Chocolate never seems to disappoint.
In a local town, there is a bakery and French café named Pastiche. Hands down, the best bakery I have ever been to. My family has bought its treats for probably over a decade. No kidding. In fact, I don’t think I could name one Pastiche dessert that I dislike. Their fresh fruit tart, pumpkin praline tart, old-fashioned coconut cake, cranberry raspberry tart – everything is sooooo good. This is the truth.
Due to my strong connection and infatuation with Pastiche, many of the recipes on Food Finessa are inspired by the bakery. You might remember my Fresh Fruit Tart, Classic Coconut Cake (this one is especially a hit), and Lemon Bars. Yes, these were all inspired by Pastiche’s desserts. So when I was brainstorming ideas for the next recipe to post on the website, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. Chocolate Walnut Truffle Cookies. Yes, you heard that correctly. These fan-favorite cookies are delightful with a crispy, crumbly exterior and a chewy, chocolaty interior. What’s not to love? Plus, they contain walnut and chocolate chunks, which give the cookies an extra crunch! I don’t think this is real life.
If you love chocolate crinkle cookies, you’ll adore these. Except, these are one million times better. No joke. So, let’s begin with a few tips before you start baking the next love of your life.
The combination of unsweetened cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate is key. I find that the cocoa powder adds an extra touch of chocolate to each cookie. And if you’re daring enough, you can, of course, add espresso powder 🙂 . I would recommend adding one to two teaspoons to the dry ingredients. Similarly, adding the chocolate chunks is also essential. That is, if you want to make these the Chocolate Walnut Truffle Cookies they are. Plus, the addition of walnut and chocolate chunks combined with the chewy center adds a surprising texture to the cookie. Similar to a white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie, except, not quite. If you’re a chocoholic, you’ll find these are much better.
Another essential step is whipping the batter for several minutes before adding the dry ingredients. This ensures a thin crunchy exterior when baked, similar to a meringue. It’s the base cookie that’s really important to perfect. Once you’ve mastered the art of the chocolate cookie, it’s all in the add-ins. If you want a quadruple chocolate cookie, you can even go as far as dipping the cookies in melted chocolate and adding chocolate sprinkles (in which case I guess it would be a quintuple chocolate cookie). Never heard of those before, but probably definitely worth the try!
You probably just want to get in the kitchen and whip these up, so one last thing. Make sure to toast the walnuts. Trust me, it’s definitely worth it. I find that it really brings out the nutty flavor, which pairs so well with the chocolate galore in our cookie. Okay, this is my final, final tip. Always have a glass of milk on hand – you’ll need it to wash down the chocolaty goodness. Phew! I think that sums up everything so have fun making these delicious cookies! You won’t be able to resist once you’ve made the batter.
Chocolate Walnut Truffle Cookies
- 1-1/2 cups of walnuts
- 6 eggs
- 1-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, softened
- 20 oz of bittersweet chocolate ((60%))
- 2-1/4 cups of white, granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp of vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup of chocolate chunks ((chop bittersweet or dark chocolate), No chocolate chips allowed! We want to make it seem like we're in Pastiche! :))
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Spread walnuts on baking sheet, and toast them while the oven is preheating. Once they are slightly golden, chop them into smaller pieces, and set aside.
- Place eggs in a bowl with warm water to heat them slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
- In a heat-proof metal bowl over simmering water, melt bittersweet chocolate. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar until they are pale and fluffy in a medium bowl with an electric mixer.
- Add eggs to mixture, one at a time, and beat for 3 minutes total. Add in melted chocolate and vanilla. Beat until fully combined.
- Beat dry ingredients into mixture until they are just barely combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the chopped walnuts and chocolate chunks. The batter should be thick, glossy, and a deep brown color.
- Add 1 tbsp of batter for each cookie, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake cookies for about 14-16 minutes until they have crackly exteriors, but are chewy in the center.
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Let cookies cool, and enjoy!