Hazelnut and Chocolate Cookies – Transporting to the childhood with these beyond delicious cookies featuring nuts and chocolate. With a little bit added liqueur to the batter, a half of hazelnut placed in the middle of the cookie and design made of chocolate on top.
– 2 cups flour
– 1 tsp baking powder
– 2 sticks butter (unsalted) – room temp.
– 2/3 cup granulated sugar
– 1 tsp of vanilla extract
– Pinch salt
– 2 egg yolks
– 1 Tbsp Grand Mariner liqueur
– 2 cups hazelnuts, divided (grind some and slice in half some)
– Chocolate (to melt)
– 1 Tbsp butter
In mixing bowl sift: 2 cups flour and 1 tsp baking powder.
In the mixer with paddle attachment: cream 2 sticks butter (thinly slice 2 sticks of butter if butter semi-cold). Once creamy, slowly add 2/3 cups of sugar (mix until creamy); then add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and pinch of salt. While mixing on small speed, add 2 egg yolks, then 1 Tbsp Grand Mariner liqueur and then 1 ½ cup of grinded hazelnuts. Lastly add flour mixture. Mix the dough only until combined, take it out of the mixer and knead it with hands to form a disc, cover in foil and put it in fridge for min. 2 hours.
Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.
Take dough out from fridge and let it sit out in room temp.
Spread dough on board (knead to make sure there are no air packets) and form a sausage shape rolls and slice it {round or square shape (it will stay the shape you make); don’t cut too flat because cookies will dry out as they bake}
Place sliced hazelnuts in the middle of the cookie
Place cookies apart to let them grow
Put it in fridge for 15-20 min.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bake it for 12 min (until almost baked)
Leave it on rack to cool off
Make chocolate:
Place pot with water over heat
Cut chocolate in pieces and place it in the metal mixing bowl over simmering water. Once chocolate almost melted add 1 Tbsp butter to achieve shiny chocolate.
Dip cookies in chocolate (half way, front only) or pipe a design
Lay a tin foil where cookies will rest (after they cool off), and let them rest overnight
Place cookies in fridge
