Chocolate-Filled Hazelnut Cookies
3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skins removed
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup cake flour
1 level tablespoon cocoa powder
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment
paper.
Grind the nuts with confectioners� sugar until powdery (do not make
into a paste).
Blend together the butter, lemon zest, salt, and nut mixture in a
large bowl with a spatula or spoon until creamy. Add the flour and
cocoa powder, stirring until incorporated. Do not overwork the
dough.
Roll level 1/2 teaspoons of dough into tiny balls and arrange 1-inch
apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake 1 sheet at a time until
lightly crisped, about 12 minutes. Slide the parchment paper with
the baked cookies onto a rack to cool.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave.
Spoon a mound, about 1/8 teaspoon, of melted chocolate onto the flat
side of a cookie then top with the flat side of another cookie to
make a "sandwich". Repeat.
Plain cookies can be baked and cooled 1 week ahead and kept at room
temperature in an airtight container. Fill when ready to serve.
30 filled cookies |