Pat Nixon’s Walnut Clusters
37th First Lady of the United States from 1969-1974 / Adapted from the First Ladies Cook Book, Parents' Magazine Press (1977 edition): This easy recipe features toasted walnuts enrobed in a light chocolate cookie shell. Be sure to toast the walnuts to optimize their flavor!
Ingredients
- 1½ oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted (baking chocolate or semi-sweet chips)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup salted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
- Optional/Recommended: 1-2 oz semi-sweet chocolate, melted, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Stir melted chocolate into the butter mixture.
- Add flour mixture and stir just until incorporated. The batter will be very sparse — this is intentional, as the walnuts make up most of the cookie.
- Fold in the walnuts.
- Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls (about 1 ½ inches in diameter) onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until set; the tops should feel dry to the touch.
- Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Optional: Drizzle melted chocolate on top of each cookie for an additional hit of chocolate, which I highly recommend.
Notes
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
Yield: 20-22 cookies