Walnut Cookies this recipe yields= 34. Walnut Cookies that Fotini ate=20 ? (that would be me by the way...). You know those sweets, that are kinda sweet, but not too sweet? But just enough to make you want to eat more and more to get to sweet enough?
That didn't make much sense now, did it? I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can't get enough of these Walnut Cookies. They're truly scrumptious and you can enjoy them as a snack at any time during the day (hence how I managed to eat so many). Their texture is soft and the flavor is slightly sweet, nutty, and spiced (cinnamon & cloves).
But most importantly they're healthy. Another motive to dig in! And that's because...
1→ They're sugar-free. Honey and apple are used to naturally sweeten these cookies.
2→ They're made with olive oil instead of butter.
3→ They contain walnuts which are rich in Antioxidants, Omega-3s, and Magnesium (to name a few).
The Best Cookies To Serve With Your Cup Of Coffee
Olive oil, cinnamon, and cloves give these walnut cookies a strong flavor that goes so well with a cup of coffee. And in case you're a dipper (like to dip foods into hot drinks) these are perfect for this, they soak so easily because they're so soft!
OTHER GREEK COOKIES YOU MAY LIKE ↓
Melomakarona are traditional Greek Christmas cookies that are also made with walnuts, olive oil, honey, and spices. Made with semolina and dipped in a honey syrup, these are definitely sweet enough and too good to miss!
- Greek Christmas Almond Shortbread Cookies →
- Sugar-free Cinnamon Cookies With Whipped Honey Butter Filling →
- Grape Molasses Cookies- Moustokouloura (Sugar-free) →
How To Make Them
To make them, first, you chop the apple into small pieces and cook in a small pan along with some water to soften it and make it a bit sweeter. Then add in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix by hand until everything is fully combined. The dough is going to look oily and very soft without leaving bits on your hands though.
No worries about the oil as it will be gone once they're baked. Then you refrigerate the dough for 1 hour, before rolling it open by adding it in between pieces of parchment paper.
The walnuts in this recipe are finely chopped (in a blender), but not too powder-like in order to give a slight crunchiness to the soft cookies. You can also use a mix of nuts like using half walnuts and half almonds, or hazelnuts, or even pecans. Or...
You can use chocolate chips as well (if you're a chocolate lover). Or you can make these cookies along with a rich Italian hot chocolate and be a chocolate lover and a dipper at the same time ?.
Healthy Walnut Cookies With Olive Oil & Honey (Sugar-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 apple (Honeycrisp or any other red variety) peeled and seeded
- 6 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 200 ml olive oil
- 100 grams / 3.5 oz walnuts
- 500-550 grams / 17.6 oz all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Chop apple into very small pieces.
- Heat a non-stick pan over high heat.
- Add the apple and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to soften. Cover with water and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until water evaporates.
- Transfer apple in a mixing bowl and stir in all of the remaining ingredients except the flour and walnuts.
- In a food processor blend walnuts in order to look finely chopped. Save 4-5 tablespoons to sprinkle on top of the cookies and add the remaining walnuts into the mixing bowl as well.
- Gradually add the flour while mixing the dough with your hands. It should feel really soft and oily without sticking to your hands.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Take a large piece of parchment paper and lay it open on your working surface. Divide dough in half and shape each part into a ball.
- Place one dough ball on the center of the parchment paper and cover it with another large piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's approximately ½ cm (⅛-inch) thick. Sprinkle some of the remaining blended walnuts on top and gently push with your hands to make them stick on the dough.
- With a round cookie cutter cut dough into round cookies and transfer them to a parchment-covered baking sheet. Do this with the other piece of dough. Re-rolling as needed to cut out more cookies.NOTE: Since these are soft cookies (and their dough not so dense as it's with classic hard cookies) you may need to use a flat spatula to transfer them to the baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies get crisp all around the edges and soft on top.
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
- Store in a sealed container for 3-4 days or in a cooking tin for up to a week.
Nutrition
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Walnut Cake - Karydopita
A spiced Greek Walnut Sponge cake that's soaked in syrup. A traditional, old-fashioned recipe that yields enough portions to serve a crowd on any celebration or gathering!
