Walnut Cookies, or Walnut Roll-Up Cookies, as we call them in my house are a delicious way to bring the holiday spirit to your home! The dough is made with yeast, so it rises a bit and is then stuffed with a chopped walnut filling that will leave your taste buds singing.
Recipe Origins
There are a few Christmas cookie recipes that are traditional in our family. We make them every single year to celebrate Christmas, and even have a family cookbook that houses all of the original recipes.
Alongside our family-favorite Biscotti Recipe and our Pecan Snowball Cookies, this Walnut Cookie Recipe ranks at the top of our cookie favorites! We make it every single year without fail, and the filling is absolutely to die for. It’s so good!
If you like walnuts and that traditional taste of a drier Italian Christmas cookie, this recipe is the way to go!
Why Make This Recipe
- Bring in the Holiday Spirit: One of my favorite ways to ring in the holiday spirit is to make as many Christmas cookies as my oven can handle (and when my oven can’t handle anymore, then I make these Pizzelle cookies instead). Try out this recipe for a fun and unique holiday cookie that you will love!
- The Walnut Filling: Mmmm I would eat the walnut filling of this cookie recipe by itself if I could! It’s THAT delicious! The walnuts combined with sugar and milk steal the show on this cookie. Try the walnut cookies out and let me know what you think! If you’re not a fan of walnuts, try these Benne Wafers made with sesame seeds!
What Ingredients are in This Recipe
- Active Dry Yeast: I like using Active, Dry yeast because it is a very easy way to confirm that your yeast is alive. You can use Instant Yeast if you’d like, but there is no way to confirm that your yeast is alive until after the cookies are already baked and it’s too late.
- Sour Cream: I use full-fat sour cream for this recipe. I would recommend doing so as well.
- Walnuts: Use unroasted, unsalted walnuts.
- Milk: I used 2% milk. Make sure to use 2% or whole milk for best results.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Activate the Yeast
Combine water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl and leave for about 15 minutes until the yeast puffs up and becomes activated.
Step 2: Make the Dough
Place the sifted flour into a large bowl, then add the softened butter into the flour. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the butter into the flour until it is a bit crumbly.
Add the activated yeast mixture along with the egg yolks, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix with an electric hand mixer until a cohesive dough forms. Do not overmix!
Cover the mixing bowl with a dish towel. Leave the dough to rest on the counter for 1 hour, then place the mixing bowl in the fridge and allow it to rest for another 4 hours. Alternatively, you can skip the counter resting and simply allow the cookie dough to rest in the fridge overnight.
Step 3: Make the Filling
Place the walnuts in a food processor and pulse until they are chopped into small pieces. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine the walnuts, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Mix well with a spoon and set aside.
Step 4: Assemble the Cookies
When the dough has finished resting, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Roll the dough to ⅛” thickness on a floured board. Cut into 3” squares.
Put 1 heaping tsp of filling in the center of each square.
Moisten the edges of the pastry with water. Fold one corner over in the center, wrapping the walnut filling. Then fold the other corner as well.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- I have never personally tried it, but experimenting with different kinds of nuts (or even a combo) in this cookie would be delicious. Macadamia nuts and pecans are also standing out to me as good options right now.
- Make the filling for walnut cookies ahead of time if you need it! You can store it in the fridge or even the freezer, and simply thaw it when you are ready to bake.
- Please note that the dough will not visibly rise much while on the countertop or while resting in the fridge. It will, however, rise while baking. If your dough is not rising while baking, it is possible that you rolled it too thin. Cookies that are rolled with dough less than ⅛” thick will have a hard time rising!
Recipe FAQs
Are Black Walnuts Good for Baking?
In the United States, it is very common to use English Walnuts in all of our baking recipes. This is the preference of the vast majority of people, so finding another type of walnut in stores tends to be pretty difficult.
Black walnuts typically have a stronger, earthier flavor than English walnuts. If you really want to amp up the flavor profile of your cookies, feel free to experiment with black walnuts!
Can I Store the Dough in the Fridge?
My family recipe used to call for placing the dough in the fridge. Prior to learning best baking practices while practicing for The Foreign Fork, I couldn’t figure out why my dough just wouldn’t rise!
You’ll have a really hard time getting dough to rise if you’re storing it in the fridge. Yeast usually needs a warmer environment to truly flourish.
However, yeast that has already risen will keep well in the fridge, and you can certainly do this for even up to a few days.
