These walnut cookies have a firm, buttery exterior and are filled with a chocolate center. The cookies need just 3 ingredients and don’t require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil. The cookies are easy to prepare and store well.

These walnut cookies have a rich, buttery exterior even though they are made without butter. The cookies work well for a snack, dessert, or to bring to an event.

Ingredients

  • Walnuts
  • Maple syrup
  • Dark chocolate chips

Walnuts: Walnut halves are pulsed in a food processor until they become small crumbs.

Maple syrup: Maple syrup is used to bind the crumbs and sweeten the cookies.

Dark chocolate chips: Dark chocolate chips are melted until smooth and then are added to the center of the cookies after they done baking.

How to Make Walnut Cookies

  • The walnuts are pulsed in a food processor until they become small crumbs.
  • Add the walnut crumbs to a large mixing bowl and drizzle maple syrup on top. Stir with a spatula until the syrup is fully incorporated.
  • Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop and scoop the cookie dough. Release it onto your prepared baking sheet. Use the back of a teaspoon to press a deep well into the center of each cookie ball. Use the back of a metal spoon to shape, smooth and round the edges of the cookie so it resembles a classic thumbprint cookie shape.
  • Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes or until the cookies look set and are lightly browned. Allow the cookies to cool.
  • Melt the chocolate until smooth. Spoon or pipe the chocolate into the center of each cookie. Let the chocolate set before serving the cookies.


Expert Tips

  • If you prefer a softer chocolate center, you can add 1-2 tsp of coconut oil to your melted chocolate.
  • You can also fill the cookies with milk, semisweet or white chocolate.
  • You can also make these cookies without any chocolate center.

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3 Ingredient Walnut Cookies

These walnut cookies have a rich, buttery exterior and are filled with melted chocolate. The cookies are just 3 ingredients and don't require any flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil.
Servings: 12 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups (220g) walnut crumbs, see note before starting
  • 4 tbsp (2 fl oz/59ml) maple syrup
  • 1 cup (148g) dark chocolate chips, see note before starting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Add walnuts to a food processor and pulse until they become the consistency of small crumbs or coarse flour. Measure out 2 cups or 220 grams for the recipe.
  • Transfer walnut crumbs to a mixing bowl. Drizzle maple syrup on top. Mix with a spatula until the walnut crumbs are evenly coated in the syrup. When you pinch some of the mixture together, it should stick. If the mixture is too dry, you can add a little more syrup.
  • Use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the dough. Release on the prepared baking sheet, spacing each portion about 2 inches apart.
  • Lightly wet the back of a teaspoon and press a deep well into the center of each cookie (the hole should be the size of the full back of the teaspoon). Lightly wet your fingers or the back of a metal spoon and smooth, shape and round the edges of the cookies to form a classic thumbprint shape.
  • Bake for about 12-16 minutes, or until the edges and surface look set and are lightly golden.
  • Let cookies cool on baking sheet and set. When cookies are almost finished cooling, melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second bursts, stirring in between with a silicone spatula, until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. If you prefer a softer chocolate center, you can add 2 tsp of melted coconut oil to the melted chocolate.
  • After cookies are set, spoon chocolate filling into each indent. You do not need to use the full amount of chocolate. You can also transfer the chocolate to a piping bag and pipe the filling in.
  • Let the chocolate cool and firm up. You can do this at room temperature or briefly put them into the fridge to help speed up the process. The cookies are then ready to eat. Store any uneaten cookies in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

  • Walnut note: This recipe uses raw walnut halves or pieces that have not been salted or roasted. If you have a kitchen scale, you can measure 220 grams of walnuts to make the coarse walnut flour and you do not need to add the flour again into measuring cups. If you are not using a scale, I recommend starting with about 2.5-3 cups of walnut halves. Make sure to measure 2 cups of walnut crumbs for the recipe if you are not using a scale.
  • Chocolate chips note: You can use any type of chocolate chips. I like using dark bittersweet chocolate chips. If you need the cookies to be dairy-free, make sure to choose dairy-free chocolate chips. If you need these to be refined sugar-free, make sure to use chocolate sweetened with unrefined sugar such as coconut sugar, maple sugar, date sugar, or a sugar substitute. I like using Hu dark chocolate chips.*
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
  • Estimated nutrition assumes 3/4 cup of chocolate is used because you will likely have some leftover. 
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 181kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 0.4mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, NET CARBS: 10
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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