Made with two light bite-size hazelnut cookies joined with dark chocolate, this traditional recipe is from the northwest region of Italy.Based on a recipe from Natasha's Kitchen recipe blog, December 4, 2018.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
chilling time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Course: Desserts - Cookies
Servings: 40cookies
Author: Catherine Christiano
Ingredients
Cookies
2cupshazelnutsroasted and skinned
1cupunbleached flour
2/3cupgranulated sugar
1/4cupcornstarch
1/4teaspoonsalt
10tablespoonsunsalted buttercold, cut into small pieces
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
Chocolate Filling
1cupsemi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Roast and Peel Hazelnuts
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread nuts in single layer on pan. Bake 10 - 15 minutes, tossing frequently. Remove before they start to brown.
To peel, allow to cool completely. Transfer nuts to ziplock bag and rub from outside. Shake bag until skins fall to bottom.
Place nuts in food processor and pulse until the consistency of flour with small pieces.
Cookies
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In large bowl of stand mixer whisk together ground hazelnuts, flour, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add cold butter pieces and vanilla; mix until butter pieces are no longer visible and a dough forms.
Use a small melon baller or ice cream scoop to form 2 teaspoon size balls. Arrange on baking sheet 1 1/2" apart. Press the top of each ball to flatten. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
15 minutes before chilling time is up, place oven rack in center and preheat to 325°F.
Bake cookies 17 - 18 minutes, until just beginning to brown on top. Remove cookies to racks to cool completely.
Assembling
In top of double boiler over hot but not boiling water, melt chocolate chips.
Spread approximately 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate on flat bottom of one cookie. Top with a second cookie. Allow to cool approximately 30 minutes to set.
Notes
The same amount of hazelnut or almond flour (240 g) may be substituted for the hazelnuts.