Chocolate Hazelnut Crinkle Biscuits

Total Time: 33 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 18 mins

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 180 g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 3/4 cup icing sugar

Recipe

• 1 put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°f
• 2 toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan in oven until skins split and nuts are pale golden, about 10 minutes. remove from oven (turn oven off), then wrap hazelnuts in a kitchen towel and rub to remove any loose skins. cool nuts completely.
• 3 pulse nuts with granulated sugar in a food processor until finely chopped.
• 4 melt chocolate in top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. remove bowl from heat and set aside.
• 5 sieve flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
• 6 beat butter and brown sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.
• 7 add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in melted chocolate until combined.
• 8 add milk and vanilla, beating to incorporate. reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.
• 9 stir in nut mixture. cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• 10 put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°f line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• 11 sift confectioners sugar into a bowl. halve dough and chill 1 half, wrapped in plastic wrap.
• 12 roll remaining half into 1-inch balls, placing them on a sheet of wax paper as rolled. roll balls, 3 or 4 at a time, in confectioners sugar to coat generously and arrange 2 inches apart on lined baking sheets.
• 13 bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are puffed and cracked and edges feel dry (but centers are still slightly soft), 12 to 18 minutes total.
• 14 transfer cookies (still on parchment) to racks to cool completely.