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    Home » Czech Christmas Cookies

    Walnut Shaped Cookies (Orechy)

    Published: Nov 17, 2021 · Modified: Jan 1, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    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.

    Walnut shaped cookies, Czech Orechy Christmas cookies.
    Table of Contents hide
    Ingredients
    Instructions with Photos
    Storage
    Walnut Cookie Molds
    Useful Tips
    Walnut shaped cookies

    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:

    Walnut shaped cookies ingredients
    • 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:

    Nut buttercream filling for cookies.
    • 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.

    Making nut cookie dough in a bowl.

    STEP 2: Work into a smooth dough, wrap in plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for at least two hours.

    Nut cookie dough.

    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.

    Wallnut shaped molds, preparing for baking.

    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.

    Pressing the dough into cookie molds.

    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.

    Baked nut cookies in steel molds.

    STEP 7: Prepare the buttercream for the filling: beat the softened butter with the powdered sugar, add the finely ground nuts and rum.

    Making buttercream filling.

    STEP 8: Fill the cookies with buttercream. You need a round knife or two teaspoons. Finally, cover the filled part with the other cookie.

    Filling nut cookies.

    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.

    Buttercream filled nut cookies.

    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:

    • Linzer cookies
    • Vanilla crescents
    • No-bake beehives
    • Easy coconut balls

    Recipe card

    Walnut shaped cookies recipe.

    Walnut shaped cookies

    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.
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Resting Time: 2 hours
    Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
    Servings: 35 cookies
    Calories: 185kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: cookies
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: Czech Christmas

    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

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 185kcal
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    More Czech Christmas Cookies (Cukroví)

    • Heavy Cream Cookies (Czech Slehackove cukrovi)
    • Crispy Hollow Cookies (Czech Krehulky)
    • No-bake Mushroom Cookies
    • Spiced Wine (Czech Svařák)

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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