Holiday cookies, hot chocolate, boozy hot cocktails. Its
starting to smell like December. While there are a lot of go-to classic
holiday cookies out there, it gets tiring when youre eating different
variations of the same cookies the sugar, the gingerbread, and the
spritz. Want to change up your routine? Try these cookies!
I havent had much time to create my own recipe, but I found this delicious cookie recipe from Ochre Bakery (Detroit) in an issue of Bon Apptit. I adapted it slightly and omitted sprinkling the tops of the cookies with flaky sea salt. The reason for this big omission is practical: I didnt have any sea salt on hand. But if you happen to have some, sprinkle a small pinch on top of each cookie when you pull them out of the oven. The savory-sweet contrast between chocolate and salt is a delicious and timeless contradiction.
For two and a half dozen-ish cookies (adapted from Ochre Bakery, via Bon Apptit):
- c. hazelnuts
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- tsp. baking powder
- tsp. baking soda
- tsp. ground ginger
- 1 c. butter, room temperature
- 1 c. granulated sugar
- c. packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- c. honey
- tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 8 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate
Heat oven to 300F. Toast hazelnuts for 8-10 minutes. Wrap hazelnuts in a kitchen towel and let it sit for about 1-2 minutes. Rub in the towel to remove as much of the skin as you can. Roughly chop them once they are cooled completely.
Increase oven temperature to 350F. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger.
In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar in the mixing bowl on high speed until well-incorporated and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium-low and add eggs one at a time. Add honey and vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed until the mixture is well-incorporated.
Remove bowl from stand mixer. Mix in dry ingredients. Once incorporated, fold in chopped chocolate and chopped toasted hazelnuts.
Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet spread about 2 apart. Chill for about 2 hours before baking. Bake for about 12-15 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Transfer to a non-stick cooling rack to let it cool completely.
