Hazelnut Praline Cookie Bars Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHUNK HAZELNUT COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• Set an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed quarter-sheet pan with parchment paper and rub with a light coating of butter.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until the cubes have blended together into one large smooth ball. Add the brown and granulated sugars and beat until completely combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. (It should have the texture of wet sand.) Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until well combined. (There might be small pebble-size pieces of butter in the mixture, but that is okay.) Add half of the flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until the mixture just comes together. Do not overmix. Add the hazelnuts and dark chocolate chunks and mix on low speed until just combined.
• Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared sheet pan and use your hands or a rubber spatula to lightly press the dough in an even layer. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the edges are light golden brown and the top is dry to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes. Place the pan on a cooling rack and cool completely. It is okay if the cookie is slightly under-baked when it comes out of the oven; it will continue to cook as it cools. (These bars are best when they are nice and gooey in the middle, so it is better to err on the side of under-baking than over-baking.)
• When ready to serve, preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat. Using a bench scraper or a straight-sided metal spatula, cut the cookie into 24 bars. Put the pan with the cut bars directly on the grill and cook, covered, until the chocolate is melted and the bars are warmed through, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, the bars can be rewarmed in an oven or removed from the pan and rewarmed in a microwave.) Transfer the cookie bars to individual plates and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Serve immediately.

HAZELNUT PRALINE

Steps:

• Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• In a dry heavy saucepan cook sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and cook, without stirring, swirling pan, just until a golden caramel. Add hazelnuts, stirring until coated well. Immediately pour mixture onto baking sheet and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Remove praline from baking sheet and break into pieces.
• Praline may be eaten as candy or ground in a food processor and used as a dessert topping.

PRALINE COOKIE BARS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil, letting some hang over the edges.
• 2. For the Crust: Cream 1 cup of butter and brown sugar together. Slowly stir in flour, salt and ground pecans until mixture is crumbly. Press into foil lined pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
• 3. Topping: Make topping while crust is baking. Combine butter, brown sugar, honey and heavy cream in a saucepan. Dissolve ingredients on a medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer for 1 minute. Add pecans & coconut (0ptional) and remove from heat.
• 4. Pour topping over crust as soon as it is removed from the oven. Spread it out evenly.
• 5. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until filling is set.
• 6. Remove pan from oven and cool completely.
• 7. Use the foil to lift cookie bars out of baking pan. Remove foil and cut into bars approximately 2" x 2"