These are cookies baked in the shape of a walnut, filled with delicious buttercream. They count among the most admired Czech Christmas cookies, which Czechs make every year at Christmas time.
Czechs call these cookies plnene orechy (correctly spelled plněné ořechy). In English, it means filled nuts!
For baking, you need special walnut-shaped molds. Fortunately, these can be found on Amazon. I will refer to the molds later in this recipe.
MY TIP: Also try these pracny cookies (Czech favs!)
Ingredients
For the filled walnut cookies, prepare:
NUT DOUGH:
- All-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Walnuts; or blanched almonds or hazelnuts. Another option is to use flour made from groundnuts.
- Cocoa powder; dark, Dutch type
BUTTERCREAM FILLING:
- Unsalted butter; softened at room temperature
- Powdered sugar
- Rum; in the US, for example Costco Kirkland spiced rum or Stroh 54
- Walnuts; or hazelnuts, almonds (or nut flour)
Next, take some butter and plain flour to grease the molds.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
Instructions with Photos
STEP 1: Grind the walnuts if you have them whole. Place the ground nuts in a bowl, add the flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and chopped butter.
STEP 2: Work into a smooth dough, wrap in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for at least two hours.
STEP 3: Meanwhile, prepare the molds: grease each with a bit of butter or other fat and dust with flour. Knock off any excess flour.
STEP 4: Take the nut dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the kitchen counter for about 15 minutes. Scoop out equally sized pieces, pressing each into the prepared mold.
Press the dough in the center slightly with your thumb to create a well. This is where the filling comes.
STEP 5: Place the filled molds on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven preheated to 340 °F (170 °C) for 10 minutes.
STEP 6: Allow the baked cookies to almost cool, then gently tap each mold side down on the work surface; the cookie should fall out easily.
STEP 7: Prepare the buttercream for the filling: beat the softened butter with the powdered sugar, add the finely ground nuts and rum.
STEP 8: Fill the cookies with buttercream. You need a round knife or two teaspoons. Finally, cover the filled part with the other cookie.
Storage
After baking, the nut cookies are crispy, but after a few days, they start to soften.
Once filled, place the cookies in a sturdy paper box with a lid. Line the bottom of the box with tin foil and place a napkin on top of the tinfoil. Use the napkins to line the sides of the box as well. Place the nut cookies in the box, cover them with the napkin again, and close the box with the lid.
Store the nut cookies in a cool, dry place where they will keep for up to two weeks.
Walnut Cookie Molds
Special walnut-shaped molds are used to make these cookies. They are made of steel, designed to bake delicious sweets in the oven.
You can buy molds on Amazon; for example, these are suitable: Walnut shaped cookies
Useful Tips
- If you want the cookies to be properly dark, add an extra half tablespoon of cocoa.
- On the contrary, if you prefer light nut cookies, prepare a dark, color-contrasting butter filling cream - in this case, add a tablespoon of dark cocoa to the cream. Do not add any cocoa powder to the dough.
- I always grind my nuts fresh for baking, using a conventional hand grinder.
More Christmas cookies:
Recipe card
Ingredients
Nut dough:
- 1 and ¼ cup (160 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 stick (112 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (50 g) shelled walnuts or ground
- ½ Tbsp dark cocoa powder
Buttercream filling:
- ¾ stick (85 g) unsalted butter softened at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (80 g) powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp golden rum
- ⅓ cup (33 g) shelled walnuts or ground
Miscelaneuos:
- some fat and flour to dust the cookie molds
Instructions
- Grind the walnuts if you have them whole. Place ground nuts in a bowl, add the flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and chopped butter.
- Work into a smooth dough, wrap in food wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for at least two hours.
- Meanwhile, prepare the molds: grease each with a bit of butter or other fat and dust with flour. Knock off any excess flour.
- Take the nut dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the kitchen counter for about 15 minutes. Scoop out equally sized pieces, pressing each into the prepared mold. Press the dough in the center slightly with your thumb to create a well. This is where the filling comes.
- Place the filled molds on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven preheated to 340 °F (170 °C) for 10 minutes.
- Allow the baked cookies to almost cool, then gently tap each mold side down on the work surface; the cookie should fall out easily.
- Prepare the buttercream for the filling: beat the softened butter with the powdered sugar, add the finely ground nuts and rum.
- Fill the cookies with buttercream. You need a round knife or two teaspoons. Finally, cover the filled part with the other cookie.
Notes
- Makes around 35 orechy cookies.
- After baking, these nut cookies are crispy, but after a few days, they start to soften.
- Stored in a cool, dry place, the cookies will last up to 2 weeks.
DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:
Conversion chart
Kathy
I found these molds in a thrift shop and am looking forward to making these cookies. Is it preferred to eat them crispy or soft?
Petra Kupská
Hi Kathy, thank you for your question. The answer is - it depends. Walnut cookies are crispy immediately after baking, but they become softer with time. In the Czech Republic, these cookies are traditionally part of the so-called Christmas cookies (cukroví) that Czechs bake two to three weeks before Christmas. If you want the cookies to be crispy, bake them just before serving. If you want soft cookies, let them sit for about two weeks in an airy box-not an airtight container. The air contains moisture, which makes the cookies nicely soft. Czechs most often store this type of Christmas cookie in paper boxes with lids, lined with paper napkins. They store them in a cool place, such as on a balcony - it is cold in the Czech Republic in December. Important note: Store the cookies without cream. Fill them only a day or two before serving. Fingers crossed, I believe you will love these cookies!