This cookie is the celebration of the walnut. A nut that is sometimes considered “ho-hum”, steps up to center stage. You will be very surprised at how many cookies come from this recipe. I always keep dough in my freezer, and bake up a pan for tea time, or just to munch on. Once you eat one, one will never be enough! For a simply and “plain” cookie, it's one you will come back for over and over.
COOKIE RECIPE HELP
INGREDIENTS
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups raw sugar; regular white granulated can be used in place of raw
3 large sized eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons Meyer's dark Rum, or 1 tablespoon good quality vanilla
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; spoon into measuring cup and level to rim
2 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts; chop and then, measure
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In the bowl of a mixer, soften the butter and then add the sugar and cream together until very light and fluffy. This will take several minutes.
2. Add the eggs, one at a time, and scrape the bowl in between each addition. Beat until smooth, then add the soda and Rum.
3. Stir in the flour and before it is all absorbed, add the nuts and stir until evenly distributed.
4. Line a 6- x 6-inch square pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Press the dough evenly and firmly into the pan. It will fill the pan to the top. Be sure to press evenly to ensure no pockets in the dough.
5. Cover the dough with another piece of sprayed foil, or wrap the pan in plastic wrap. Freeze overnight, remove from the pan and un-wrap the dough.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have parchment covered sheet pans ready, or use Silpat mats.
7. With a very sharp knife cut the square in half. You will have two rectangles, both 6-inches by 3-inches. Keep one part of the dough in the freezer while working with the other. I use a large meat slicing knife, it cuts straight through the frozen dough and nuts like a dream, allowing for paper thin slices.
8. Cut slices from the 3-inch side of the rectangle. Cut them about 1/8-inch thick, about the same as the thickness of the knife blade.
9. Immediately place onto the sheet pans and bake. Turn the cookies after about 7 minutes, their time differs greatly with the thickness of the slice. Time the cookies and use that time in the future.
10. The cookies are done when they are an even medium dark golden. Watch them closely because the beautiful caramelized cookie easily becomes a burned one. You do want a good golden color, this gives the cookie the caramelized sugar taste and it toasts the nuts as well, bringing all the flavor out of these thin wafers.
STORAGE
The dough stores very well in the freezer for long periods of time.
