The following recipe was developed by Darla Sawnson, pasty chef at Atwater's, a
popular Portland restaurant. The pasty chef likes to "half dip" the cookies in
bittersweet chocolate! The second version, cut thicker into a
shortbread style and dipped in hazelnuts, is also delicious!
My daughter makes these delicious shortbread
cookies every Christmas for our family.
They are easy to make, yet elegant and delicious.
Check out her culinary web site called
Kitchen Slave.
|
Cookie Style |
Shortbread Style |
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cookie sheets,
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Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Recipe Type:
Cookies,
Christmas Cookie,
Chocolate,
Hazelnuts (Filberts),
Rolled & Cutout Cookies
Yields: makes many
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated
sugar
2 tablespoons genuine maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose
flour
1 1/4 cups roasted hazelnuts (filberts), chopped*
4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet
chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon butter or
vegetable shortening
* To roast hazelnuts:
Spread shelled nuts in a shallow pan and roast in a 275 degree F. oven for
approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until skins crack. Remove from heat.
Remove skins by rubbing warm hazelnuts in a towel. Coarsely chop hazelnuts
(do not put in food processor); set aside.
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In a large bowl, lightly beat butter; add sugar
and beat
thoroughly.
In a small bowl, whisk maple syrup and vanilla
extract together; add to
butter mixture, scraping down sides of bowl. Mix in flour just until blended;
add hazelnuts.
Cover
bowl and refrigerate until dough is firm. Remove from refrigerator and roll into logs.
With a sharp knife, cut dough into 1/4-in slices and
place 2-inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. If you desire, roll
dough out on a lightly floured board and use cookie cutters
to cut desires shapes.
Bake for approximately 12 to 15
minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.
Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets.
While
the shortbread cools melt the chocolate and butter or shortening in a
stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir until chocolate is
smooth and completely melted. Remove from heat.
Dip
one side of the cookie into the chocolate; place
back on cookie sheet to harden.
Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
Variation: For a delectable option, change butter measurement to 3/4 cup
and add 1/4 cup Oregon hazelnut butter. This decreases the amount of
saturated fat in the recipe and increases the wonderful flavor of hazelnuts.
