{"id":31670,"date":"2018-11-09T18:36:10","date_gmt":"2018-11-09T17:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/?p=31670"},"modified":"2026-09-21T17:03:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T15:03:28","slug":"walnut-cookies-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/en\/walnut-cookies-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Walnut cookies and family traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year, for as long as I can remember, my family stocks up on walnuts for the winter.<\/p>\n

As soon as the new walnuts arrive, I make this first.
\nWalnut cookies. Simple, not too sweet, and crunchy, just the way I like them.<\/p>\n

Family traditions<\/h4>\n

As punctual as the first autumn fog that blankets the Po Valley, my mom\u2019s phone call comes.<\/p>\n

She carries on a tradition that used to belong to my grandmother.<\/p>\n

My maternal grandmother was born and raised in the Romagna countryside. When she was young, there were no supermarkets. And there weren\u2019t yet the large refrigerators we have today, filled with fresh and frozen food.<\/p>\n

The pantry was different.<\/h4>\n

In the cellar, people stored foods that needed to rest in a cool, dark place, such as cotechini, salami, potatoes, apples, walnuts, eggs (placed in lime water to last through the long winter months when the hens weren\u2019t laying), and demijohns of wine. But there were also jars of jams, fruit in syrup, mixed pickles, and homemade liqueurs.<\/p>\n

In the pantry inside the kitchen, there was bread, flour, and sugar, along with everyday ingredients. Finally, just outside the kitchen door, Nonna, like all the housewives \/azdore of yesteryear, would gather wild herbs, vegetables from the garden, fruit from the trees, and milk from the barn, some of which was processed to make butter and cheese.<\/p>\n

When my maternal Grandma came to live with us, she brought her habits and knowledge. Our cellar, as well as the vegetable garden behind the house and the kitchen shelves, told the story of her farming roots.<\/p>\n

And although times have changed, and with them, our way of life, even though we buy fewer fresh walnuts now than we used to, my mom keeps this tradition alive out of habit, of course, because we all love walnuts in our family, and, ultimately, to honor Grandma, who was our Azdora.<\/p>\n

She was my family’s loving matriarch. Of the clan of aunts, uncles, close and distant relatives, and old and new friends who crowded into her kitchen to consult her like an oracle while, on the surface, they rolled out pasta dough and cooked up delicious dishes.<\/p>\n

\"Walnut<\/p>\n

\"Walnuts<\/p>\n

Walnut Cookies of Nonna Sara<\/h4>\n

A few kilograms of the fresh walnuts Mom buys are for me. Not a huge amount, but enough to last twelve months. I store the walnuts in a woven wicker basket that I keep in the kitchen, within easy reach of the nutcracker.<\/p>\n

That basket reminds me of one of the people dearest to my heart, my family\u2019s roots, and it also says something about the woman I\u2019ve become. But I\u2019ll tell you about that another time.<\/p>\n

Today, right here and now, I\u2019d like to share Grandma Sara\u2019s recipe for walnut cookies: crunchy, buttery, and absolutely delicious. She used to add a few tablespoons of nocino to bring out the walnuts\u2019 aroma. Still, you can omit the liqueur or substitute it (you\u2019ll find all the details in the recipe).<\/p>\n

Also, Grandma would chop the walnuts very finely. For a more rustic look, you can chop a small portion by hand, more coarsely, and add them to the dough once the other ingredients are already well combined.<\/p>\n

I mainly use walnuts to make desserts and cookies.
\nRecently, I also made a savory carrot and walnut pie<\/a><\/strong> that I really enjoyed.<\/p>\n

Finally, I often grind them finely to make a flavorful flour for other recipes.<\/p>\n

Walnut Cookies with Nocino<\/h5>\n

It is a dark, digestive liqueur made from walnuts, prepared using unripe walnut husks harvested around St. John\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

Every family has its own recipe.
\nSome make a version that\u2019s almost like chinato, while others add a secret aromatic ingredient. I\u2019ve seen nocino recipes with so many ingredients that they look like ancient elixirs.<\/p>\n

My family\u2019s version is rich in aromas and flavors, and I often open the bottle to breathe in its aroma (you can find the recipe HERE<\/a><\/strong>).<\/p>\n

Keep in Touch<\/b><\/b><\/h5>\n