Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Ever since I bought Joanne Chang’s cookbook based on her bakery, Flour, I’ve been obsessed. She is a baking genius - her recipes are so easy to follow and they guarantee success! I decided to make her Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies, but I was kind of skeptical about the hazelnuts part. I’ve never worked with hazelnuts in cookies before, but I obviously love Nutella sooo I thought I’d try baking these cookies.

After I both processed some of the hazelnuts and chopped some of them up, I mixed them into the batter.. tasted it.. and was surprised! I honestly thought it would make the dough taste slightly nutty and grainy, but the hazelnuts gave the dough so much flavor and almost a light hint of chocolate. These cookies are pretty much like your basic, sweet chocolate chip cookie, but with a hint of that delicious Nutella flavor!

Here is the recipe: 
 
3/4 C plus 1 tbl unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 2/3 C granulated sugar
• 2/3 C packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 C blanched whole hazelnuts, toasted
• 1 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 12 oz milk chocolate, chopped
  
  1. Mix together the butter and sugars on medium speed for about 7 minutes with a standing mixer or hand mixer.
  2. Beat in eggs and vanilla on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
  3. In a food processor, pulse 1/2 C of the hazelnuts into a fine powder. Chop the remaining 1 C of hazelnuts. Stir together all the hazelnuts, flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate.
  4. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture and mix until everything is incorporated together.
  5. Next, refrigerate the dough in cling wrap or a airtight container for at least 3 hours. I chose to freeze my dough for about 30-45 minutes, gave me the same results.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and form dough into balls and place on cookie sheets. Flatten each ball slightly with your hand.
  7. Bake for about 20 minutes and let cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then move the cookies to cooling racks. 

Voila! Delicious Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies, by the wonderful Joanne Chang. Hope you guys try this recipe! Enjoy!

xoxo, A