Did you enjoy this Walnut Cookie Recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes that I picked out just for you:
- Italian Pistachio Cookie Recipe
- Cookie Butter Recipe
- Sables (Algerian Shortbread Cookies)
- Fast and Easy Maple Cookies
- Suspiros
Walnut Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Cookie Sheet
- Oven Mitt
- Mixing Bowl(s)
- Dish Towel(s)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp warm water, between 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar, for topping
Nut Filling Ingredients
- 2 cups walnuts
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Combine 2 tbsp water, 1 packet yeast and 1 tsp sugar in a small bowl and leave for about 15 minutes until the yeast puffs up and becomes activated.
- Place the 3 cups sifted flour into a large bowl, then add 1 cup softened butter into the flour. Use a pastry cutter or a fork to cut the butter into the flour until it is a bit crumbly.
- Add activated yeast mixture along with 3 egg yolks, 1 cup sour cream, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix with an electric hand mixer until a cohesive dough forms. Do not overmix!
- Cover the mixing bowl with a dish towel. Leave the dough to rest on the counter for 1 hour, then place the mixing bowl in the fridge and allow it to rest for another 4 hours. Alternatively, you can skip the counter resting and simply allow the cookie dough to rest in the fridge overnight.
- Place 2 cups walnuts in a food processor and pulse until they are chopped into small pieces. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, combine the walnuts, ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup milk, and 1 ½ tsp vanilla. Mix well with a spoon and set aside.
- When the dough has finished resting, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roll the dough to ⅛” thickness on a floured board. Cut into 3” squares.
- Put 1 heaping tsp of filling in the center of each square.
- Moisten the edges of the pastry with water. Fold one corner over in the center, wrapping the walnut filling. Then fold the other corner as well.
- Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
- Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
- Active Dry Yeast: I like using Active, Dry yeast because it is a very easy way to confirm that your yeast is alive. You can use Instant Yeast if you’d like, but there is no way to confirm that your yeast is alive until after the cookies are already baked and it’s too late.
- Sour Cream: I use full fat sour cream for this recipe. I would recommend doing so as well.
- Walnuts: Use unroasted, unsalted walnuts.
- Milk: I used 2% milk. Make sure to use 2% or whole milk for best results.
- Please note that the dough will not visibly rise much while on the countertop or while resting in the fridge. It will, however, rise while baking. If your dough is not rising while baking, it is possible that you rolled it too thin. Cookies that are rolled with dough less than ⅛” thick will have a hard time rising!
- I have never personally tried it, but experimenting with different kinds of nuts (or even a combo) in this cookie would be delicious. Macadamia nuts and pecans are also standing out to me as good options right now.
- Make the filling ahead of time if you need! You can store it in the fridge or even the freezer, and simply thaw it when you are ready to bake.
Miranda Eslick says
I am Eastern European and remember these from my childhood Christmas. We made them as a family and they were so good!
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
They are the best!! So glad you love them!
Rudolph Waros says
Thanks so much! I do Fairly well and my kids love but in my opinion mine are still not like my mom’s. I will follow yours to the very end. I really appreciate… thanks!!!!
Stephanie says
These are Kiffles! We’ve been making these in my family forever!
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
They definitely are, but I didn’t realize that until I googled them just now! I got this recipe from my Italian grandmother, but I had no idea they were also Hungarian 🙂
Jenny B says
Always look to make these when I have time for the holidays. Great for the freezer. Our family recipe has the addition of Pineapple preserves mixed with the walnuts to add a spark of flavor, really adds to the overall flavor and can then leave out milk and vanilla.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Adding pineapple is so interesting! I never would have thought to do that. Thank you for the idea 🙂
Amanda says
After removing the dough from the refrigerator, do you allow it to come to room temp or roll it out while it’s still cold? I am excited to try this recipe!
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Still cold! You leave it in the fridge to harden bc it is too sticky at room temperature 🙂 Enjoy!
Sarah says
We call these Kifli. I substitute the vanilla in the nut mixture with almond extract. I have also made these with pecans instead of walnuts and you can put a 1/2 of a pecan on top to make it extra special.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Yum, those sound like delicious adaptations Sarah! Thank you for letting me know!
Shirley Zaya says
What can you use if you don’t have. Sour cream. Or yougert
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Hi Shirley, I have not tried substituting anything outside of those two options, but those are the only two I would recommend as interchangeable. I would recommend buying some if you are wanting to make this recipe! Alexandria
Elizabeth says
This receipe looks very good, can you put the ingredients also in grams please. Thank you.
P
Geri says
Is there any salt in the dough. I see salt in the picture but not in the recipe
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Hi Geri, that was an error! The small container labeled as “salt” in the photo is actually just a small amount of granulated sugar to activate the yeast. Sorry about that! This recipe is on my list to redo in 2024 to fix that error. Thank you for pointing it out 🙂
Debbie says
How long do these keep after baking if refrigerated?
