Leave It To The Italians—Just Walnuts, Eggs, Zest, And Sugar To Make This Surprising Cookie

I’m all in for having a couple of cookies with afternoon tea or coffee. This cookie is moist, chewy with little nuggets of nuts. What a cookie mate this will make and a classic renewal cooking recipe: little effort = big reward!

INGREDIENTS: Makes 18-20 cookies

• walnuts- 3-1/2 cups, raw, coarsely chopped
• egg yolks- 4
• salt- 1/4 tsp.
• sugar- 7 TBS.
• zest- from one small lemon or lime
• poppy seeds- 1 TBS. optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor for about 5-7 times to yield a coarse texture.
2. In a separate bowl combine sugar and yolks  using a hand mixer until almost white, about 5 minutes. It’s important to make light and fluffy.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
4. Fold in the nuts, salt, zest, and poppy seeds [if using].
5. Spoon a rounded tablespoon of batter onto a lightly oiled baking sheet. Dough will spread so leave an inch or so between cookies.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes. Rotate the pan about halfway through. Bake until dough looks dry. Be careful not to over bake, they will burn quicker than most cookies.
7. VARIATION:

Lemon-Poppy Walnut Cookies: For a classic flavor, add 1 TBS. of poppy seeds [featured].

–  NYTimes recipe reference  Interesting note: this is based on Italian-Jewish cuisine