Walnut Acorn Cookies, tender walnut shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate and more nuts, got Gourmet magazine’s title “Best Cookie of the Year” in 2000. A favorite for Christmas cookie platters, they resemble acorns with their chocolate “cap.” We haven’t mastered the acorn shape, so ours come out oval-ish and a bit blobby. Even so, these relatively easy cookies look plenty fancy, taste rich, and make us feel like it’s a special occasion.
And it turns out they’re vegan, too.
We usually use only butter for shortbread cookies. But because walnuts make up a lot of the flavor here, we tried our favorite margarine, Imperial.* Its soft consistency makes it easy to blend and, in most baking, nobody misses real butter. Turns out we can’t tell the difference in these cookies, either.
Now don’t freak. Margarine hasn’t had any trans fats in years, thanks to a complete ban in the US. Imperial is cheaper, has fewer calories, and has a pretty healthy fat profile now. And a couple of years ago, when nobody was looking, it dropped whey as an ingredient and turned vegan.
Of course, you can always make these with butter—salted or unsalted—and they will taste fantastic.
So 25 years later, these still might be the Best Cookie of the Year.
*We receive no promotional consideration for this endorsement.
Walnut Acorn Cookies
Adapted from The Gourmet Cookie Book
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) Imperial margarine (for vegan) or butter, melted and cooled
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (4 ounces)
For dipping:
- 6-8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips, melted
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts (2 ounces)
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Beat together margarine or butter, sugar, molasses and vanilla until pale and fluffy.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt, and mix until combined on low speed. Stir in walnuts.
- Form about two teaspoons of dough into an egglike shape, bigger than an acorn. Arrange about 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets and flatten just a little.
- Bake in batches, one sheet at a time in the middle of the oven, until undersides are light brown, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool. (If the dough gets really soft while it’s waiting to go into the oven, chill it in the refrigerator for a few minutes.)
- To Decorate: Dip top half of each cookie in melted chocolate and then in chopped nuts. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper to set, about 15 minutes. Store in a plastic container with wax or parchment paper between cookie layers.
