T. and I had a quiet Thanksgiving. Just the two of us this year. Therefore we decided on Salmon instead of Turkey. Neither of us are too keen on turkey as it is; and really why bother with such a large bird when it's just the two of us? The turkey was not at all missed and we think salmon will definitely turn up on our Thanksgiving table in the future.
Our Menu:
Harvest Apple Salad
Brown Sugar Baked Salmon
Gnocchi al Pomodoro
Roasted Brussels sprouts
Kale Bundles stuffed with Duxelle & Brie
For dessert we kept it very simple and baked Emily Luchetti's fun Nutella filled cookies and served them aside deliciously creamy whole raw milk. These Hazelnut Sandwich cookies have now become an irresistible fast favorite.
Buon Appetito & Happy Thanksgiving!
Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Adapted from A Passion For Desserts by Emily Luchetti
Makes about 32 Cookies
2 ounces (1/2 Cup) hazelnuts, toasted & skin removed
1 1/2 Cup AP flour
5 ounces (10 Tablespoon) unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese
2/3 Cup sugar
1 large egg
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 Cup Nutella or your favorite jam, or as needed
In a food processor, finely grind the hazelnuts with 1/2 Cup of the flour.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light in color and smooth, 1 minute with a stand mixer or 2 minutes with a handheld mixer. Add the egg and mix until combined.
On low speed, add the ground hazelnuts, the remaining flour, the salt, and the baking powder and mix until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly sugared work surface, roll the dough into 4 logs, each 8 inches long. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Slice the dough into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart and bake until golden brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
Sandwich 2 cookies together using about 1 teaspoon of Nutella or jam for each.
On my first batch, I divided the dough in half and added about 1/3 Cup of chopped bittersweet chocolate to the dough. The cookies were a bit softer in texture than the straightforward hazelnut type, but equally scrumptious. Either way, if you are anything like the two of us with cookies, there won't be a crumb left.
Hi i know this post is years old but I was googling hazelnut cookies and came across your post.
ReplyDeleteHow do you keep the shape of the cookie? In my attempt they fell flat like other cookies. but your stay raised and kept its shape from your logs.
I greatly appreciate your help
Anna
Hiya Anna, so sorry for my delay! I've been neglecting honey-dumplings for some time and just happened to log in today to find your question here. I hope you check back! Well the key is to have slightly chilled dough when making your logs, so make sure you chill your dough for at least 1 hour after mixing the dough. Secondly, after forming the logs make sure you chill in the fridge for at least 1 more hour. So I have to ask, did you bake your cookies soon after mixing? This would cause them to fall flat. If you followed everything to the T by chilling 2 times...then I suggest popping them in the freezer overnight and and slicing from a frozen log and baking right after slicing, they should surely hold their shape at that point. Good Luck and happy baking! ~V.
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