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Hi Debbie, these can last up to a week 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
Cheryl Gulota says
HI I didn’t have enough sour cream to make the dough tonight. In the top of the instructions it says 2 hours resting time and in the recipe directions it say to refrigerate overnight; can I refrigerate around 4 hours to 6 hours for the cookies to turn out good?
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Hi Cheryl, thank you for pointing that out! Yes 4-6 hours should be more than enough. My grandma used to rest the dough overnight, but 2 hours as a minimum works just fine. Enjoy!
D D says
My mother learned this recipe from a woman in Streetsboro Ohio. I’m so glad I found this. Thank you and I just know they’re going to be delicious.
Kathy says
Do you have to refrigerate after baking them or can they be left at room temperature?
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
They can be left at room temp!
Kathy Makowski says
Made these yesterday.I used Pecans and added real Maple Syrup they are fantastic! They are going to be in my make every year cookie collection .I think we prefer the yeast dough over the cream cheese dough I had been using.
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
Hurray Kathy! I am so glad that you loved the recipe!
Dottie Davenport-Greener says
Hello!
How well do these freeze?
Andi Havas says
Good day, is the cup 2.5 dl? Thanks!
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Andi,
I have never cooked with deciliters so Im not sure, but a quick search on google says that 1 cup is 2.36588 deciliters!
jj says
Can I use a pre made dough? Like a pastry dough or pie dough? How would that change the baking time etc.
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Jenna, I have not tried using either of those options so I am not sure. These cookies are meant to rise so it would certainly change the final result! If you decide to experiment, please let me know how it goes
Penny Wolf says
As mentioned before, our recipe is just like yours except ours has an extra egg yolk and more flour. You have instructions ours does not, LOL! I followed your directions and made the cookies with great success. I can’t thank you enough for helping bring back to us a Christmas cookie tradition. I will be making them from forward on. I will add the recipe is not hard but does take time. Plan accordingly. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
M. Casorla says
2 cups of flour was not enough. The dough was very wet and sticky. It was impossible to roll out.
The Foreign Fork says
Hi there, did you allow the dough to chill overnight? This is a very important step to making sure the dough is easy to work with.
Penny Wolf says
I am so glad to have found you and this recipe. Our recipe is the very same ingredients but different proportions. You are helping me with directions because our recipe has no instructions and that can make a difference. I’m about to mix them up to bake tomorrow and finding your recipe and instructions has me excited! THANK YOU and Merry Christmas.
Debra says
I can’t wait to try these! I have a very similar recipe but it calls for the small block of yeast (refrigerated) which has become hard to find. I was going to do some experimenting with dry yeast but I think this is very, very close. I use powdered sugar to roll my dough out, it adds a sweetness and helps if the dough is too wet.
The Foreign Fork says
That sounds delicious Debra, I am excited to hear how it goes with the powdered sugar!
Debra says
I made these yesterday and they came out tasting very close to my recipe. The dough was pretty wet. I should have let it stay in the refrigerator overnight and maybe used less sour cream (I’ll try 1/2 cup next time). I did find I had to work with just a small amount of dough at a time and I kept the dough cold. Delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing.
Kristen S says
This was terrible. It was far too wet. While I held tight and had faith, the dough just melted and was terrible to work with. The bake time didn’t work with how wet it wa and while the filling was “ok” I Easter far too much money and time on this. I’ve been looking for a yeast version of this like my grandma made and this just broke my heart. I had high hopes. Please correct the recipe as ingredients are just too expensive.
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Kristen, I am so sorry that you had trouble with the cookie recipe! I am wondering if you accidentally mis-measured something? This is my grandmother’s recipe and has been made every year for 50 years, so we have some proof that the dough is just fine 😉 I would encourage you to double check that you added the measurements correctly. If there is one recipe I can confirm is right, it is this one that has been made my so many women in my family for so many years. I hope you are able to find a cookie recipe that reminds you of your grandmother!
Gianna says
The part that says cut idough into 3 squares and put a tablespoon of walnuts in middle of each….this would yield 3 cookies not 40
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Giana, it says 3″ squares (the ” is a common symbol for the word “Inch”). Cut them into as many 3 inch squares as you can and you will yield about 40 cookies.
Lisa says
If leaving dough to rest overnight do I refrigerate? Thank you.
The Foreign Fork says
Yes and then let it come to room temperature before rolling!
Gay says
Can you freeze these?
The Foreign Fork says
Yes you can!
Beverly dellagrotta says
This recipe could be amazing but my dough was so sticky and wet I had to add at least an extra cup of flour. Anyone else?