Honey Walnut Delights

Third week of Advent, the week of joy. I have been baking for two weeks now—the fruitcake sitting in its bourbon, the pound cake made Tuesday, the spice cake made yesterday, the divinity made in the dry window between Monday's rain and Thursday's forecast—and the house smells like all the best things December can produce. Calvin walks through the kitchen slowly, the way he does when the smells are good, taking his time, not going straight from one room to the other but lingering in the kitchen's warmth the way a cold person lingers near a fire.

CJ called about Christmas. He is coming Christmas Day—he was going to try to arrive Christmas Eve but there is something with work, a project deadline, and he may not get here until late Christmas afternoon, which means he might miss the morning cooking and I said, "Baby, come when you can, the food will be here," because it will be. The food is always there. The food waits.

I drove to Bessemer to see Mama and Daddy on Saturday. Mama was having a harder day—the aide said she'd been agitated the night before and was tired—and she slept most of my visit, which meant I sat beside her bed and talked to her anyway, because I have learned that hearing goes last. I told her about the fifty birthday coming. I told her about Travis and how he peeled sweet potatoes and how he said "What can I do?" I told her the cooking classes were up to thirteen students and that Bernice's Table was now serving forty-five people a week. I told her she would be proud. She slept through all of it. But she was breathing, and she was there, and she smelled like herself, like Mama, and I held her hand and talked and the hour passed and it was enough. It has to be enough. This is what is given.

Every year the Advent baking table fills up the same way—the big things first, the fruitcake and the pound cake, and then the smaller things come after, the ones that fill in the gaps between the anchors. These Honey Walnut Delights are a gap-filler in the best sense: quick to make in a dry window between rain forecasts, easy to wrap up for CJ when he arrives Christmas afternoon, sweet enough to set beside Mama’s bed on a better day. They are the kind of thing you make because the house is already warm and you have one more hour and the hands want to keep working. That is enough reason. That has always been enough reason.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 pieces

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup honey
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped walnuts, divided
2 tablespoons honey, for drizzling

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them.
Cream butter and honey. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1/3 cup honey together until light and well combined, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until a soft dough forms.
Fold in walnuts. Stir 3/4 cup of the chopped walnuts into the dough, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup for topping.
Portion and top. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Press gently to flatten slightly. Sprinkle the reserved walnuts over the tops of each cookie and press lightly so they adhere.
Bake. Bake for 10—12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set. Do not overbake—they firm up as they cool.
Drizzle and cool. Remove from oven and let cool on the pan for 5 minutes. While still warm, drizzle lightly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of honey. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition (per serving)

Honey Walnut Delights — The Sweet Things We Make While We Wait