Walnut Coffee Cookies

These delicious cookies have a wonderful texture -- somewhat sandy, like a rich shortbread cookie, but a little more crunchy-firm, almost like biscotti. The walnuts play a starring role, appearing in the dough and as a rolled-in coating. Frankly, these are perhaps more of an adult cookie than one kids will clamor for, because they're a tad less sweet than many cookies. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it?

• Ready In: 37 mins
• Serves: 24
• Yields: 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 2  cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  large egg, at room temperature
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4  teaspoons ground coffee, finely ground (use the blender to reduce the ground coffee to the proper consistency if needed, you may use less fo)

Directions

1. Combine 1 1/4 cups of the walnuts, the flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor.
2. Pulse the machine repeatedly until the nuts are chopped into very fine pieces.
3. Set aside.
4. Finely chop the remaining nuts by hand and set them aside in a small bowl.
5. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth, gradually adding the sugar. Beat in the egg, then stir in the vanilla and coffee.
6. Add the dry mixture to the creamed ingredients, stirring the dough with a wooden spoon until evenly combined.
7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
8. Adjust one oven rack so it is in the center position.
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
10. Get out 1 or 2 large baking sheets and butter them lightly or line with parchment.
11. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into balls 1 1/4-inches in diameter.
12. Roll in the finely chopped nuts and place on the cookie sheet/s, leaving a little room between them.
13. Bake -- one sheet at a time -- for 16 to 18 minutes, until firm to the touch.
14. Cool briefly on the sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container.