If you're looking for a holiday gift for a baker, maybe the baker is you(!),
I'm here to recommend the Zoë Bakes Cookies
cookbook!
You probably know Zoë. She has a website, a cooking show, and maybe you have her cake cookbook. Incredible baker, the best hair, infectious smile. She makes you
want to get to creating in the kitchen!
Today, I'm sharing her cookbook and recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut
Cookies.
As soon as I saw the
book's cover,
I knew I had to buy it. That cookie!!! The rest of the book lives up to that
perfect cookie on the cover.
The beginning of the book is chock full of helpful baking tips—like, really helpful. Zoë calls it Cookie Academy. You'll find all the info on mixing, ingredient
temperature, oven rack placement, ingredients, storage, etc. What I really love is the visual
comparison of using different amounts of flour, butter, sugar, egg, baking
soda, etc. It's super helpful.
Each recipe in the book has a sidebar with reference pages to the Cookie
Academy that apply to that recipe. So great!
The recipes. Oh, the recipes. So far, I've made the Chocolate Peanut
Butter Bars and the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies (recipe below). Both completely
delish.
Here's a sampling of the recipes you'll find:
- rhubarb blondies
- black & white cookies
- smash cookies
- cherry gooey butter bars
- spelt sugar cookies
- bourbon biscoff brownies
- gingersnaps
- honey tuile
- rye-white chocolate macadamia nut cookie
- miso caramel chocolate bars
- ...and Zoë's perfect chocolate chip cookies
Let's make Zoë's Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies.
This recipe calls for both hazelnut flour (or meal) and Nutella (chocolate
hazelnut spread). Since I couldn't easily find hazelnut flour, I followed Zoë's instructions for making it, using
Trader Joe's roasted hazelnuts.
Zoë also offers a variation of this recipe made with pistachios and tahini,
which sounds incredible!
Zoë's Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
YIELD: 20-24 cookies
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
REST TIME: 30 minutes
BAKE TIME: 12-15 minutes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup hazelnut flour or meal*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons Nutella, divided
1 1/2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
12 ounces bittersweet, semisweet, or milk chocolate, chopped (I used chips)**
*To make the hazelnut flour: in a food processor, pulse together 3/4 cup light
toasted hazelnuts (like
these from Trader Joe's) and 1/4 cup of the
all-purpose flour
called for in the recipe until the nuts are very
finely ground and the consistency of cornmeal.
**(Hi, it's Bridget.) For the chocolate, I used a mix of chips. I also
reserved a handful and pressed them into the tops of the cookies right out of
the oven for appearance's sake. :)
In a small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and hazelnut flours, the
baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, 1
tablespoon of Nutella, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until creamy,
about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until incorporated. Add
the flour mixture all at once and mix just until incorporated. Mix in the
chocolate. You may need to give the bowl a couple of swipes to make sure the
chocolate is evenly distributed.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt the remaining Nutella on low
power in the microwave.
Just before scooping, drizzle melted Nutella over the batter. (I did this a
bit as a time as I scooped into the dough). Scoop the cookie dough using a #16
cookie scoop or a 1/4 cup portion onto the prepared baking sheet. You can make
the cookies larger or smaller, but it will affect the baking time.
Refrigerate dough balls for at least 30 minutes; if you have time, they
improve if you let them chill for 24 to 36 hours. After they are chilled, you
can bake or freeze them for later.
Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Evenly space 6 cookie balls on each sheet and sprinkle each one with flaky sea
salt. Bake, one sheet at a time, in the middle of the oven for 12 to 15
minutes, until golden brown on the bottom and just set on top.
If desired, place a couple of chocolate chips directly into each cookie
immediately after removing from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the
baking sheets, then move to cooling racks.
