Mad IFers' Tea Party (Recipe Inside!)

Today is the Mad IFers' Tea Party, hosted by Clare at The Pitter-Patter. Go over to her site to sit and have a cuppa and some treats with us! (Also, happy 30th birthday to my brother, who never got his wish to be older than me, but did grow much taller than me).

In honor of the party, I'm virtually baking a favorite cookie recipe, Honey Walnut Coins. I bake these cookies for Rosh Hashanah, and they are a perfect cookie for fall and go especially well with a good cup of tea or coffee.

Honey Walnut Coins (as adapted from My Mahtha)
Makes 48 cookies -- Pareve or Dairy

2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup honey, plus 1/4 cup (warmed until liquid) for brushing
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. salt

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a food processor, pulse flour, salt and 3/4 cup of the toasted walnuts until finely chopped.

In a mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 more minutes. Beat in 1/3 cup honey. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined (dough will begin to come together). Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours (up to 2 days).

After dough has been chilled for proper time, preheat your oven to 325° F. Let the dough stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Pinch off about 2 teaspoons of dough and roll into a 1-inch ball. Repeat, spacing balls about 1 inch apart on greased or lined baking sheets.

Dip the flat bottom of a glass in flour and use to flatten the cookie balls to 1/2 -inch thick discs. Periodically re-flour the bottom of the glass so that it does not stick to the cookie dough. Press one of the remaining toasted walnut pieces into the center of each cookie.

Bake, rotating sheets about halfway through, until edges are pale golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and brush cookies with warm honey.

Let cool and serve. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Note: I first made these cookies using a mixture of half white and half whole-wheat flour. If you choose to do this (meaning, you didn't do it because you didn't check how much white flour you had on hand when you started baking), I'd increase the amount of honey in the batter a little to keep the dough more fluid and less dense.