Rich, dark and chewy cookies with enticing notes of roasted hazelnuts and a gorgeous fudgy centre. Perfect for edible Christmas gifts as they look good, taste delicious and keep remarkably well.
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Firming Up Time2 hourshrs
Total Time2 hourshrs57 minutesmins
Course: Afternoon Tea, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: biscuits, chocolate, Christmas, cookies, gift
Roast the hazelnuts at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) on a lipped baking tray for about ten minutes in order to give flavour and loosen their skins. They should be golden, but not in any way burnt.
Rub in a piece of kitchen towel or in a clean tea towel to remove the skins.
Leave to cool, then blitz in a coffee mill or food processor with 30g caster sugar and reduce to a fine (ish) crumb. The sugar helps to stop the ground nuts clumping together.
Cookie Dough
Melt the chocolate in a large bowl placed over a pan of hot, but not boiling water.
Add the butter, leave for a couple of minutes then stir until melted.
Beat in the sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla extract.
Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and mesquite powder, if using.
Add the ground hazelnuts and milk, then stir until combined.
Leave in a cool place to firm up for a couple of hours.
Forming the Cookies
Sift the icing sugar into a flattish bowl.
Wet hands with cold water and roll the cookie mixture into walnut sized balls between the palms of your hands.
Roll the balls in icing sugar until thickly coated and place well apart on lined baking trays.
Bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for about 12 minutes until cracked and well risen.
Turn out onto a wire rack to cool and get the next batch on, until the dough is all used up.
Notes
The number of cookies you make will depend on the size you roll them, but they will make approximately 50.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They're approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used.