5 from 1 vote

Italian Walnut Cookies

These Italian walnut cookies are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, and made with only 3 simple ingredients. Best part? They’re ready in 20 minutes!

Prep Time8

Cook Time12

Resting time:15

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Serving: 12

Calories: 145kcal

Author: Andrea Soranidis

Ingredients

220 g walnuts, + extra for decoration
2 egg whites
60 g powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest, optional
1 tablespoon powdered sugar, optional

Instructions

Place the walnuts into a small food processor or mini food chopper and pulse until very finely ground and set aside until needed.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until lightly foamy.
Add the powdered sugar, ground walnuts and orange zest (if using) and mix until completely combined into a smooth dough.
Use your hands or an ice cream scoop to form small even balls. The mixture should be sticky but fairly firm, and the dough balls should hold their shape when placed on the baking tray. If the dough is very sticky, add extra ground walnuts, and dust your hands in powdered sugar, then form the cookie dough balls.
Place the cookie balls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Use your thumb or a teaspoon to slowly press an indent into the cookie. Top each cookie with half a walnut or chopped walnuts.
Transfer the cookies to the refrigerator and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 180°C/360°F and arrange the baking tray onto the middle shelf of the oven.
Transfer the cookies to the oven and bake them for 12 minutes. The cookies should have a slightly crispy surface, and should still feel quite soft when removed from the oven.
Transfer the Italian walnut cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely, then sprinkle them with powered sugar and serve.

Notes

Please note that I use grams for all my baking recipes because they offer consistent results, however US cups measurement are provided.
You can form the cookies with a small ice cream scoop. This will help you make evenly-sized cookies.
If the dough is too dry, add 2 teaspoons of water or fresh orange juice.
If the dough is very sticky, add extra ground walnuts (or almond flour), and dust your hands in powdered sugar before forming the cookie balls.
Let the cookies cool completely on a cooling rack for the perfect crunchy and chewy texture.

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Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.