I have a new favorite cookie, Giada's Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti. Though it looks like a cookie, it crunches like a biscotti. And this is the final recipe, in our week long dinners and desserts from Giada De Laurentiis', Giada's Kitchen- New Italian Favorites.
The thing I liked the best was the crunch from both the cookie and the nuts. The other thing I did was chop some hazelnut chocolate (about 1/2 cup) and added it to the cookies. I happened to find the chocolate at Sid Wainer & Son, a gourmet food outlet in New Bedford, MA. Knowing I was making the cookies, I picked up a chunk of the chocolate. It was sweet with a mild chocolate flavor, perfect with a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.
I'll end with, treat yourself to something wonderfully tasteful, bake yourself a batch!
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
- I added a 1/2 cup of hazelnut chocolate (which I found at Sid Wainer and Son)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In another medium bowl combine the butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the hazelnuts and stir until just combined.
Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacing the mounds about 4 inches apart. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the cookie dough. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
