Choc Hazelnut Cookies
These choc hazelnut cookies have a great caramel nutty flavour, with the addition of brown butter and toasted hazelnuts. Sprinkling with sea salt also adds to their piquancy!
180g butter
50g hazelnuts
150g sugar
100g brown sugar
425g plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1½ teaspoons sea salt
2 free-range eggs
200g dark chocolate
Put the butter in a saucepan on a medium heat on the stovetop. Once melted it will begin to foam and bubble. Keep stirring for several minutes until the butter turns a deep golden brown. Remove from the heat immediately and put in the fridge to cool and solidify.
Scatter the hazelnuts in a non stick frying pan over a medium heat and dry fry for a couple of minutes until they’re toasty. Remove from the heat, cool, and chop roughly.
Put the brown butter, sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed and cream well.
Sift the flour, 1/2 teaspoon of the sea salt, baking powder and bicarb soda.
Add the eggs to the bowl with a tablespoon of the flour mixture and beat to incorporate. Add the rest of the flour mixture on low speed and mix. Fold in the chopped hazelnuts and chocolate pieces.
Roll the mixture into balls. You should get 10 or 12. Place on 2 baking trays lined with baking paper. Make sure there is enough space between each cookie because they will spread once you cook them. Put in the fridge for 3 hours or more to harden. At this stage you could freeze the mixture as well to bake later.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C fan. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the cookies are puffed and brown.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining sea salt while the cookies are still hot.
After 10 minutes, remove the cookies to cool on a wire rack.
If you’re a salt nut, you could even add an extra sprinkling of sea salt!