Milk Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Sandies

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Serving size:78
Total Time:
Milk Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Sandies

These crisp, buttery cookies are a riff on classic hazelnut sandies; the cookies are doctored with crunchy cocoa nibs and then dipped in luscious milk chocolate.

Ingredients

  • 11/2 cup hazelnuts
  • 3/4 cup cocoa nibs (2 1/2 ounces)
  • 23/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 12 oz high-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped

Directions

  1. In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts and cocoa nibs until coarsely ground. Scrape into a medium bowl and whisk in the flour, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla bean paste at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until incorporated. Scrape the dough onto a work surface and form into a ball. Halve the dough, then shape each half into a 1 1/2 -inch square log and wrap in parchment paper. Freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Working in 2 batches, cut the cookie-dough logs into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange on the prepared sheets at least 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom; rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
  4. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer. Place the milk chocolate in a heatproof small bowl and set it over the saucepan. Stir the chocolate until melted and smooth. Remove the saucepan from the heat; leave the bowl of chocolate on top. Dip 1 corner of each cookie in the chocolate to coat halfway, letting the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Transfer the cookies to parchment paper-lined baking sheets and refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 20 minutes.

Make Ahead: The chocolate-dipped cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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Recipe Credit: Sarah Hart
Image Credit: Rick Poon