Home bakers across the country have discovered a pretty genius little hack to make store-bought cookie dough taste more homemade and bakery-worthy. And it is simple: Roll your cookies in chopped nuts before baking.
This trick is so good because when nuts toast in the oven, not only do they become incredibly decadent, with their rich and roasted flavor that balances out the dough’s sweetness, but the contrast between crisp, sweet, and toasty exterior with soft cookie interior works so well. For best results, we suggest you chop the nuts up but make sure to leave them chunky enough to coat the cookie substantially.
And timing definitely matters here. Instead of mixing nuts into the dough, which could soften its texture, roll the formed cookie balls directly into a shallow dish of chopped nuts just before baking. This is what will create that perfect crispy and nutter exterior without changing the cookie’s delicious soft center.
More tips to amp up store-bought dough with nuts
Choosing the right nut is key here. Pecans would work well with the natural sweetness and distinctive flavor, just make sure you know how long to oven-roast pecans for toasty perfection. Walnuts, on the other hand, could bring a slightly more bitter note, while pistachios are a good idea to add some color and butteriness to the cookies, and almonds have a bit more of a milder nuttiness. You can also use this opportunity to combine different cookie nut variations, such as a pecan-walnut or a pistachio-almond combo. If you want to intensify their flavor, lightly toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat before you chop them, and then let them cool thoroughly prior to rolling your dough in them. And if you’re tight on time, your microwave might be the secret to perfectly roasted nuts.
The nut technique works well with classic sugar cookie dough, but once you’ve mastered that, you may want to move on to other types of cookie dough, including chocolate chip and peanut butter which would taste fantastic with a nutter exterior. We only recommend that you be cautious with nuts with high oil content, like macadamias, when using this method, as this could affect how the cookies spread.
Then, finally, for an extra touch, press a few whole nuts into the tops of cookies right after baking while they’re still warm and pliable, which will adorn the cookie while alerting guests with allergies as to what the cookies contain. So now you have this new cookie upgrade, it’s time to go nuts.
