Chocolate Filled Hazelnut Cookies. Michael Chiarello
Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello
MO-0602
Recipe courtesy of Michael Chiarello

Chocolate-Filled Hazelnut Cookies

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  • Level: Intermediate
  • Total: 54 min
  • Prep: 30 min
  • Cook: 24 min
  • Yield: 30 filled cookies

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Grind the nuts with confectioners' sugar until powdery (do not make into a paste).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave.
  6. 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.
  7. Plain cookies can be baked and cooled 1 week ahead and kept at room temperature in an airtight container. Fill when ready to serve.