Valentina Ablaev
These walnut shaped cookies are THE holiday cookie! A delicious butter cookie loaded with a homemade dulce de leche filling. These Ukrainian cookies are tender and melt in your mouth. They have the best flavor, but nothing beats that rich, gooey filling. These are a dessert that will impress everyone.
Dulce de leche is the star of the holidays; from a dulce de leche-filled cake to our dulce de leche-filled tartes, you can’t go wrong!
These walnut cookies, also known as gorishki or oreshki, are always a treat and fun to make for all special occasions! All it takes is a simple cookie dough and a walnut cookie mold. Each cookie is shaped and then baked to a toasty finish. The filling is a classic dulce de leche cream, making the perfect dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you’re familiar with these cookies, you will know they always go quickly at gatherings and parties. You won’t be able to resist once you learn how to make these from scratch. Thanks to a walnut cookie mold, you can quickly make many of these oreshki! These walnut cookies are the perfect dessert to bring to any gathering.
The best part – these can be made several days in advance and taste great.
Ingredients for Walnut Cookies
Dough –
- Butter – room temperature butter gives this cookie dough the best texture and flavor.
- Egg – helps to bind the dough together.
- Sugar – sweetens the dough lightly.
- Mayo – I know it sounds weird, but mayo is mostly eggs and oil and is the perfect binder for the dough.
- Vanilla – gives the dough a great flavor.
- Baking soda – key to that crisp texture.
- Vinegar – reacts with the baking soda to give this dough an airy texture.
- Flour – all-purpose flour, sifted to prevent any clumps.
Filling –
- Dulce de leche – our homemade dulce de leche makes the perfect filing. Sweetened condensed milk is cooked to a rich and buttery sauce.
- Butter – helps to make the dulce de leche silky and smooth.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Walnut Cookies From Scratch
- Add two sticks of butter, egg, sugar, mayo, and vanilla to a stand mixer and beat until incorporated. Separately combine the baking soda and vinegar and add to the mixer.
2. Turn the mixer down to low speed and slowly add the flour. Beat until completely incorporated.
3. Add 2 tsp of the dough to the center of each mold. Using your fingers, form an even layer of dough around the walnut mold. Use a knife to clean up the extra dough outside of the mold.
4. Add the mold to the oven and bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. While the cookies are still warm, gently tap them out of the mold.
5. In a large bowl, beat the butter and dulce de leche on high speed for 2 minutes.
6. Add cream to each half of the cookies. Don’t overfill the cookies or the cream will ooze out.
7. Close the cookies and scrape off any excess. Add the cookies to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to allow them to set, or keep at room temp.
Expert Tips:
- Level up your cookies: To take your cookies to the next level, add crushed walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans to the filling. This will give your cookies an extra flavor but also an unbeatable crunch.
- Dip in chocolate: You can also dip half the cookie in melted chocolate for added flavor and appeal.
- Powdered sugar: Dust the cookies with powdered sugar for that winter feel.
Recipe FAQs
We love our single walnut cookie molds to give these cookies that classic walnut shape.
When the oreshki cookies are fully baked, they should easily pop out of the mold.
Yes, you can use storebought dulce de leche.
Storing Leftovers
- Storage. Store the leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for the best texture and flavor. They will taste great for up to a week!
- Freeze. Store the cookies for longer by keeping them in the freezer. Keep for up to 3 months.
More Cookie Recipes
If you enjoyed this walnut cookie recipe, be sure to try our other popular cookie recipes; here are some of our favorites:
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookie Recipe
- Easy Butter Cookie Recipe
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bar Recipe
- Snowball Cookie Recipe
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Walnut Shaped Cookies (Oreshki)
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies –
- 16 Tbsp unsalted butter room temp (2 sticks)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp vinegar
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour measured then sifted
Filling –
- 1 (14 oz) can dulce de leche
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter room temp
Instructions
- To a stand mixer, add butter, egg, sugar, mayo, and vanilla and beat until incorporated.
- In a small bowl combine the baking soda and vinegar and add that to the mixer as it’s mixing.
- Turn the mixer down to low speed and add half of the flour. Once almost incorporated, add the rest of the flour.
Bake Cookies –
- Take 2 tsp of the dough and add it to the center of the cookie mold. Use your finger to press the dough around gently to create an even layer of dough.
- Clean off any extra dough outside of the mold.
- Add the mold to the oven and bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, until golden.
Filling –
- Beat the butter and dulce de leche and high speed for two minutes. Refrigerate until needed.
Assembly –
- While the cookies are still warm, gently tap them out of the mold. Set aside to cool completely.
- Add about 1 tsp of filling to each shell and close two shelves (both filled). Don't overfill the center or the filling will ooze out.
- Add the nuts to an airtight container and refrigerate overnight to allow them to set.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Level up your cookies: To take your cookies to the next level, add crushed walnuts to the filling. This will give your cookies an extra flavor but also an unbeatable crunch.
- Storage. Store the leftover cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for the best texture and flavor. They will taste great for up to a week!
- Freeze. Store the cookies for longer by keeping them in the freezer. Keep for up to 3 months.
