SALTED COCOA-HAZELNUT COOKIES

Salted Cocoa-Hazelnut Cookies image

These are a classic slice-and-bake cookie, ripe for improvisation. Not into hazelnuts? Pistachios, almonds, even chocolate chunks are great here. Don't worry too much about getting the perfect cylindrical log; the dough should even out most imperfections as it bakes.

Provided by Alison Roman

Time 2h

Yield About 5 dozen cookies

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups/363 grams all-purpose flour
3/4 cup/75 grams cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups/341 grams (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups/250 grams granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup/133 grams chopped, toasted hazelnuts
Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
About 1/2 cup/120 grams coarse sugar, for rolling
Flaky salt, preferably Maldon, for sprinkling

Steps:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium-high until the mixture is superlight, fluffy and pale, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add in the eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla extract, and beat until everything is well combined, about 2 minutes.
Add dry ingredients all at once, and mix on low until almost incorporated. Add hazelnuts, and continue to mix until just fully incorporated.
Scrape dough out of mixer, and divide it into 2 pieces onto cling wrap. Wrap each piece in cling wrap and roll them into logs about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter, and 12 inches long.
Refrigerate the logs at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days.
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Brush the outside of each log of dough with egg wash. Sprinkle sanding sugar (Demerara or regular granulated sugar also work here) onto a piece of parchment paper, and roll the logs in it. Slice log crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Place dough slices on parchment-lined baking sheets 1 inch apart, and sprinkle with flaky salt. Bake until the edges are just set and cookies are baked through (difficult to tell with chocolate cookies, but the center should feel set when pressed gently), 12 to 15 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 106, UnsaturatedFat 3 grams, Carbohydrate 12 grams, Fat 6 grams, Fiber 1 gram, Protein 1 gram, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 41 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams, TransFat 0 grams