Thursday, January 01, 2009
Hazelnut Espresso Cookies
From Everyday Food Magazine2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
3 T instant espresso powder
2 cups (10 oz) hazelnuts (skins removed), coarsely chopped*
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
3. With an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in espresso powder.
4. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, stir in hazelnuts.
5. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto three baking sheets, 1-1/2 inches apart. Bake, first two sheets together, until golden about 12 minutes. Rotating sheets halfway through. Repeat with remaining sheet. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes.
6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
*Preheat oven to 275 degrees, to remove skins, place raw, shelled hazelnut in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, bake until skins crack, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and roll up. Let steam 5 minutes. Rub the nuts in the towel between your hands until most of the skins have come off.
This cookie had a stronger hazelnut taste rather than espresso. I'd like to try it again with chocolate chips instead of the nuts and maybe baking it for 10 minutes instead of 12 for a softer texture.