These tasty walnut cookies are an absolute hit in Europe and the Balkan area! They are famous madeleines look-alikes, but people traditionally make them with lard.
These walnut cookies are traditional Christmas cookies in the Balkan area. Like some other cookie recipes I already shared, these are also made with lard. They are also called “Sape,” which means paws or little paws since they look like paws.
If you want to add more variety to your cookie-baking skills, experimenting with gurabije (lard cookies) and vanilla crescent cookies is worth experimenting with. These cookies have unique and tasty flavors that will please your palate.
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Ingredients
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour for this recipe. I have not tried to substitute it for any other flour.
- Baking powder: Just a little bit of baking powder to lift these delicious walnut cookies.
- Lard: You will need room-temperature lard. It will be easier to work the dough. Lard will give the cookies a fantastic taste, and it’s much healthier than butter.
- Eggs: Eggs will combine the dough and incorporate the ingredients together.
- Milk: Just a little bit of milk to contain the ingredients.
- Granulated sugar: The amount of sugar I added to these cookies is perfect for my taste. These cookies will not be too sweet.
- Shredded walnuts: You’ll need high-quality walnuts. If you don’t have shredded walnut, pulse them a little bit in a food processor or even a blender. Make sure not to blend too long because it will turn into a paste due to the oil in walnuts.
- Powdered sugar: We need just a little bit of powdered sugar to roll the cookies. These cookies will have a divine smell and taste combined with vanilla sugar.
- Vanilla sugar: Vanilla sugar is popular in Europe, but if you don’t have it in your local grocery store, you can find it on Amazon or any Balkan food store. You can always make your own. Just put a few sticks of vanilla into the tightly sealed jar with sugar.
See recipe card for quantities.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
These walnut cookies are one of my favorites! They are loaded with walnuts and have a divine vanilla smell.
The preparation is a little bit hands-on, but you will have a fool-proof recipe every time with my easy-to-follow tips and tricks.
In Europe, people use individual molds for these cookies, but the madeleines molds are the perfect substitution here in the US. I used the regular size madeleine pans – and regular is meant for the mold cavity, not the mold pan size.
Equipment and Tools Needed
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Several different sized bowls
- Madeleine baking mold
- A spatula
Instructions
First, I always gather all ingredients and measure the ingredients correctly. This will ensure that you always have the same texture and consistency of the dough.
Step 1: In a large bowl, add flour and baking powder. Mix until well combined. Add lard to the bowl and start incorporating the mixture with your hands. You will end up with a crumbly mixture.
Step 2: Add shredded walnuts and granulated sugar to another medium-size bowl. Mix until combined.
Step 3: In another small bowl, break the eggs and beat the eggs for 10-15 seconds.
Step 4: Add beaten eggs, milk, walnut, and sugar to the flour and lard mixture bowl. Start working the dough with your hands until you get more incorporated mass (half a minute or so). Then, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Step 5: Work the dough with your hands until you get a firm and slightly sticky dough.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Grease the madeleine molds with some unsalted butter and dust with the flour. Shake off any excess flour.
Step 7: Take a piece of dough and make a ball with your hands just big enough to fit nicely into a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon (roughly about 1.25 oz or 35g). Make 48 equal dough balls and place the first 24 onto the greased molds.
I have only two Madeleine molds but feel free to put all the dough balls into the molds if you have more than two. You will still have to bake it in two separate batches. This will speed up the preparation process.
Step 8: Press the dough balls with your fingers to fit the madeleine mold. The heat from your fingers will be enough to shape the dough onto the molds.
Make sure the dough does not go over the edges of the mold. Also, the dough will have a small bump on top so that it won’t be flat.
Step 9: Place the madeleine molds in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. The top of the cookies will be pale.
Step 10: While baking the cookies, add powdered and vanilla sugar to a large plate and mix until combined.
Step 11: Once you remove the cookies from the oven, remove them from the molds. Give them a gentle nudge with a knife or a fork, and they will pop out easily. Place them on the wire rack.
Step 12: Roll the cookies into the sugar mixture, and you can gently rub the sugar onto it so it sticks easily. Be careful since the cookies will be warm.
Repeat the process for the second batch of cookies. Grease and flour the molds and place the cookie dough balls into the molds (if you only have two molds). If you already have done that, place the molds in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, roll the cookies into the sugar mixture, and put them on the wire rack. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Expert Tips and Tricks
To make sure you are successful every time you make these tasty walnut cookies make sure to:
- Measure the ingredients correctly. Always spoon and level the ingredients or even use the scale.
