Toasted Hazelnut Filled Dulce De Leche Cookies Recipes

DULCE DE LECHE SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Finely grind the hazelnuts in a food processor. Spread on a baking sheet; bake until golden, 12 minutes.
• Whisk the flour, cornstarch, 1/3 cup of the ground hazelnuts, the baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks, liqueur and vanilla; beat until incorporated. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Turn onto a sheet of plastic wrap; shape into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust the dough with flour and roll out into a 6-by-12-inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick) on a floured surface. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares; arrange 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Cut out circles from the middle of half of the squares using a small cutter. Refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are golden on the bottom, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Stir together the dulce de leche and the remaining ground hazelnuts. Sandwich between the plain and cut-out cookies. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE-FILLED HAZELNUT COOKIES

Steps:

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

CHOCOLATE-FILLED HAZELNUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Grind nuts with confectioners sugar in a food processor until powdery (be careful not to process to a paste).
• Beat together butter, zest, salt, and nut mixture in a large bowl with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until creamy, then add flour, stirring until just incorporated (do not overwork).
• Roll level 1/2 teaspoons of dough into tiny balls (the size of marbles) and arrange 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until very pale golden, 12 to 14 minutes, then slide parchment with cookies onto a rack to cool completely.
• Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Spoon melted chocolate into a small plastic bag and seal bag, forcing out excess air. Snip off 1 bottom corner of bag with scissors to form a small hole.
• Pipe a small mound (about 1/8 teaspoon) of melted chocolate onto flat sides of 10 cookies, then top with 10 more cookies, pressing flat sides together to help adhere. Repeat procedure with remaining cookies.

THUMBPRINTS WITH DULCE DE LECHE, NUTELLA OR JAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the hazelnuts or pecans out on a small baking sheet and cook in oven, shaking several times, until toasted, 10 to 12 minutes. If using hazelnuts, transfer to a bowl to cool, cover with a folded dish towel, then rub off the skins. (No need to toast the pistachios.)
• Once cooled, transfer the nuts to a food processor, preferably a mini one. Add 2 teaspoons flour and pulse just until nuts are finely ground, being careful not to overprocess.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and granulated sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Add egg yolks and vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl a few times as needed.
• Add 1/2 cup ground nuts, the salt and the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour; beat on low speed just until combined, then increase speed and beat until dough starts to clump together. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well mixed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pinch off small pieces of dough the size of a rounded tablespoon (about 20 grams each) and roll the top half of each one in the remaining ground nuts. Place a few inches apart on parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets. Chill in the freezer until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and make a thumbprint in each cookie. Bake until golden brown on the bottom, and nuts are looking toasty but not burned, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets and transfer to wire racks to cool further. While the cookies are still a little warm, fill each one with about 1/2 teaspoon of filling, and cool completely. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.