Chocolate walnut drop cookies are buttery, golden cookies loaded with two cups of semisweet chocolate chips and a cup of chopped walnuts, dropped by the spoonful onto a baking sheet and baked until the edges set and the centers stay soft and chewy.
The dough mixes in one large bowl with an electric mixer and no chilling is required, so you can go from craving to warm cookies in about thirty minutes. The recipe makes four dozen, which means plenty to share, freeze, or pack into lunch boxes.
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Why This Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies Recipe Works
Two sugars give the right texture. White sugar crisps the edges, while brown sugar adds moisture and a mild caramel flavor, so the cookies are crisp outside and chewy inside.
Baking soda dissolved in hot water spreads evenly. It lifts the dough just enough to give soft, puffy centers, and the hot water helps it mix in without leaving bitter pockets.
Walnuts add crunch and balance. Their slightly bitter, earthy flavor cuts through the sweet chocolate, so the cookies taste rich rather than overly sugary.
Ingredients for Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies
- You need one cup of softened butter, one cup of white sugar, one cup of packed brown sugar, two eggs, and two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.
- You also need three cups of flour, one teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in two teaspoons of hot water, half a teaspoon of salt, two cups of semisweet chocolate chips, and one cup of chopped walnuts.
Butter: Soften it until a finger leaves a dent, but do not melt it. Melted butter makes the cookies spread flat and greasy.
Eggs: Add them one at a time and beat well after each, which builds a smooth, stable dough.
Flour: Spoon it into the cup and level it. Packing it in makes dry, cakey cookies.
Chocolate chips: Semisweet chips balance the sweet dough. Chopped chocolate bars melt into larger pockets.
Walnuts: Toast them for five minutes in a dry skillet before chopping to deepen their flavor.
How to Make Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies
1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and set out two ungreased baking sheets.
2. Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the butter with both sugars until smooth and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time and add the vanilla.
3. Add the leavening. Stir the baking soda into the hot water, then mix it into the dough along with the salt.
4. Add the flour and mix ins. Gradually mix in the flour, then fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts until evenly spread.
5. Drop the dough. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough about two inches apart on the baking sheets.
6. Bake. Bake for nine to eleven minutes until the edges are golden, then cool on the sheet for two minutes before moving the cookies to a rack.
How to Serve Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies
Serve the cookies warm with a glass of cold milk or a scoop of ice cream. Loaded chocolate chip cookies and soft double chocolate chip cookies make a full cookie tray, bakery style chocolate cookies add variety, and eggless vanilla ice cream makes a cold partner.
How to Store and Reheat Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Freeze baked cookies or portioned dough balls for up to three months, and bake the dough from frozen with an extra minute or two. A slice of bread in the container keeps the cookies soft.
Tips and Variations for Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies
Flag the allergens. These cookies contain wheat, milk, egg, soy, and tree nuts, so label them clearly for guests with allergies.
Do not taste raw dough. Do not taste the raw dough, because it contains raw egg and uncooked flour.
Chill for chewier cookies. Thirty minutes in the refrigerator slows spreading and gives a thicker, chewier cookie.
Use ungreased sheets. The butter in the dough greases the pan, and extra grease makes the cookies spread too much.
Do not overbake. Remove the cookies when the edges are golden, because they keep setting on the hot pan.
Scoop evenly. A cookie scoop makes cookies the same size so they bake at the same speed.
Swap the nuts. Pecans or almonds work in place of walnuts, and you can leave them out for a nut free batch.
Check trusted guidance. Read the Purdue Extension guide to storing leftovers for safe storage of baked goods.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies
How many cookies does the chocolate walnut drop cookies recipe make?
It makes about four dozen cookies when you use rounded tablespoons of dough.
Why are my chocolate walnut drop cookies flat?
Butter that was too soft or a warm baking sheet is the usual cause. Chill the dough and cool the sheet between batches.
Can I freeze chocolate walnut drop cookies?
Yes. Freeze baked cookies or dough balls for up to three months.
Why dissolve the baking soda in water?
It spreads the leavening evenly through the dough, which gives an even rise and prevents bitter spots.
Can I use chocolate chunks?
Yes. Chunks give bigger pockets of melted chocolate and the same baking time.
Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- Two baking sheets
- Wire rack
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 2 teaspoons hot water
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
Cooking
- Heat. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream. Beat the butter and sugars, then add the eggs and vanilla.
- Leaven. Mix in the baking soda in hot water and the salt.
- Fold. Mix in the flour, then fold in the chips and walnuts.
- Bake. Drop rounded tablespoons and bake nine to eleven minutes.
