This ended up being absolutely the proper decision.
These cookies really push all my control keys – they’re elegant and gorgeous; they have many contrasting textures (slightly sandy cookie, crunchy smashed cocoa nibs, soft jam, company, snappable tempered delicious chocolate); they will have nut taste without nut structure; and they had been lots of fun to create. Each step is easy, but put together it’s a fascinating project.
I will be making these again and again, I’m sure. They keep so much room for variation! Probably with almonds instead of hazelnuts the next time? Fig jam instead of apricot jam? I don’t know, but any which way, I’m confident that they can be delicious.
Apricot Hazelnut Squares
3/4 C finely surface hazelnuts
1/4 C finely crushed (not surface) cocoa nibs
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
12 tbsp unsalted butter, at area temperature
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp clean lemon juice
3/4 C confection’s sugar
6 oz. 70% bittersweet chocolate
Approximately 10 oz. apricot jam
Place the hazelnuts, cocoa nibs, flour, cinnamon, and cocoa powder in a dish and set aside.
Note: I surface the hazelnuts (skin on) in a spice grinder, and crushed the cocoa nibs by pouring a coating of these out between two linens of parchment paper and going over them with much rolling pin.
Blend the butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice inside your stand mixer until combined. Add the sugar and blend on low rate until it really is combined in, then improve the swiftness and beat until fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined (do not over-mix).
Form the dough right into a 7″ square, wrap it in plastic material wrap, and allow it chill in the fridge for half an hour or thus.
Microwave or melt the jam in a small saucepan until, cauliflower risotto coconut milk well, it melts. Stress it and throw out the clumps of fruit (or set aside for some other make use of unrelated to these cookies).
Preheat the oven to 350º.
Slice the dough in two, and keep half in the fridge while you move out the first half. Move it out until it really is about 3/16″ dense. Cut the cookies out into around 1 1/2″ x 2″ rectangles. Place them on cooking linens lined with parchment paper, about 1/2″ aside – the cookies will spread a little while cookies, though very little.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets throughout and entrance to back halfway through cooking.
Glide the parchment paper onto cooling racks and allow them fascinating to room temperatures. Then place half of them ugly, drop on about 1 tsp of the strained jam, and best with a right-side-up cookie.
Setup some fresh parchment paper or Silpat sheets.
Temper the chocolates. (Probably better to go to someone else for advice on this, honestly.)
Dip the cookies partly in to the chocolates, and place them on the fresh parchment paper or Silpat bed sheets to set.
6 Responses to Apricot Hazelnut Squares”
Tanna – Many thanks!
bonnie – Oops. It’s within now. Thanks for pointing it out.