Out of Walnuts, one case
Black walnut substitute in cookies
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use English walnuts, toasted
1 cup for every 1 cup black walnuts
In cookies, replace black walnuts with the same amount of regular (English) walnuts, toasted with their skins on so they taste darker. They are milder and sweeter, so the cookies lose the earthy, bitter edge; ½ teaspoon of black walnut extract in the dough puts most of it back. Pecans and hazelnuts also swap cup for cup.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Toast at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes with the skins on, cool, then chop small, because black walnuts are sold in small, hard pieces.
- Best for —
- drop cookies and chocolate chip cookies
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full walnuts card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of walnuts | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English walnuts, toasteddrop cookies and chocolate chip cookies | 1 cup per 1 cup black walnutsTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | English walnuts + black walnut extractblack walnut cookies, where the flavor is the point | 1 cup English walnuts per 1 cup black walnuts, plus ½ tsp black walnut extract in the doughTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Pecansbutter cookies and sandies | 1 cup per 1 cup black walnutsTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Hazelnutschocolate cookies | 1 cup per 1 cup black walnutsYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
English walnuts, toasted
milder and sweeter; toasting brings some bitterness back
The ordinary supermarket walnut is a different species from the black walnut: softer, oilier and sweeter, without the earthy, winey bitterness. Toasting with the skins on closes part of the gap.
- Best for
- drop cookies and chocolate chip cookies, icebox and butter cookies
- Prep
- Toast at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes with the skins on, cool, then chop small, because black walnuts are sold in small, hard pieces.
- Where it fails
- Cookies named for black walnut, where the nut is the whole flavor. They come out as good walnut cookies, and anyone who knows black walnut will notice.
For a darker flavor, add 1 teaspoon of dark molasses or ¼ teaspoon of instant coffee to the dough.
English walnuts + black walnut extract
close in flavor; the nut pieces are softer
The extract carries the black walnut flavor and the regular walnuts carry the crunch. This is the closest you can get without the nuts themselves.
- Best for
- black walnut cookies, where the flavor is the point
- Prep
- Add the extract along with the vanilla, not in place of it.
- Where it fails
- More is not better: a full teaspoon in a batch can turn soapy and medicinal. It also cannot give the hard bite of a black walnut piece.
Pecans
sweeter and more buttery, with no bitterness
Sweeter and more buttery than any walnut, with a softer crunch. They suit the brown sugar and butter in most cookie doughs.
- Best for
- butter cookies and sandies, chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies
- Prep
- Toast at 350 F until fragrant and chop to the same size as the walnut pieces the recipe expects.
- Where it fails
- There is no bitter edge at all, so an already sweet cookie tastes sweeter still. Wrong when the black walnut bite is what you want.
Hazelnuts
assertive and roasted, but hazelnut, not walnut
A bold, roasted flavor that stands up in a cookie the way black walnut does, though it is a different flavor.
- Best for
- chocolate cookies, brown butter cookies
- Prep
- Toast, rub off the loose skins in a towel, and chop.
- Where it fails
- The cookie tastes of hazelnut and the pieces are harder. Use them when you want a strong nut, not a match.
Questions
5 questionsHow do I make regular walnuts taste more like black walnuts?
Toast them at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes and leave the skins on, since the skins carry the tannic bitterness. Then push the dough darker with 1 teaspoon of dark molasses or ¼ teaspoon of instant coffee. If you have black walnut extract, ½ teaspoon in the dough, alongside the vanilla, does more than either.
Can I use black walnuts in a cookie recipe that calls for regular walnuts?
Yes, but they are much stronger. Start with half the amount in black walnuts and make up the rest with regular walnuts or pecans, then adjust the next batch to taste.
Why do black walnuts taste so different from regular walnuts?
They are different species. English walnuts, the ones in every supermarket, are mild, buttery and slightly sweet. American black walnuts are far more assertive, with an earthy, winey note and real bitterness, which is why the swap changes the cookie and not just the crunch.
Do I need to change the dough or the bake time?
No. Every swap here goes in at the same volume and nothing else in the recipe changes. English walnuts and pecans are softer than black walnuts, so chop them a little smaller than usual and fold them in last so they do not break up.
Are these substitutes safe for a walnut allergy?
No. English walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts are all tree nuts, and black walnut extract can contain walnut. For a nut-free cookie, use toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds in the same amount.