Chewy chocolate chip walnut cookies made with rich brown sugar, melty chocolate chunks plus chocolate chips, and crunchy walnuts. A bakery-style treat made at home!
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Thick & Chewy Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Warm, bakery-style chocolate chip walnut cookies are always a favorite. This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s famous chocolate chunk cookies, but instead of choosing between chunks or chips, I used both for the ultimate texture.
These bake up crisp at the edges with soft, chewy centers and plenty of nutty crunch. If you love my best chocolate chip cookies recipe, these will be right up your alley, thicker and chewier, though not quite as over-the-top as Levain bakery-style cookies.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Gooey texture: A mix of chocolate chunks and chips means gooey pockets of chocolate throughout and lots of nutty crunch.
- Quick and easy: No chilling required, just mix, scoop, bake and these soft chocolate chip and walnut cookies are ready in about 30 minutes!
Ingredients Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Baking staples: Butter, eggs, flour, baking soda, and salt form the base of the cookies.
- Sugars: Both granulated sugar and brown sugar are used. The brown sugar adds chewiness and a rich caramel flavor, while granulated sugar helps the edges crisp.
- Vanilla extract: This recipe uses 2 full teaspoons, which really boosts the flavor and makes the cookies taste like from a bakery.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips and chunks: The chips add little bursts of chocolate, while the chunks melt into rich streaks of chocolate throughout the cookie.
- Walnuts: Roughly chopped so you get a mix of crunchy pieces in every bite. Swap with pecans or skip if you prefer nut-free.
- Flaked sea salt (optional): A light sprinkle on top before baking enhances all the flavors.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, cream the softened butter with both sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step makes a big difference in creating that chewy texture.
Next, mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir just until combined, overmixing will make the cookies tough.
Stir in the semi-sweet chocolate chips, chunks, and walnuts until they’re evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Use a large cookie scoop to portion the dough (about 6 cookies per sheet). Slightly flatten each mound with damp hands so they bake evenly. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look a little soft.
Let the walnut chocolate chip cookies rest on the pan for about 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack.
Recipe Tips
- These cookies are designed to be thick and chewy without any chilling, but if you want them even thicker, chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking.
- A large cookie scoop (about ¼ cup) gives you those bakery-style cookies with crisp edges and soft centers.
- For a softer, more tender cookie, you can add a teaspoon of cornstarch to the dry ingredients. It’s optional, but some bakers like the way it creates a more delicate texture.
- Pull the cookies from the oven when the centers still look slightly underbaked. They’ll finish setting up on the pan as they cool.
More chocolate chip cookie recipes you’ll love include mini chocolate chip cookies, triple chocolate chip cookies and M&M cookies.
More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 1 cup brown sugar , packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs , room temperature
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups walnuts , roughly chopped
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks
Optional: flaked sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs (one at a time) and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix well.
- Add dry ingredients: Add 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt and mix on low speed, until just barely combined. Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup chocolate chunks, and 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt, if desired.
- Bake cookies: Using a large cookie scoop, drop the cookie dough on the prepare baking sheet. These will be large cookies, so 6 cookies per sheet. Wet your hands with water and flatten the dough down a bit. Bake for 15 minutes. The cookies will look slightly underdone. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Substitutions and Variations
- Brown butter: Swap regular butter for browned butter to give the cookies a deeper, nutty flavor. Just make sure it cools slightly before mixing.
- Nut-free: Skip the walnuts entirely to make these allergy-friendly or swap them with pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts or almonds if you prefer a different nut.
- Crispier cookies : Flatten the dough a bit more before baking and add an extra minute or two in the oven for a crunchier texture.
- Gluten-free: A cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend should work well if you need a gluten-free option.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. While semi-sweet gives the classic flavor, you can use dark chocolate, milk, or even white chocolate chips and chunks depending on your preference.
Yes. The dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, let dough sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes so it’s easier to scoop. Chilled dough makes extra thick chocolate chip walnut cookies.
Keep leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4–5 days. For best texture, place a slice of bread in the container to help keep them soft.
Absolutely. You can freeze the dough or the baked cookies. For dough, scoop into balls and freeze on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes. For baked cookies, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp and enjoy!
