Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies with Sea Salt

It’s spring break at work this week. Since I was away from work a couple of weeks ago to go to a conference with my husband, I am working this week. It’s good, because I have a lot of work to do with the launch of our new library website. I do have to say, it’s quite strange being at work when it is so quiet, with the students gone. Others in the library are working too, and it’s nice being able to help out when I can.

There are fewer people at work, and I could have picked a recipe with a smaller yield, but that’s a big fail for this recipe! This recipe made about 5 dozen cookies, which is quite a lot. I guess I could have halved the recipe, but I didn’t think about that at the time. The original recipe said it only made about 3 dozen, but with 2-1/2 cups of flour and ¾ cups of cocoa powder, I should have known better.

I love chocolate and hazelnuts, and my husband is always complaining that I never make chocolate chip cookies, so I was hopeful that this recipe would appease him. This is just a chocolate chip cookies recipe with added cocoa powder and hazelnuts and some salt to finish. You do have to be careful that you don’t over bake them; there’s nothing worse than a dry chocolate cookie. I baked mine 11 minutes and they looked gooey when I took them out of the oven, but they are great once they set. I liked these cookies a lot, and the salt adds a lot to these cookies. I think the hazelnut flavor could be stronger, but I really love hazelnuts!

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies with Sea Salt

2-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts

Sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside. In a large mixer bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Stir in the vanilla.

With the mixer running on the lowest speed, gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts.

Shape the dough into 1-1/4” balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand and then sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake cookies for 8-12 minutes, or until cookies are set, but still soft in the center. They may still look wet in the center when you remove them from the oven. Do not over bake, cookies will set as they cool. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod