Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
I was recently sent an image of some Byron Bay cookies and asked if I could make something similar. I don’t remember ever trying them, but was told they were crunchy at first, then soft and delicate to chew. These Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies might be pretty close.
I love a challenge; these were fun to develop. If you’ve done my Thermomix cookie course, you’ll know all about inclusions, so why not make them these cookies your own too.
This is what you should chop your chocolate like. It could be dark, milk or white but make sure it’s bake stable, not couverture. The chunks are nicer that way.
You’ll want to make sure you get as much skin off your hazelnuts, assuming you haven’t grabbed skinned ones. Toast in a 180°C (350°F) oven, 5 minutes works well for me. Don’t allow them to burn, and pull them out as soon as the skins start to split. Allow to cool then rub off the skins with paper towel. I don’t use a tea towel because the skins stain the fabric.
Pop them on a flat tray, preferably with no sides and bake until they’re golden. This will ensure they’re crunchy.
I put 6 on each tray but I probably could have added more. They didn’t spread because they were chilled well.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies (Byron Bay look-alike)
5 stars tells us you love the recipe
becs-table.com.auEquipment
- 1 Thermomix or Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour all-purpose
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 100 g brown sugar
- 180 g butter unsalted cold cubes
- 1 large egg
- 150 g chopped chocolate I used bake stable chocolate
- 100 g toasted skinned and chopped hazelnuts *See tips
Instructions
Thermomix Method:
- Weigh the flour, baking powder and brown sugar into the TM bowl MC in, blitz 5 sec/speed 7 to combine and break up any brown sugar lumps you may have.
- Weigh in the cold cubed butter, mix 10 sec/speed 5.
- Add in the egg and mix 5 sec/speed 5.
- Weigh chopped chocolate and nuts and mix for 5 sec/reverse/speed 5. Lift and scrape down and repeat 5 sec/reverse/speed 5.
- Roll the dough into a large sausage (using clingfilm), at whatever width you want the finished cookies to be. Then set in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour if you’ve made them huge like byron bay cookies or less if you’ve made them smaller.
- Once the cookies have chilled enough, remove them from the fridge. Unwrap and then, using a serrated bread knife, slice to the thickness you desire.
- Set the cookies on a cookies sheet and place them into the fridge to chill. *See tips
- Turn the oven on now and allow it to come to temperature. 170°c fan
- Once the oven is at temperature, remove from the fridge, place them in the oven, bake until golden; Mine took around 15 minutes to cook. If you want them crunchy on the outside cook them until they're golden brown.
Conventional Method:
- Allow the cold cubes of butter to soften for 10 minutes on the bench.
- In the meantime, prepare the remainder of your ingredients. Weigh the flour and baking powder into a bowl, whisk well to combine.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl.
- Weigh chocolate and nuts into a bowl.
- Once the butter is soft, add it and the sugar to a bowl and beat until smooth and fluffy.
- Add in the egg and beat again until combined.
- Now add ½ the flour mix and beat in until you can’t see any more flour, add the remaining flour, and beat until cleared (fully incorporated).
- Stir through the chocolate and nuts.
- Roll the dough into a large sausage (using clingfilm), at whatever width you want the finished cookies to be. Then set in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour (if you’ve made them huge like byron bay cookies or less if you’ve made them smaller)
- Once the cookies have chilled enough, remove the dough from the fridge, Unwrap and then, using a serrated bread knife, slice to the thickness you desire.
- Set the cookies on a cookies sheet and place them into the fridge to chill. *see tips
- Turn the oven on now and allow it to come to temperature. 170°c fan
- Once the oven is at temperature, remove from the fridge, place them in the oven, bake until golden; Mine took around 15 minutes to cook. If you want them crunchy on the outside cook them until they're golden brown.
Notes
- This is a very easy cookie to make as long as you follow the instructions. When you roll your cookie dough into a sausage, make it as fat as you want your cookies to be. This recipe doesn’t spread too much. If you wish to have giant fat cookies like the Byron Bay cookies, then make ‘em big. But you can also roll them out into a thinner sausage if you want smaller cookies. Remember, baking times will depend on the size you’ve made and the thickness you’ve sliced them. Just remember to bake them until golden brown for crunchy cookies.
- Slice them when they’re very cold; it’s easier that way.
- Use a serrated knife or a very sharp blade to keep the edges square if you’re going for the same look. You can always tidy them up a bit once you’ve sliced them.
- These cookies can be baked from frozen; they just take a few minutes longer. I would slice them before freezing though, that will make it much quicker to get them baked off when you’re ready for them.
- Make sure you bake them until they’re golden to ensure they’re crunchie.
- You can purchase pre skinned hazelnuts from most supermarkets these days, so opt for those if you like. I still like to give them 2-3 mins in a hot oven to toast them a bit first, though. Up to you, but I think most nuts taste better when toasted. ? ?
- After cooking the cookies for 15 mins, I turn the oven off and leave them in there for another 10 mins to crisp up (but is very much personal choice).
So delicious and very easy to make!
Thnx Sue