.
- Finally, stir in the chopped walnut pieces. Now, form the mixture into cookie dough logs. About a 2-inch thick log should do. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before baking.
- To bake cookies, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Cut the cookie dough log into 1/4 inch thick slices and arrange on prepared baking sheet. These cookies don't spread much, so you don't need a ton of room between them.
- Bake at 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown on the bottom. Cool cookies on sheet until firm and then transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling process. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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