These walnut shortbread cookies are built on a simple, buttery shortbread base, upgraded with toasted walnuts and a touch of instant espresso that adds subtle roastiness without overpowering the cookies. The result is a crisp, crumbly shortbread that feels familiar, yet just different enough to keep things exciting!
Trang’s Recipe Highlights
- FLAVOR: These walnut shortbread cookies are rich and buttery, with a subtle roastiness from instant espresso and gentle sweetness from the toasted walnuts.
- TEXTURE: Perfectly crispy, crunchy, and crumbly.
- EASE: This recipe is simply my classic shortbread recipe with walnuts and instant espresso added, sooo easy!
Key ingredients and notes
You’ll need 8 ingredients to make these coffee walnut shortbread cookies. As always, for the full list of ingredients with quantities and step-by-step instructions, skip straight to the recipe card.
- Walnuts are the star of our show, but pecans are a close substitute (everyone loved my pecan shortbread cookies!). Macadamias also go well with coffee flavor like in these macadamia snowball cookies. Toasting the walnuts softens their bitterness and brings out a gentle sweetness, so don’t skip this step.
- Instant espresso powder is essential in this recipe. I love using it for all sorts of coffee desserts from coffee buttercream to coffee ice cream and mocha cupcakes. But if you can’t find instant espresso powder, instant coffee powder should work too. Or you could also use very finely ground coffee beans.
- Cornstarch gives shortbread cookies a melt-in-your-mouth texture. You can skip it if you don’t have any without needing to make adjustments to the other ingredients, but I do think it gives the cookies a nice texture.
Butter temperature
The correct butter temperature is essential in making shortbread. Too cold and your shortbread dough may be a bit sandy like pie dough. Too warm and your shortbread dough will turn out very soft and a bit difficult to handle.
You should leave your butter out on the counter for about 30 minutes to an hour. It may take longer depending on the weather, but it should just give a bit when pressed. If your butter collapses, melted and greasy, it’s been out too long.
However, whether your butter is too cold or too warm, it’s not a loss. If your dough is sandy due to cold butter, just keep your mixer running until the dough comes together or knead it by hand to warm up the butter. If it’s too soft due to warm butter, refrigerate the dough until it’s easier to handle.
I absolutely love these cookies with a cup of cappuccino. Nothing beats a warm comforting drink and a couple of buttery crispy coffee shortbread cookies. I hope you’ll enjoy these 🙂
Hungry for more?
Walnut Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (99 g) walnuts
- 2 ¼ cup (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon (18 g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon (6 g) instant espresso
- 8 oz (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅔ cup (135 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Extra granulated sugar for topping
Instructions
- Roast the walnuts – In a skillet over medium heat, roast the walnuts for 3 – 5 minutes until toasty and fragrant. Spread the nuts on a cutting board to cool and then chop into small pieces.1 cup walnuts
- Prepare the dry ingredients – Sift flour, cornstarch and instant espresso powder into a small mixing bowl, stir to distribute evenly.2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoon instant espresso
- Cream butter and sugar together – Add softened butter, vanilla, sugar and salt to a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated and creamy.8 oz unsalted butter, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients – Add the flour mixture and chopped walnuts to the creamed butter, stir to combine. Increase the mixer speed and beat until no trace of flour remains and the dough is formed.
- Form the logs – Place a long piece of plastic wrap flat on the countertop. Divide cookie dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion on top of the plastic wrap into a log about 6” in length. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before baking. You don’t need additional flour for rolling but you can use some flour if necessary.
- Slice the cookies – Use a sharp knife to slice each cookie dough log into 12 cookies about ½” thick. Rewrap in the same plastic and place them into the freezer for 15 – 30 minutes, while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven – Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Bake – Place 12 cookies on a large lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top of cookie dough and bake 1 batch at a time for about 22 minutes, until the outer edges of the cookies are golden.Extra granulated sugar for topping
- Cool – Remove the baking sheet from the oven, but allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet to finish baking from the residual heat for 5-10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Storing baked cookies: store your pecan shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temp for up to a week.
- Storing cookie dough: cookie dough can be kept refrigerated for 3-4 days before baking to prep ahead. Or slice and freeze for 3-6 months.
- Baking frozen dough: no need to thaw frozen cookie dough, you can bake directly from the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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