Walnuts are one of my least favorite nuts because they are pretty bitter unlike almonds, not very versatile. Search “almond recipes” and search engines will spit out tens of thousands of recipes whereas walnut recipes fail to yield as many. Walnuts are mainly used as an add-on in dishes such as brownies, salads, or crumbles, but if you are sitting at home with a giant 2 lb. bag of walnuts from a wholesaler, scratching your head not knowing what to do with it, you are in the right place because today we are making walnuts the star ingredient in Dolci di Noci. Dolci di Noci is a walnut cookie from Southern Italy that contains no glutinous product. The traditional recipe calls for only 3 ingredients: walnuts, eggs, and lots of sugar, but I have a reduced-sugar alternative recipe that is just as flavorful and ideal for an on-the-go snack.

Additionally, I decorated the cookies with a chocolate dip, an optional step that nonetheless elevates the presentation and flavor of the cookies. Enough with the rambling and on to the recipe….

---

Dolci di Noci

yield: 10-12 cookies (1-1.5 in. diameter)

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 c. coarsely ground walnuts (in food processor)
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 c. chocolate chips for coating (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 355 F and prepare a greased cookie sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients together until a dough-like mixture forms. Dough should be semi-sticky.
3. Lightly wet hands and roll dough into 1-1.5 in. diameter balls. Place on cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10-12 min.
4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 min before eating or for 15-20 min before dipping in chocolate.
5. In a small bowl, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave and dip half of the cookies into the chocolate. Place on a non-stick sheet to cool.

Place cookies in an airtight container and store up to 1 week. Cookies can be eaten cold or microwaved (if it does not have chocolate). These dolci di noci have become a favorite snack or breakfast of mine and are beneficial to health because walnuts decrease gut inflammation, fight against infections, and help lower blood pressure levels. Additionally, the cookies follow ketogenic guidelines for anyone who may be testing the ketogenic diet out.