Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

It could be the chilly season or the fact that we’ve been watching too many baking and patissier shows, but the oven has taken the center-stage in our little kitchen chez nous lately. This time, we got cookies popping out of the oven.

I have a sweet tooth, and as much as I would like to be a responsible adult and keep my sweets intake to a minimum, there are days when I give in to the mercy of my craving. Very few days in my opinion. But they do happen. Fortunately, this cookie recipe makes all the guilt worth it – well, also because there wasn’t much of a guilt (at least that’s what I tell myself). This recipe was inspired by a cookie recipe from Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebook. I love this cookbook! I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it “healthier,” but I’ll let you be the judge on that.

We love chocolates (how could you not in this country, right?!), but we do not necessarily crave for chocolate-flavoured desserts chez nous. I guess we tend to side with the purists on cacao matters. But for variety’s sake, I opted for chocolate cookies this time. To my surprise, these chocolate hazelnut cookies turned out to be a total hit! They were so addicting with its chewy and crunchy combination and its gorgeous choco-hazelnut blend. And seriously, it seemed to have gotten even better in texture the longer we kept them. Not that I would expect you to keep them long enough. Did I say they were so good and addicting?!

Ok, time to put your baking face on. These cookies would make for yummy holiday presents, so c’mon, bake away!

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
(makes 16 pieces)

100g olive oil
120g coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
100g plain flour
2 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder (preferably the unsweetened version)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
2 tbsp crushed hazelnuts/almond mill
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup hazelnuts, roasted and halved/chopped

Beat together the olive oil, sugar and sea salt in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, sift and mix together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add the egg. Add in the crushed hazelnuts/almond mill, and mix together. Pour the olive oil and sugar mixture, and continue mixing until ingredients are well-incorporated.

Pour the ingredients in a small baking dish, and cover with cling film. Place it in the freezer for 30-45 minutes until they are firm enough to cut into 16 squares. You can also lay out a cling film on the surface of your baking dish before pouring in the cookie mixture. This will make it easier to remove the cookie dough when cutting if you do not want to cut it inside the dish.

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line your baking trays with baking paper, and start placing your cookie dough squares leaving 3-4cm between them. Lightly press down the chocolate chips and halved/chopped hazelnuts unto your cookie dough. Bake for 12-14 minutes. They will still be a bit soft in the middle, but that’s what you’re looking for. It gets crispier when it cools down.

Leave the cookies to cool on the baking trays for 10 minutes.

After that point, you’re pretty much free to munch on these chocolate-hazelnut pieces of heaven. Enjoy! ✌︎