- Grease the molds generously and dust them with flour. This will ensure that your cookies don’t stick to the molds.
- Make the dough balls as equally as you can. Make sure that you make the dough ball equal since this will ensure equal baking.
- Roll the cookies while they are still warm – straight from the oven. If you don’t roll the cookies into the sugar mixture when they are warm, the sugar won’t stick to them.
Substitutions and Variations
- Try different nuts: Instead of walnuts, try hazelnuts or some other kinds of nuts.
- Instead of powdered sugar and vanilla sugar mixture, dip the cookies in chocolate.
- Add cocoa powder to the dough: Add some additional flavor with the fantastic cocoa taste.
How to Serve
These are one of many traditional Christmas cookies, so people in Europe eat them whenever they have a sweet tooth during holidays. You can serve them with coffee, warm milk, or even tea.
Storage
Store in an air-tight container for 5-7 days. They might dry out a little after days 4-5.
FAQ
Yes, you absolutely can! If you properly store them, they will stay fresh for a few days. They might get a little dry after 4-5 days.
More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love
- Mini Bundt Cakes
- Walnut Bundt Cake
- Walnut Strudel
- Blackberry Lemon Bread
- Summer Raspberry Cake
- The Best Homemade Apple Pie
- Lemon Meringue Slice – Sampita
- Gurabije – Lard Cookies
- Butterscotch Rum Cake
- Vanillekipferl – Vanilla Crescent Cookies
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Recipe
Walnut Cookies – Sape Recipe
Equipment
- madeleines mold
Ingredients
Walnut cookie dough
- 5 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (750g)
- 2 ½ baking powder
- ½ lb lard (250g)
- 3 eggs
- 6 tablespoon whole milk
- 2 ¼ cup shredded walnuts (250g)
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar (250g)
For coating the cookies
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 bags vanilla sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add flour and baking powder. Mix until well combined. Add lard to the bowl and start incorporating the mixture with your hands. You will end up with a crumbly mixture.
- In another medium-size bowl, add shredded walnuts and granulated sugar. Mix until combined.
- In another small bowl, break the eggs and beat the eggs for 10-15 seconds.
- Add beaten eggs, milk and walnut, and sugar mixture to the bowl with flour and lard mixture. Start working the dough with your hands until you get more incorporated mass (half a minute or so). Then, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Work the dough with your hands until you get a firm and slightly sticky dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheits. Grease the madeleines molds with a little bit of unsalted butter and dust with the flour. Shake off any excess flour.
- Take a piece of dough and make a ball with your hands just big enough to fit nicely into a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon (roughly about 1.25 oz or 35g). Make 48 equal dough balls and place the first 24 onto the greased molds. I have only two madeleines molds, but feel free to place all the dough balls into the molds if you have more than two molds. You will still have to bake it in two separate batches. This will speed up the preparation process.
- Press the dough balls with your fingers to fit the madeleines mold. The heat from your fingers will be enough to shape the dough onto the molds. Make sure the dough does not go over the edges of the mold. Also, the dough will have a small bump on top so it won't be flat.
- Place the madeleines molds in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. The top of the cookies will be pale.
- While the cookies are baking, add powdered sugar and vanilla sugar into a large plate and mix until combined.
- Once you remove the cookies from the oven, remove them from the molds. Give them a gentle nudge with a knife or a fork, and they will pop out easily. Place them on the wire rack. Roll the cookies into the sugar mixture, and you can even gently rub the sugar onto the cookies so it sticks easily. Be careful, since the cookies will be warm.
- Repeat the process for the second batch of cookies. Grease and flour the molds and place the cookie dough balls into the molds (if you only have two molds). If you have already done that, place the molds in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, roll the cookies into the sugar mixture, and put them on the wire rack. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Measure the ingredients correctly. Always spoon and level the ingredients or even use the scale.
- Grease the molds generously and dust them with flour. This will ensure that your cookies don’t stick to the molds.
- Make the dough balls as equally as you can. Make sure that you make the dough ball equal since this will ensure equal baking.
- Roll the cookies while they are still warm straight from the oven. If you don’t roll the cookies into the sugar mixture when they are warm, the sugar won’t stick to them.
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