My Mom used to make these cookies for my daughter, without the chopped nuts. They are her favorite cookie. The original recipe used shortening, I use butter and add 1 tsp of instant clearjel per cup of flour to stop the cookies from spreading. If you don't have any instant clearjel make sure to chill your cookies prior to baking. I usually only make half a recipe. You can freeze the cookies before baking, just add a couple of minutes to the baking time if using frozen dough.