Everybody loves traditional Butter Pecan cookies. But I find that, unlike pecans, I have walnuts readily available in my cupboards at most times. So why not combine the buttery flavour with the crunchiness of walnuts and then add a bit of natural sweetness through cranberries and raisins?
Ingredients:
1 cup Walnut pieces
1 cup Salted Butter
1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar – tightly packed
2 Eggs (slightly beaten)
2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries- chopped into small pieces
1/4 Sultana Raisins (or any kind) – chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup Chocolate Chips – I used mini ones to go along with the smaller pieces of everything that I added.
Preheat your oven to 350F.
Melt your butter and set aside. It needs to be warm, not hot when you are ready to bake. So do it slowly on the stove or in the microwave making sure it does not boil.
Chop up your walnuts into smaller pieces, cranberries and raisins as well. These should be so small that they soften and dissolve and bake into the cookie. They are more for flavour than texture.
Using a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and the vanilla and combine.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and baking powder.
Gradually add to wet ingredients, folding in gently with a rubber spatula.
Combine chopped items in a one bowl and fold into batter.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and drop about a tablespoom size onto prepared cookie sheets. Space them evenly. They will spread slightly. I also added a walnut piece to adorn each cookie to make it look nicer. Not everyone loves the extra walnut crunch. So sometimes it’s better to just bake without the extra chunk on top. I baked some sheets with the walnut on top and others without.
Bake 12-14 minutes until the edges brown and the centres are a golden colour lighter than the edges. Let cool at least 10 minutes before removing from the cookie sheets.
These cookies are perfect served the same day. Place them in a sealed container and they will remain fresh for 4-5 days. They freeze well too!
As always, enjoy! Lolita
Lolita Bakes! 