Cream Cheese Walnut Refrigerator Cookies

blucoat's Note:

This recipe from Martha Stewart produces a slice-and-bake cookie with a tight crumb that immediately falls apart into deliciousness in your mouth. Try it! I also think this would work well with other nuts, like pecans. A great cookie recipe for the holiday season. You can make the dough ahead of time and freeze it until you want to use it. Enjoy!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 16 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 36 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 48 cookies

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 -1 ¼ teaspoon coarse salt (like kosher salt)
• 2 cups unsalted butter , softened
• 6 ounces cream cheese (not whipped)
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups walnut halves (1 1/2 cups toasted and coarsely chopped, 1 cup finely chopped)

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
2. Mix butter and cream cheese on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and mix until just combined (do not overmix). Mix in toasted walnuts.
3. Transfer dough to a work surface. Divide in half; shape each half into an 8 1/2-inch long log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in parchment paper; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes or up to 2 weeks.
4. Preheat oven to 350 with racks in upper and lower thirds. Unwrap 1 log, and roll in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, coating completely. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake cookies, rotating halfway through, until golden around edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Repeat with remaining log and remaining 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.