Chocolate Chip and Walnut Cookies

Two halves of a cookie on top of three whole cookies.

5 from 1 vote

Get ready for chocolate chip and walnut cookies that are buttery, soft, packed with chocolate and walnuts, and impressively BIG! Grab a cold glass of milk for the perfect treat.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Chill Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings (change as needed): large cookies (or 25-30 small)

Author: Cheryl Avrich

US Measures - Metric

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour (less 2 tablespoons), Note 1
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (skip if using salted butter)

Wet ingredients + sugar

10 tablespoons softened salted or unsalted butter (½ cup/1 stick + 2 tablespoons)
¾ cups brown sugar (+ 2 more tbsp)
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste

Add-ins

1 cup chocolate chips, Note 2 (~6 ounces)
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted, Note 3
optional garnish: sea salt to sprinkle on after baking

US Measures - Metric

Instructions

HEAT OVEN to 375F/190C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper )or a silpat/silicone baking mat) and a second smaller one if making the full batch. You can only fit 12 large cookies on a pan t leave room for spreading. (I cut them in half and freeze the remaining raw dough balls for later).
MIX DRY INGREDIENTS in a medium bowl. Set aside.
1½ cups all-purpose flour (less 2 tablespoons), Note 1, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
MAKE COOKIE DOUGH: Beat soft butter and sugar for 1 minute in a large mixing bowl until fluffy using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. Add egg and vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Add the dry ingredient flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Don't overmix. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and stir into batter by hand. Or use your hand to mix them in as the batter is thick.
10 tablespoons softened salted or unsalted butter, ¾ cups brown sugar (+ 2 more tbsp), 1 large egg, room temperature, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste, 1 cup chocolate chips, Note 2, 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped and toasted, Note 3
FORM COOKIE DOUGH INTO BALLS: Form dough into large balls (size of small plum) about 2 inches/5 cm) for large cookies. You can make them smaller if you prefer. Place them on prepared pan . No need to make the balls perfectly round. Flatten cookies a little bit, not too much. Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to a day. This will help build flavor and prevent spreading.
BAKE: for 13-16 minutes depending on the size of cookies and the texture you want. Bake time will be less for softer cookies, more for crispier cookies. Sprinkle very lightly with sea salt if desired right after you take the cookies out of the oven so the salt with stick to cookies. Cool cookies for a few minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. If you love melty chocolate, eat them when they are a little warm.

Notes

Flour: You can replace 1/4 of the flour with whole wheat flour or almond flour for added nutrition. Or all the flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour.
Chocolate chips: Use dark, semisweet or milk chocolate chips or any combination. Some good quality brands are Guittard, Ghirardelli and Callebaut. Tollhouse and Hershey will work fine too. You can also chop up a Lindt or Godiva chocolate bar.
Nuts: Instead of crunchy walnuts, try pecans, almonds or macadamia nuts. To toast nuts, place in 350F/177C oven in a single layer for 6-8 minutes or until fragrant. Cool. Skip toasting the nuts if you don't have time or are feeling lazy :)
Tips:
1. For softer chewy cookies, bake less time. For a crispy cookie, bake longer.
2. Use dark brown sugar for deeper flavor.
3. If you forgot to bring egg to room temperature, run it under warm water for a few minutes.
4. Make sure walnuts are fresh! Stale rancid nuts will ruin the taste of the cookies. Taste and smell them before using.
Make Ahead and Freeze
- Make cookie dough ahead up to 2 days, form balls, place on a pan, cover and chill in fridge until ready to use.
- Store baked cookies: Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or freeze them for up to 3 months.
- Freeze unbaked cookie dough balls up to 3 months. Form balls from the cookie dough, flash freeze them on a tray in the freezer for 30 -60 minutes, then pile them into a sealed plastic bag or airtight container. When ready to use, bake frozen balls in a preheated 375F/190C oven for 14-20 minutes depending on size of balls. Some say to bring the dough to room temperature first. I don't bother (I can never wait).

Nutrition values are estimates based on a batch of 15 large cookies. Values will be much smaller (around half) with smaller cookies. Sea salt is not included.