Wild Hickory Nut Shortbread Cookies Recipe

By
Tama Matsuoka Wong
Tama Matsuoka Wong
Tama Matsuoka Wong is an expert in meadow restoration and wild edibles. She provides wild ingredients to New York City restaurants and has published two cookbooks, focusing on making delicious dishes with weeds, scraps, and wild plants.
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Updated Sep. 28, 2020
Wild Hickory Nut Shortbread Cookies
Crisp short bread cookies made with wild foraged hickory nuts. Yossy Arefi

Wildly nutty and buttery but not overly sweet tasting, these shortbread cookies are based on a recipe from Yossy Arefi.

Note: Pecans can be used in place of the wild hickory nuts.

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Recipe Facts

Active: 30 mins
Total: 0 mins
Serves: 36 servings

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

  • 1/4 teaspoon zest from 1 orange (optional)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 cups (about 10 ounces) all-purpose flour

  • 3/4 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) sifted confectioners' sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/2 cup roughly and finely chopped wild hickory nuts (see note)

Directions

  1. Cream butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at medium-low speed. Alternatively, beat with a wooden spoon in a bowl until creamy and aerated. Add the orange zest and salt. Next add sugar and flour, stirring until just combined. Finally, stir in the nuts. The dough should hold together but still be dry. Form the cookie dough into 2- by 12-inch log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

  2. When ready to bake, adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and preheat oven to 325oF and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the cookie dough into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange on cookie sheets leaving 1-inch between cookies. Bake until the edges are light golden brown, rotating the pans front to back and top to bottom halfway through, 10 to 12 minutes total. Let cool slightly and serve. Fully cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
92 Calories
6g Fat
8g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 36
Amount per serving
Calories 92
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 3g 16%
Cholesterol 14mg 5%
Sodium 33mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 4mg 0%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 16mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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