Our four-ingredient walnut cookies (orašnice) are a perfect melt-in-your-mouth crunchy indulgence! Prepared with just eggs, sugar, baking powder, and walnuts, they're a breeze to make. Shall we?
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Background
Orašnice, Balkan walnut cookies, are traditionally a holiday treat. But they're so crunchy on the outside, and melt-in-your-mounth on the inside, we can't help making them all year long! Luckily, they're incredibly easy to make.
Among all nuts, walnuts reign supreme in the region and are a favorite addition to desserts. Their robust flavor seamlessly blends with most ingredients.
Walnuts nestle perfectly in layers of phyllo dough to create roses and baklava. Paired with chocolate, they produce the highest quality, traditional chocolate cake. Even a simple olive oil cake is elevated to the next level with a few of these versatile nuts.
Today's cookies (orašnice) are very special because the walnuts take center stage. Mixed with sugar, baking powder, and eggs, these cookies practically make themselves.
Ingredients
Here are the only four ingredients you'll need to make today's walnut cookies (orašnice).
- Walnuts: deshelled and ground raw walnuts. It's best to buy them deshelled and grind them at home in a food processor or a blender. Avoid candied, or flavored walnuts.
- Sugar: regular sugar works best. (If you make it with a different type of sugar let us know!)
- Egg: regular egg, no egg substitutes.
- Baking Powder.
Instructions
Here are the two world's easiest steps for making walnut cookies (orašnice). Similarly to baklava, they're "dried" more than "baked" for an hour at a very low temperature.
Step 1: combine walnut cookie ingredients well until the batter feels like wet sand.
Step 2: form walnut cookies (orašnice) into small marbles, and place them on the parchment paper in a baking pan. Bake.
Recipe FAQs
Walnuts are among the healthiest seeds. They're chockful of nutrients like Omega-3s, antioxidants, copper, folic acid, phosophorus, Vitamins E and B6.
There have been studies suggesting they have anti-cancerous properties as well.
It's natural for walnut cookies to flatten a little bit as they bake. Sometimes they're more 'dome' shaped, and sometimes they flatten out completely.
While the shape depends on different factors like humidity and walnut quality, the taste is always the same: divine!
Handling
Here's how to store and serve your walnut cookies.
Serving: Serve by themselves, or with whipped cream, ice cream, brownies, tea, or coffee.
Storing: Store up to 2 weeks in a cookie jar, or a container with a lid.
More Sweets
If you're like us, you've got a major sweet tooth! Check out some other Balkan favorite desserts.
In the mood for more sweet goodness? Check out these banana pudding truffles from Take Two Tapas!
Thoughts?
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Prijatno, Dobar Tek, and Bon Appetit!
Walnut Cookies (Orašnice)
Ingredients
- 5.5 ounces walnuts raw and ground, best to buy de-shelled and grind at home; avoid candied or flavored walnuts
- 5.5 ounces granulated sugar regular, white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well with your hand until the batter feels like wet sand. Form small, sturdy balls the size of a large marble. (You should have around 30-35.) Heat oven to 250°F (120°C).
- Line a large baking pan (or sheet) with baking paper. Place the balls on baking paper keeping some distance between them. (They'll spread out, and flatten some during baking.) Bake for 55-60 minutes. (Adjust your oven to a little hotter or a little cooler accordingly.) Cookies are done when they blush (but not too much), and flatten out a little bit.
- Serve by themselves or with tea or coffee. Store in a cookie jar for up to two weeks.
Video
Notes
- Video
- Nutrition Info
Entisam says
Wow..If we change the suger into stevia suger it will be healthy.
Thanks dear from Ebtisam from Riyadh
Aida says
Entisam,
Let me know how it works out!
Karen says
I am excited to try this recipe! I will let you know what my Christian fellowship thinks!!
Your walnut stories were a hoot, very European! I’m German American married to a Polish American and the stories are always amazing and funny!
Thank you for sharing your recipe and stories!
Aida says
Karen,
Thanks for getting in touch! We would love to know how these turned out.
Your background seems fantastic, we bet you have a lot of family stories as well!
Aida and Aleksandra
Haze says
I made these once for my parents and I think I'm on my 7th or 8th batch. Everyone that tries them wants the recipe and cannot only eat one. Delicious and so easy to make!
I had some surplus pecans and made a batch with them, they were okay but nothing beats the walnuts!!
Aida says
Hi Haze!
Thanks for the comment! So glad you like the recipe.
We were wondering how these would fare with pecans (love love love pecans!)!?
We will be putting up a recipe for these with hazelnuts soon.
Have a crunchy day!