BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Recipe | Front Range Fed (2024)

​These Chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies are soft and chew on the inside, and crispy on the outside. Thick cookies studded with crunchy walnuts and sweet chocolate chip morsels, then sprinkled with a touch of sea salt.

I'm not a huge baker, but I love making cookies. Snickerdoodles, sugar cookies, big fat ginger molasses cookies....these are definitely my jam. They're so fun to customize and tweaking just a few ingredients or baking methods can produce such wildly different results.

And while nothing beats the good old fashioned chocolate chip cookie, that too has lots of room to play with. Add in some marshmallows, brown the butter, or use different types of chocolate chips and you'll have 3 different types of cookies. And I love them all! But this great recipe for delicious chocolate chip walnut cookies may be one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes ever.

Thick, chocolate chip walnut cookies studded with both semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips and the perfect hint of saltiness. They are the BEST chocolate chip walnut cookies you'll make.

Why These Cookies Are The BEST

These walnut chocolate chip cookies are a family favorite and are impossible to resist! What sets these cookies apart from the rest? So many things!

• Easy. These chocolate walnut cookies don't take long to make and don't require any special ingredients - you'll have most of what you need on hand.
• Thick. If you're looking for a thick cookie, stuffed with chocolate and walnuts, you've found it.
• Texture. These treats have a chewy texture, crispy edges, and the perfect balance of sweetness and nuttiness.
• Taste. The addition of both semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips and chocolate chunks ensures melty, gooey pockets of chocolate in every bite, while the chopped walnuts add a delightful crunch.
• Healthier. Ok, so these are not really healthy, but the addition of the walnuts does earn a few points toward at least making them a little bit healthier than your traditional chocolate chip cookie.

Key Ingredients

You need just a few ingredients for this chocolate chip walnut cookies recipe:

• All purpose flour. No need to get fancy with cake flour here. This recipe calls for good old fashioned all purpose flour.
• Sugars. The dynamic duo of dark brown sugar and white sugar adds depth and sweetness to these cookies. The tightly packed light brown sugar contributes to the chewy texture, creating a cookie that's irresistibly soft and flavorful.
• Chocolate. A combination of dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks ensures that every bite is filled with rich, decadent chocolate goodness.
• Chopped Walnuts. The addition of chopped walnuts brings a delightful nuttiness to the cookies, complementing the sweetness of the chocolate. It's the perfect nod to classic chocolate chip cookies with an added layer of flavor and texture.
• Sea Salt. A sprinkle of flakey sea salt on top of the baked cookies enhances the overall flavor , providing a satisfying contrast to the sweetness.

How To Make Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

As I said above, this is a simple recipe. Here's how to make these easy chocolate chip walnut cookies

1. Prepare the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients - flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well.

3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, cream together cold, cubed unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and tightly packed light brown sugar. (You can do this using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer/electric mixer. Add eggs and pure vanilla extract, beating until well combined.

4. Combine. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Fold in dark chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, and chopped walnuts. Be careful not to overmix.

5. Chill the dough. Wrap the chocolate chip walnut cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. This step prevents excessive spreading during baking, ensuring thick and chewy cookies and a more developed flavor.
6. Make the cookie dough balls. Use a cookie scoop to form ½ - 1 inch dough balls, then place in a single layer onto a cookie sheet. These cookies are big, so cook no more than 4-6 cookies per sheet. Press a few extra chocolate chunks into the top the cookie dough balls (this is mostly for appearances.)

7. Bake. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the cookies have a crispy edge and are a light golden brown (they'll still be a bit soft in the center but will harden up once they cool on the pan and cooling rack).
8. Add sea salt. Sprinkle lightly with flakey sea salt immediately after removing from the oven.
9. Cool. Let the cookies rest on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Variations And Substitutions

• Go nut-free. If you have nut allergies or prefer a nut-free option, simply omit the walnuts. This is the perfect chocolate chip cookie even without the walnuts!
• Try a different nut. Walnuts give these cookies a great taste and texture, but if you have a favorite nut like pecans or almonds, go for it!
• ​Flour alternatives. Experiment with alternative flours like almond flour or oat flour for a unique twist on this classic recipe.
• Brown the butter. This step always turns classic cookies into amazing cookies. It adds a rich flavor and is a great way to elevate the taste.
• Add some oatmeal! Add some rolled oats to turn these into walnut and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
• Make them crispier! These cookies are the perfect combo of crispy and chewy, but if you want them to be slightly crispier, let them cook for an additional 1-2 minutes in the oven before removing them.

Frequently Asked Questions

I truly believe these are the BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies around. They're the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and the crispy, chewy texture, melty chocolate and crunchy nuts make this recipe a favorite. (If you can't tell - I'm a huge fan!)

If you try these Chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, let me know what you think in the comments below. And don't forget to tag me @frontrangefed on Instagram - I love to see your masterpieces!

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• The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
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