My Granny Neal always made this espresso shortbread around the holidays. It’s studded with hunks of walnuts, and the specks of espresso give the shortbread a rich bold flavor and an elegant look.
I remember my aunt Kristin, who is a huge fan of shortbread, always munching on these. But, in recent years, she admitted to me that she always thought Granny Neal could have used a little more sugar in her shortbread. So in Kristin’s honor, I upped the sugar content, and it was a great idea, as it balances out the espresso and brings out the richness of the butter even more. This cookie always makes me nostalgic and brings up memories of the holiday season, but it’s wonderful any time of the year.
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 220g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup / 150g lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 2 1/4 cups / 270g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups / 240g walnut pieces
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and espresso powder on medium speed until just uniform, about 1 minute. Add the flour and salt and mix on medium- low speed until it just comes together. Stir in the walnuts.
- Form the dough into a 2-inch / 5cm thick log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour. You can do this step a couple of days in advance of baking or freeze for 1 month.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the log into slices 1/4 inch / 6mm thick and arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets. They won’t spread much but give them a little room just in case.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden on the bottom. Cool the cookies until firm on the baking sheet and then move to a cooling rack.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Which brand of kosher salt do you use?
Hi Karen, Zoë uses Morton kosher salt.
I am curious: what espresso powder is typically used? I made these this morning and the espresso powder (Medaglia D’Oro Instant Espresso Powder) colored the dough to a darker mocha brown – much darker than in the pictures above. It also did not leave “espresso specks” but fully dissolved. I will try a coarser powder but was interested…
Hi! That espresso powder you used should work great. Next time you could try adding the espresso powder to the flour instead and it should result in more flecks. You could also use less espresso next time if you feel like it was too strong in your first batch. Enjoy!
Do you need to roast the walnuts?
Hi Dionne, nope! They should be raw. They would be too bitter if roasted and then baked. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Amazing! I made them for a Christmas party this week. Perfectt and quite easy. I used instant espresso – did not have the powder. Wish I could post a pic!
Made these this week and they were a hit with everyone who had them. I added mini chocolate chips instead of the nuts (we don’t like nuts in our cookies) and they were outstanding. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Made these this week and they were a hit with everyone who had them. I added mini chocolate chips instead of the nuts (we don’t like nuts in our cookies) and they were outstanding. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Wow! Great idea with the mini chips!!!!!
Made these tonight. They are easy and amazing. Even the dough was delicious.
Can you store these like good ole Scottish shortbread cookies? In a tin under the counter for weeks?
Hi Heidi,
Yes, if they last that long! 😉
Enjoy, Zoë