These crisp, buttery walnut shaped cookies are filled with dulce de leche and an (optional) crunchy toasted walnut. These are traditional cookies popular in Eastern European countries and are "baked" on the stovetop using a mold that is easily bought online. They're easy to make, absolutely delicious, and the creamy caramelized dulce de leche filling is just irresistible. These cookies are perfect to make for the holidays because of their festive walnut shapes.
They're sturdy cookies and hold up great in cookie boxes. They're also a crowd pleaser! I made these cookies for my Nutcracker themed Christmas cookie boxes.
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🥜 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Crisp, buttery wafer cookies: The cookie dough is easy to make and turns out buttery and deliciously crisp.
- Walnut shapes: A mold shapes the cookie dough into beautiful walnut halves that are then filled and joined with dulce de leche.
- Creamy caramelized filling: Dulce de leche makes the perfect creamy, thick, caramelized filling.
- Easy to make: An easy to make cookie dough filled with premade dulce de leche. These cookies are easy to make and so delicious.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
- Dulce de leche: The perfect, creamy caramelized filling for walnut cookies. I purchased premade dulce de leche in a glass jar but you can make your own if you prefer. Purchase it in a glass jar or from an eastern European store. Do not use the eagle brand dulce de leche. It's just flavored sweetened condensed milk NOT dulce de leche. If you are looking for more cookies to make using dulce de leche, make my easy dulce de leche cookies (alfajores).
- Unsalted butter: You can use salted butter if you prefer, just omit the salt in the recipe.
- All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
- Egg: The egg gives these cookies a wafer cookie crisp texture.
- Baking powder: Not to be confused with baking soda, baking powder gives these cookies a bit of lift and small air pockets that make them crisp instead of hard.
- Walnut pieces: You can add toasted walnut pieces and halves into the centers of the filled cookies for some extra crunch and toasty nuttiness.
👩🍳 How to make walnut cookies
Walnut cookies step by step
Step 1: Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
Step 2: Add the eggs, salt, and vanilla extract and beat again.
Step 3: Add the flour and baking powder, and stir with a large spoon (or your hands) to form a dough. This will be a pretty stiff dough.
Step 4: Use a teaspoon to scoop the dough and roll into balls. Since molds vary in size, check the manufacturers suggestions and use some trial and error to get the correct size pieces.
Step 5: Heat the mold on low heat until piping hot. Place a piece of dough into each cavity and close the mold tightly. Cook on low heat until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the mold and continue with the rest of the dough.
Step 6: Flip the cooked halves on a plate to cool.
Step 7: Use a grater or microplane to trim the excess from the cookies to get complete walnut halves.
Step 8: Fill the cookie halves with dulce de leche. I found that piping it in is easiest! You can add a toasted walnut half into the center of each cookie for a nutty crunch. Close up the cookie halves to create full walnut shapes.
Dust the cookies with powdered sugar and enjoy!
✔️ Expert molded cookie tips
- Weigh the flour for the best results: If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
- Use a microplane to get smooth perfect walnut cookie shells: This works better than a knife to get rid of excess cookie on the edges and get perfectly smooth walnut shells.
- Use good quality dulce de leche: Purchase it in a glass jar or from an eastern European store. Do not use the eagle brand dulce de leche. It's just flavored sweetened condensed milk NOT dulce de leche.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
Once the cookies are filled, they do need to be stored in the refrigerator because dulce de leche is a dairy product. The filled cookies store great in a sealed container or bag, refrigerated, for up to 1 week. For extra crisp cookies, fill them with dulce de leche right before serving.
❔ What kind of mold to use for Oreshki walnut cookies
The best mold is a cast aluminum mold. I tried non-stick coated molds and they're not as thick and sturdy as aluminum molds. The non-stick mold also created uneven cookies that cooked unevenly and burned quickly. If you're choosing between molds, go with a sturdy shiny silver aluminum mold. I purchased my walnut cookie mold here.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Yes you can! Try chocolate hazelnut butter, jam, ganache, or combinations of multiple fillings.
Yes you can, substitute the flour with 1:1 gluten free flour mix.
Unfortunately you cannot make these cookies without using some kind of walnut mold. The cookie dough is formulated to be cooked on a stovetop using the mold.
You're going to need to find an induction cooktop compatible oreshki mold. A standard aluminum mold is not compatible with induction. The best cooktop for making oreshki cookies is the most traditional type, a gas cooktop.
You don't need to spray the mold with anything, it won't stick! Both the cast aluminum and non stick molds don't stick.
🍪 More related cookie recipes
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📖 Recipe
Walnut cookies (Oreshki)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour 240 g
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup dulce de leche
- ½ cup walnut halves toasted (optional)
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer½ cup butter, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg, salt, and vanilla extract and beat again.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add the flour and baking powder, and stir with a large spoon (or your hands) to form a dough. This will be a pretty stiff dough.2 cups all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- Use a teaspoon to scoop the dough and roll into balls. Since molds vary in size, check the manufacturers suggestions and use some trial and error to get the correct size pieces.
- Heat the mold on low heat until piping hot. Place a piece of dough into each cavity and close the mold tightly. Cook on low heat until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the mold and continue with the rest of the dough. Place the halves on a cooling rack to cool. Trim any uneven edges with a sharp, serrated knife.
- Fill the cookie halves with dulce de leche. I found that piping it in is easiest! You can add a toasted walnut half into the center of each cookie for a nutty crunch. Close up the cookie halves to create full walnut shapes.1 cup dulce de leche, ½ cup walnut halves
- Dust the cookies with powdered sugar and enjoy!
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