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Biscottini da Te’ al Cacao e Nocciole
Italy’s Langhe region, in the heart of Piedmont, produces some of the finest wines in the world. However, to many foodies, Langhe is first and foremost synonymous with nutty and chocolaty treats. The local hazelnut, “Tonda Gentile”, is in fact considered the highest-quality hazelnut in the world, and the jewel of the Italian production. Even the famous food writer David Lebovitz writes, “I do not like to speak in superlatives, so when I say that the hazelnuts from Piedmont are really the best I’ve ever tasted—believe it”.
The pure, fresh air of these vine-covered hillsides does seem to work some kind of magic on both the flavor and texture of the nut. And magic it could well be: the Langhe hills, topped by medieval churches and often wrapped in a mysterious fog, which fades the natural colors into soft purples and muted greens, inspired in the past many superstitions about witches’ gatherings! Of course, after the Piedmontese confectioners came up with Torrone (Italian honey nougat) and then with Gianduja (chocolate with hazelnut paste) , everybody figured out that those mysterious witches they feared must in fact be good fairies.
My personal Langhe fairy was my mother’s friend Matilde. Matilde, an elderly Piedmontese piano teacher with a formidable gift for baking, was solely responsible for turning my sugar-hating self (I did not eat dessert until age 10) into the cookie monster, and all with this easy recipe below.
Ingredients
- 1 and ¼ cups flour (plus more for dusting)
- 1 and ¼ cups powdered sugar
- ½ lb blanched (peeled) hazelnuts
- 1 cup (or 2 sticks) butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 4 yolks
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
- salt
Directions
Grind the hazelnuts in your food processor with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the confectioner’s sugar (taken from the total. The sugar absorbs the nut oil so that you don’t end up with marzipan). Sift the flour with the cocoa, and combine it with the butter – either in a stand mixer or using ice-cold hands (keep a bowl of ice nearby).
Add the ground hazelnuts, the rest of the sugar (but reserve 2 tbsps for decorating), the yolks, and a large pinch of salt, and knead into a ball. Wrap in plastic and place into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes .
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Using a cold, flour-dusted rolling pin, roll the dough on a floured surface (even better: roll between two sheets of parchment or wax paper*). When it’s about 1/3” thick, cut it into discs using a cookie cutter. Arrange the cookies about 1” apart from one another on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.
And bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. Allow to cool and dust with the remaining confectioner’s sugar. Serve with a hot pot of black tea!
TIPS FOR ROLLING OUT A STICKY DOUGH:
• If the dough is very sticky, dust its surface with flour before placing it between the two sheets of parchment or wax paper.
• Lift the sheets out and put them back on several time, to prevent them from sticking to the dough and creating creases.
• Turn the dough over several times, so that it is rolled out evenly
https://dinnerinvenice.com/2013/01/31/hazelnut-cocoa-tea-cookies/A FEW MORE IDEAS FOR COOKIES BY SOME OF MY FAVORITE BLOGGERS:
Brutti ma Buoni by AglioOlio&Peperoncino
Nutella Cookies by SundayAtTheGiacomettis
Amazing Sugar Cookies by CouldntBeParve
Margarita Cookies by SmittenKitchen
I love the combo of hazelnuts and chocolate, would love to try them in these cookies.
remind me of ferrero rochers!
Chocolaty treats and fine wine… I got to book a flight to Italy!
They look delicious and I love chocolate and hazelnut together!
hazelnuts are great with chocolate or coffee. good stuff
I’m not much of a baker, but I bet I could handle this. I love hazelnuts so I bet I’d love this cookies.
These look so good I am making them today for my brother’s Superbowl get together. They’ll be great after lox and bagels! These are almost like Nutella cookies. Delicious.
Chocolate and hazelnuts are one of the best combinations. These cookies sound fantastic!
You’re so impressive! Every time!
Yum, chocolate and hazelnuts are delish! You are on to something here! Gorgeous pictures too!
I love shortbread cookies and hazelnut and chocolate cookies…this is a fantastic combo 🙂 I would totally eat these with my tea any day!
Yes indeed, the very finest hazelnuts in the world. These cookies sound wonderful, and they are simple to make. I bet they would be a great addition to a tray of holiday cookies.
Once again, your post makes me want to book tickets to Italy and bask in the Italian sunlight while sipping espresso and nibbling whatever delicious creation you’ve cooked up.
These cookies sound heavenly! Must try your recipe soon.
I want those cookies!