Stuffed nuts
I started making stuffed nuts one December evening when I already had those small metal molds at home. The shells are quite tricky to make with individual molds. It takes patience, but the result is definitely worth it, especially when you plan to make them for the holidays. For the cream between the nuts, I chose to use walnuts, not just for the taste but also for the texture that fits perfectly.
Quick Info
Total Time: about 2 hours (including cooling)
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Baking Time: 10-15 minutes/batch
Servings: about 40 assembled nuts (80 halves)
Difficulty: medium (requires patience in shaping and hollowing)
Recipe Type: Christmas cookies, holiday dessert
Ingredients
For the nut shells:
2 eggs
12 tablespoons oil
10 tablespoons milk
100 g sugar
1 packet baking ammonia (quenched with lemon juice)
a pinch of salt
vanilla (vanilla sugar or essence)
approximately 600 g flour
For the cream:
200 g butter
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 tablespoons ground walnuts
2 tablespoons plum jam
breadcrumbs from the hollowed nut shells (those that were hollowed out or broken)
1 teaspoon rum
Preparation Method
1. For the shell dough, I beat the eggs with the sugar until they lightened in color.
2. I gradually added the milk and oil, then the salt, ammonia quenched with lemon juice, and vanilla.
3. I added the flour little by little until I obtained a firm dough that can be easily shaped by hand.
4. I placed the dough in the refrigerator for an hour, covered.
5. After it cooled, I portioned the dough into strips and then into small balls about the size of a small nut, just enough to fill each mold without overflowing.
6. I placed each ball in the greased mold, pressing gently with my finger, but I didn’t fill them completely to leave room for rising while baking.
7. I arranged the molds on a tray and baked them at 180°C for 10-15 minutes. They bake quickly, so they need to be monitored to avoid over-browning.
8. While they were still warm, I gently hollowed out the inside of the shells with a small knife or a teaspoon to make room for the cream. The shells can break easily at this step, so do not force it.
9. The breadcrumbs obtained from the previous step (and the broken shells) are saved for the cream.
10. For the cream, I mixed the softened butter with the powdered sugar until it became fluffy.
11. I added the ground walnuts, plum jam, breadcrumbs from the hollowed shells, and rum.
12. The cream should be firm enough but still spreadable.
13. I filled each half shell with cream, then glued two halves together, pressing gently to avoid cream oozing out.
14. I placed the assembled nuts on a platter, covered them, and left them until the next day. During this time, they soften nicely.
15. Before serving, I dusted them with powdered sugar.
Why I make this recipe often
I love it because the stuffed nuts keep very well for a few days and are perfect for a holiday dessert platter. They are compact, easy to transport, and soften if left in the fridge for at least a day. The cream with walnuts and jam gives them a more complex flavor that doesn’t become boring even after several pieces.
Tips and Variations
Tips
Do not fill the molds to the top with dough, as they rise while baking and become harder to hollow out.
The shells should be hollowed out while warm, otherwise, they become too fragile.
If they break, save the pieces for breadcrumbs in the cream.
The shells can be made a day in advance, then filled and assembled the next day.
Substitutions
If you don’t have baking ammonia, it cannot be directly replaced with baking powder in this recipe; the texture will be different.
Rum can be omitted or replaced with rum essence.
You can also use apricot or sour cherry jam, but plum jam gives a more cohesive texture.
Variations
You can add cocoa to the cream for a more intense chocolate flavor.
You can add small chopped raisins to the cream for a different texture.
The assembled nuts can be rolled in ground walnuts, not just powdered sugar.
Serving Ideas
They keep well on platters, especially if covered with foil.
They can be placed in small cupcake liners for cleaner serving at festive meals.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How thin should the nut shells be?
Ideally, they should be thin enough not to be fragile, but not thick – about 2-3 mm. If they are too thick, they won’t soften as well.
2. What do I do if many shells break while hollowing?
Use the obtained breadcrumbs in the cream. If there are too few whole shells, you can make mini sandwich cookies with cream in the middle.
3. Can I bake the shells without special molds?
No, the nut shape is essential for the classic look. There are also double molds that speed up the process, but the result is the same.
4. Can I make the dough a day in advance?
Yes, the dough can be left in the refrigerator overnight, covered.
5. Can the nut shells be frozen?
The shells can be frozen empty, well sealed. I do not recommend freezing with cream, as the texture can be ruined upon thawing.
Nutritional Values
Estimate for one stuffed nut (from this recipe): approximately 75-90 kcal, with 4 g fat, 9 g carbohydrates, and 1-2 g protein. It depends a lot on the size and how much cream you use. They are dense cookies, so do not consume too many at once.
Storage and Reheating
Stuffed nuts keep well for 5-6 days in the fridge, in a closed container. They do not need reheating. The longer they sit, the softer they get, but do not leave them for more than a week, as they can absorb odors from the fridge. They are easy to transport and do not crumble.
Ingredients: For the nut shells we need: 2 eggs, 12 tablespoons oil, 10 tablespoons milk, 100 g sugar, 1 packet of ammonia for baking + lemon juice, salt, vanilla, approximately 600 g flour. For the cream we need: 200 g butter, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons ground walnuts, 2 tablespoons plum jam, breadcrumbs from the nut shells (that we scooped out or that broke), 1 teaspoon rum.
