Ask any French person what “cookie” means to them. It is nothing other than a round, chewy, chocolate chip-studded package of Pepperidge Farm. I know for a fact. That was my cookbook editor’s reference point for a “real cookie”. Thanks again globalization! Whatever may count as a Christmas cookie, I still hang onto my tradition of giving something sweet and homemade to my nearest. The latest to make its way onto my roster is my Hazelnut & Nutella thumbprint cookies. Their form is classically American, but the flavor is heavy on hazlenuts with the added allure of Nutella. I know it’s the devil, but for me it still represents the matinal promise of European indulgence. So whether they get the French pass as being a cookie or not, they will add a little euro appeal to any cookie plate. Happy baking!
Hazelnut & Nutella thumbprints
for 20 à 22 cookies
Preheat oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, hazelnut powder, hazlenuts, baking powder and salt until the hazelnuts are finely chopped. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar 5 minutes until light and pale in color. Add the egg, vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture little by little, mixing until just incorporated. Form the dough into 4 cm balls and roll in the canne sugar until completely coated. Place the balls on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Push a thumb into the cookies to create a hole. Bake the cookies 14-18 minutes until firm and lightly golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Fill each cookie with a teaspoon of Nutella®.
Ingrédients
190 g all-purpose flour
125 g hazelnut flour
100 g toasted hazlenuts
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
220 g unsalted butter, room temperature
70 g sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
60 g coarse canne sugar
200 g de Nutella®
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Noisettes & Nutella® thumbprints
pour 20 à 22 cookies
Préchauffez le four à 175 °C. Dans le bol d’un robot, mixez la farine, la poudre de noisettes, les noisettes, la levure et le sel en un mélange homogène avec de petits éclats de noisette. Dans un saladier, battez le beurre et le sucre 5 minutes en un mélange mousseux. Ajoutez l’œuf et la vanille. Incorporez la farine aux noisettes puis mélangez jusqu’à l’obtention d’une pâte homogène. Formez des boulettes de pâte de 4 cm de diamètre puis roulez-les dans la cassonade. Déposez-les sur une plaque recouverte de papier sulfurisé. À l’aide du pouce, faites un trou profond dans chaque boulette. Faites cuire 14 à 18 minutes jusqu’à ce que les cookies soient fermes et légèrement dorés. Laissez-les refroidir sur une grille. À l’aide d’une petite cuillère, remplissez chaque cookie avec le Nutella®.
Ingrédients
190 g de farine
125 g de poudre de noisettes
100 g de noisettes entières, torréfiées
1 cuillerée à café de levure chimique
½ cuillerée à café de sel
220 g de beurre à température ambiante
70 g de sucre
1 œuf
1 cuillerée à café de vanille
60 g de cassonade
200 g de Nutella®
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