Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies are soft, buttery, and chewy, with a nutty crunch in each bite! They strike the perfect balance between sweet and nutty, making them utterly addictive.
- Perfect Texture: Chewy centers, crisp edges, and crunchy walnuts!
- Skill Level: Foolproof recipe, even if you’re new to baking.
- Double Chocolate: Loaded with both semi-sweet and white chocolate chips.
- No Chilling Required: Cookies are baked and ready in 30 minutes.
- Freezer-Friendly: Make dough ahead and freeze for fresh-baked cookies anytime!
This cookie recipe was gifted to us by a family friend, Maria. It was her mom’s recipe for chocolate chip cookies, with walnuts and two kinds of chocolate chips added. She uses a retro baking trick of dissolving baking soda in warm water before adding it to the cookie dough. This technique helps to ensure the baking soda is evenly distributed throughout the batter and allows it to activate more quickly. This is particularly beneficial in cookie recipes where the baking time is short!
Key Ingredient Notes
Most of these baking staples are already in my kitchen right now. No special trip to the store needed! Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Chocolate Chips: I use an even amount of both semi-sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips. They balance each other out perfectly, but feel free to use milk, dark, or whatever combo sounds best to you. You can also cut up chocolate bars into chunks for larger bites of chocolate!
- Walnuts: I like to use salted, roasted walnuts as they add the perfect amount of saltiness to the cookies to make the flavors pop. If you have regular walnuts, lightly toasting them before adding them to the batter will enhance their flavor.
- All Purpose Flour: Fluff the flour and then spoon it into the measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a butter knife. If you dunk the cup into a packed bag of flour, you end up using too much flour, creating overly dense cookies.
- Butter: It needs to be room temperature, so be sure to leave it out on the counter for an hour or so prior to using.
- Sugars: You’ll need both white granulated sugar and brown sugar for this cookie recipe.
- Hot Water: It needs to be hot to help the baking soda dissolve.
- Baking Soda: Double check the label and make sure it’s not expired.
While they made be from scratch, these cookies are so easy to toss together! I like to press a few extra chocolate chips onto the top of each dough ball before baking so the final product looks picture perfect.
Keep in mind, the cookies may seem a little too soft when they first exit the oven, but they’ll continue to firm up as they cool. You don’t want to over bake them until the centers are firm, otherwise the cookies will be rock hard once cooled. Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll down to the recipe card for full instructions.
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I like to sprinkle a little flaky sea salt on top of the cookies right after they come out of the oven. This perfectly enhances the sweet and salty contrast! You can add the salt before baking too, but I find the salt tends to stay concentrated in the center this way. Sprinkling it on after the cookies have spread in the oven results in each bite having just the right amount of salt.
I always make a double batch of this cookie dough. That way, I can enjoy some now and also save some for the future me who craves cookies at 9pm! 😉
- Freeze Cookie Dough: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a sheet pan for 30 minutes. Transfer to an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Bake Frozen Dough: When you’re ready to bake, place the frozen dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Bake as directed, but add about 2 extra minutes to the bake time.
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted for more flavor
- flaky sea salt, optional for sprinkling on top
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat to combine. Dissolve baking soda in hot water and add it to the batter.
- With the mixer set on low speed, gradually beat in the dry ingredients, until just combined. Do not over beat the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough, using a medium-sized cookie scoop or a spoon, and roll into balls with your hands. Place on baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each ball for spreading. I like to press a few extra chocolate chips onto the top of each dough ball.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown just around the edges. Cookies may seem slightly underdone, but they will firm up as they cool. Do not over bake!
- Remove baked cookies from oven and let cookies rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes to firm up, then serve warm or transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
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These cookies are fantastic! Thank you for the recipe!