Sonal Singh On Sonal's Table
Related Articles
In ancient Roam walnuts used to be called ‘Jupiter’s royal acorn’. They are a nut that is thought to have originated in Persia and then spread in Asia and Europe. These delicious nuts are chock full of polyunsaturated fats and possess a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids.
I love to cook with walnuts – be it cakes, cookies, biscuits or even as a topping on ice cream sundaes. My rustic chocolate and walnut cookies made with almond flour are an effort to feed my children a wholesome snack which is high in nutritive value.
These cookies are crumbly, soft pieces of deliciousness that break apart at the touch and melt in the mouth. I prefer to use some cinnamon in the dough because it adds that extra aroma that is so enticing when the cookies bake. I like to shape them like biscuits because they are then that much easier to dunk in a glass of cold milk….absolutely heavenly, trust me
Here is my recipe.
RUSTIC CHOCOLATE AND WALNUT COOKIES WITH ALMOND FLOUR
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature /flax egg* (for vegetarians)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups almond flour (sifted if lumpy)
- 3/4 cup walnuts (see below how to prepare them)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
- ¼ cup choco chips (dark or white)
Note – to make the flax egg, stir 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal together with 3 tablespoons of water; let sit for 5 minutes to gel, then use in the recipe as directed
For the walnuts – preheat oven at 180 deg C. Bake the walnuts at this temperature for 10 minutes till they become crisp. Chop and use.
If you want to pack more healthfulness in the recipe then you can add a tablespoon of bran to the almond flour.
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and keep ready.
- In a bowl mix together the almond flour, salt, cinnamon, cocoa powder and baking soda.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed, until smoothly combined.
- To the above add the flour mixture and beat on low speed till all ingredients are well combined. You can also do this by hand. Almond flour is rich in poly unsaturated fats like Omega-6 fatty acids so the dough will be quite greasy.
- Fold in the chocolate cookies and the chopped walnuts. This dough does not need to rest in the fridge and can be baked directly.
- By using a small cookie/ice cream scoop or even by hand, shape the dough into 2 x 1 inch biscuits. Place them on the lined cookie baking tray and press them gently with your finger or spoon to flatten them a little. Make sure to leave a 2 inch gap between each cookie as the cookies will expand on baking.
- You can garnish the tops of the cookies with walnuts.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to firm up. The cookies will feel dry on the top and edges but will be slightly soft and may seem under-baked beneath the surface when touched.
- Place the sheet on a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to the cooling rack and let them finish cooling.
Note
- leftover cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days
