Giant Walnut + Chocolate Chip Cookies
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How do you like your cookies?
Soft and chewy?
Or absolutely huge with a fudgy texture?
Or filled with chocolate pieces and nuts?
Luckily, this cookie is ALL of those things, and so much more.
As much as I love to say I’m a baking enthusiast, I’ve actually never baked a cookie. Biscuits and shortbreads I’ve done plenty of, but never a cookie. Not only are they a tradition for Santa, but plates filled with cookies is going to start being a tradition in my household during the festive period.
It pains me to say that my parents have never been the festive type, which is completely shocking seeing as I've turned out the way I am... I just thriving about anything to do with Christmas. I can’t really remember being a child and believing in Santa, I assume I had always thought he was a fictitious character. This means I never had the chance to do the whole leave cookies and milk out for Santa thing, but sadly I think I’m a little too old for that. I’ll just leave the cookies as my Christmas Eve snack.
There is definitely an art form when it comes to cookie making. I’m starting to learn more and more about baking each and every time I try a new recipe, but I honestly didn’t realise how much science goes into making what you would deem as the "perfect cookie". It's all based on the ingredients such as the types and amounts of sugar and flour, as well as the consistency of the butter, but it also depends on the temperature of the cookie dough. All of these will factor in the type of cookie you make. Everyone has their own preference of course, but a cookie in my eyes should be soft, chewy and full of flavour. I’ll leave the crumbly cookies to my shortbread, and the firm cookies to my biscuits.
It's time for us to put on our safety goggles, and take hold of our wooden spoon because we are about to get all technical with our cookie making. If you would like to make your cookies just like these, there are some rules you have to follow. You will need a combination of brown and granulated sugars; brown to give it that chewy and soft texture we all love, and a little granulated sugar to help with the extra moisture created by the molasses from the brown sugar. For the chocolate, use a combination of chopped chocolate chunks and chocolate chips - but mainly the chunks. This results in a lovely texture ideal for cookies. I have included walnuts, which give these cookies a little extra crunch. You can use any nuts you like, or you can replace them with even more chocolate, maybe even dairy-free white chocolate. I won't judge you, you'll definitely get a lot of respect from me.
You really can't go wrong with the look or shape of your cookies, but if you would like them uniform, I would recommend using a cookie/ice-cream scoop. When you take your cookies out of the oven, they will look soft, but they will firm up. If you feel like you have taken your cookies out too early, don't worry, just pop them back into the oven and check every minute or so. Keep an eye on them as you don't want to burn them, which they can do very easily.
Whether you're baking these as a treat for Santa, or for yourself, it's time to get baking!
VEGAN GIANT WALNUT + CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
This recipe makes 10 huge fudgy delights!- 112g / 1/2 cups non-dairy butter - room tempreture
- 50g / 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 150g / 3/4 cups dark brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extracts
- 60ml / 1/4 cup dairy-free milk
- 250g / 2 cup plain flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 175g dairy-free milk chocolate chopped into chunks (I used both chips and chunks)
- 50g chopped walnuts
INGREDIENTS
- Cream together the dairy-free butter and sugars with an electric or hand whisk until it is light in colour. Add in the vanilla extract and dairy-free milk and continue to mix until it's fully incorporated.
- Sift in the plain flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder, and mix with a spatula. Fold in your chocolate and walnuts.
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop your dough into a tray and place into the fridge to chill for 1 hour, or until they're firm.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C fan, 180°C, 350°F. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper and place on your cookies. Leave a large space as they will spread - I put 4 on at a time.
- Press the cookie dough slightly and place into the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes. They will look soft when they're taken out, but they will form once cooled.
INSTRUCTIONS
Does anybody else really fancy some cookies right now? Let me know in the comments below what type of cookie lover you are; chewy, crumbly or firm. If you decide to make these cookies or any of my bakes, please let me know! Don't forget to check my advent calendar to see what's new tomorrow.
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