Smoky Hazelnut Cookies

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This article was published 12/12/2016 (3534 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Every year the Free Press offers our readers our 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, which we hope provide some great recipes to try or inspire home bakers to consider a new twist on old holiday favourites.

This year, starting today and running every day, Monday through Saturday, until Dec. 24, we’ll count down toward Christmas with 12 selections from the Washington Post’s annual holiday baked goods guide, which include vegan and gluten-free recipes, as well as some chocolatey classics.

Nutella lovers will appreciate the addition here of Spanish smoked paprika, which makes these cookies just different enough from the now-ubiquitous versions of salted Nutella cookies.

The original recipe makes a batch of 10 rather large cookies; in testing, we liked smaller cookies, and we added salt to the dough and flaky salt for sprinkling on top.

Adapted from My Two Souths: Blending the Flavors of India Into a Southern Kitchen, by Asha Gomez with Martha Hall Foose (Running Press, 2016).

Smoky Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies

25 cookies

Ingredients
250 ml (1 cup or 120 grams) flour
125 ml (1/2 cup or 100 g) granulated sugar
10 ml (2 tsp) sweet Spanish smoked paprika
0.5 ml (1/8 tsp) sea salt
2 large eggs
250 ml (1 cup) Nutella, at room temperature
125 ml (1/2 cup or 2 ounces) hazelnuts, skinned, toasted and coarsely chopped (see note)
15 ml (1 tbsp) confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Steps

Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, 7.5 ml (1 1/2 tsp) of the smoked paprika and the 0.5 ml (1/8 tsp) of sea salt in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs, mixing with a wooden spoon to form a dough. Add the Nutella and hazelnuts, working to form a smooth dough and mixing for no more than 2 minutes.

Divide the dough into 25 equal portions, then use your palms to roll them into balls. Position the balls on the baking sheets at least 5 cm (2 in) apart. Bake one sheet at a time (middle rack) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies have spread and are crisp around the edges, with a few cracks on top.

While the cookies are still warm, sprinkle them with the remaining 2.5 ml (1/2 tsp) of smoked paprika, the confectioners’ sugar and the flaked salt.

NOTE: To skin hazelnuts, bring a few inches of water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add about 5 ml (1 tsp) of baking soda and then the hazelnuts. Boil for several minutes, until the water turns dark brown and the skins begin to easily peel off the nuts. (You can test one by removing it from the pot, running it under cool water and seeing how well the skin slips off.) Drain the water from the nuts and let them cool until you can handle them, then use your fingers to remove the skins. Toast the nuts on a baking sheet in a 175 C (350 F) oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden and fragrant, shaking the pan about halfway through. Cool completely before using.

Nutrition | Per cookie: 120 calories, 2 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 0 g dietary fibre, 11 g sugar

— Washington Post