Shh...It's a Secret (Recipe)

Shh…It’s a Secret (Recipe)

By Trina Scuderi, Spring 2018 Intern

As mentioned in my previous blog, I bake a lot of cookies. Walnut cups are my most requested, and I’m here to share the recipe with you!

The walnut cups consist of two parts: the dough and the filling. The dough requires 2 sticks of butter, 2 cups of flour, and 1 package of cream cheese. I mix all my dough by hand, and have learned that room temperature butter is a lot easier to work with. You’ll be fine with butter fresh out of the fridge or freezer, but your hands will be cold.

When the dough is ready, you’ll want to start lining the cupcake tins with the dough. This requires patience, as it is time consuming.

The filling is just as simple. All you need is 3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 2 cups of brown sugar, and 2 cups of chopped walnuts. I prefer dark brown sugar as opposed to light. It’s sweeter and gives the cookies a deeper flavor.

I typically use mini cupcake pans so the cookies will be bite sized. Although, by using a smaller pan, you’ll want to double the filling recipe. It’s also a good idea to keep an extra cup of walnuts on the side, because when you get towards the end of the filling the nuts somehow seem to disappear and then all you have left is sugary goop.

When the tins are lined with dough and the filling is ready, scoop about 1 teaspoon of filling into the cups. You’ll want to leave some space because, similar to cupcakes, they will rise.

Bake them for 10–20 minutes at 375 degrees (Fahrenheit) and bon appétit!