My Christmas Wish List Started Early

Is it just me, or is it never too early to start thinking about Christmas? Because I'm already building my wish list, and at the very top is a cookbook that has officially rocked my baking world: The Cookie That Changed My Life by Nancy Silverton.

I snagged a copy from the library, and wow, just wow. Every single recipe I've flipped through looks incredible. And the first one I tried? Absolute magic! Chocolate Chunk Hazelnut Slice-and-Bake Butter Cookies.

I decided to make half of the recipe, and while it looked like there were a lot of steps, it came together super fast. I whipped up the dough last night and then baked the cookies this morning. There's nothing quite like fresh-baked cookies to start the day, right?

Stay tuned for more delicious adventures from this book! What cookbook is on your wish list?

Ingredient-

240 grams (1 1/2 cups) hazelnuts, preferably skinless

1 extra-large egg yolk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

266 grams (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter

100 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

300 grams (2 cups plus 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour

170 grams (6 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped up.

For Coating - 1 extra-large egg yolk.

Method-

To make the dough, adjust an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 325°F. 

Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and place them on the center rack of the oven to toast until they are fragrant and golden brown. 15 to 18 minutes, shaking the baking sheet and rotating it front to back halfway through the toasting time so the hazelnuts brown evenly. 

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Transfer them to a plate so they don't continue to cook 

Turn off the oven. 

Set the nuts aside until they are cool enough to touch. If the hazelnuts have skins, place them in the center of a clean dish towel; close the towel into a bundle and rub the nuts together inside the towel to remove the skins. Discard the skins. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Weigh out 170 grams (or measure 1¼ cups) of the hazelnuts, very coarsely chop them, and set them aside to add to the dough. 

Finely chop the remaining hazelnuts and set them aside for coating the cookie dough log.

Whisk the egg yolk and vanilla together in a small bowl. 

Put the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and beat on medium speed until the butter is soft but still cold, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the sugar and salt and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. 3 to 4 minutes. 

Scraping down the bowl as needed.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the egg yolk/vanilla mixture and beat until the egg is fully incorporated

Add the flour and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until almost no flour is visible. 

Add the chocolate and chopped hazelnuts and mix on low speed until fully mixed with the flour.

Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on your work surface. 

Divide the dough in half. 

Place one portion of the dough on the plastic wrap and shape it into a log 2 inches in diameter. 

Wrap the log in the plastic, twisting the ends like a candy wrapper. 

Repeat, shaping and wrapping the remaining dough into a second log. 

Place the logs in the refrigerator to chill until firm, at least 1 hour 

Adjust the oven racks so one is in the top third and the other is in the bottom third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. 

To coat the cookies, put the egg white in a small bowl. 

Spread half of the finely chopped toasted hazelnuts on a sheet of parchment paper or a baking sheet. 

Remove a log from the refrigerator and unwrap.

Brush the egg white on the log to coat it. (Don't coat the ends.) 

Roll the log in the hazelnuts, pressing gently so they stick to the dough and coat it evenly. 

Place the log on a cutting board and use a long, sharp knife to slice the log into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. 

Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between them. (If the cookies become misshapen when you transfer them, one at a time, gently turn the cookies in your hand to reshape them.) 

Place one baking sheet on each oven rack and bake the cookies until the edges are golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes, switching racks and rotating the baking sheets front to back halfway through the baking time so the cookies bake evenly. 

Remove the cookies from the oven. 

Repeat, coating, slicing, and baking the second log as you did the first one.