Rose Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe on Food52 (2024)

I’ve always thought that adding anything but chocolate to cookies was sacrilegious, but then I made these and that changed. They’re seductive and musky—perfumed, but not overly so. If you aren’t a fan of rose, it can hit you on the nose a bit, so I would recommend using half the amount and going from there. They’re amorous.

Excerpted from WILD SWEETNESS by Thalia Ho. Copyright © 2021 by Thalia Ho. Reprinted courtesy of Harper Design, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

This recipe was featured on our new cook-along podcast Play Me a Recipe. Listen as Thalia melts, scoops, and bakes her way through this recipe, offering tips and backstory along the way. —thalia ho

Directions

1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Put the butter into a medium-size saucepan set over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring often, until melted. Pour into a large bowl then add in the sugars and whisk until combined. Whisk in the egg, followed by the rosewater and vanilla. Tip in the dry ingredients. Beat with a wooden spoon until a soft dough has just begun to form, then mix in the chocolate and walnuts. Cover and chill until firm, 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, set racks in the lower and upper thirds of an oven. Preheat to 350°F (180°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Using a scoop or tablespoon as a measure, portion out evenly sized amounts of the dough. If you’re using a spoon, use your hands to roll them into balls. Divide between the prepared sheets, placing them a few inches apart for spreading. You should be able to fit 8 to 10 per sheet. Sprinkle with a little fleur de sel. You can set leftover dough balls aside to be baked off later, or, store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Allow to stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before baking from frozen.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets between the upper and lower thirds of the oven halfway through, until golden, the edges crisp, but the centers still soft. Let the cookies stand on the sheets for a few minutes, before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool further, before serving.