Chocolate and Hazelnut Butter Cookies

In recent times, we haven’t kept up with the pace of opening coffee shops in Paris. There are more and more places to enjoy excellent coffee, taste banana bread, avocado toast, and other dishes that characterize third-wave coffee spots.

Those who follow us know that we really love the world of coffee, and soon an article will be published, the ninth in a series, with more recommendations for excellent coffee houses. So far, I have already written about dozens of places where you can drink superb coffee in the City of Lights, and the list keeps growing. If coffee used to be the less exciting aspect of the city, today it becomes fascinating even in this realm.

One of the coffee houses that will be featured in the ninth article (spoiler) is a new place called “Blondie,” which recently opened in the Ninth Arrondissement of Paris, near the charming Rue des Martyrs. The place was opened by Tanguy Kayser (son of Eric Kayser) together with a few partners, and it has already become highly sought after.

I will write in detail about “Blondie” in the upcoming coffee article. Meanwhile, here is a recipe for one of their best-selling cookies that I received from Marine, the pastry chef. It’s a fantastic cookie rich in chocolate and with an insert (hidden layer) of natural hazelnut butter that gives it a delightful texture and flavor.

Chocolate and Hazelnut Butter Cookies
10 cookies (7.5cm tart rings)

Ingredients
Cookie dough:
150g butter, softened
90g light brown sugar
30g Muscovado sugar or brown sugar
40g white sugar
3g Fleur-de-Sel
3g vanilla extract 
60g egg 
250g flour, sifted
2g baking soda
170g dark chocolate, chopped (70%-80%)

Hazelnut Insert:
200g roasted hazelnut butter

Decoration:
20-30 roasted hazelnuts, halved 
Fleur-de-Sel

Preparation
1. Cookie dough: In a mixer bowl whisk butter, sugar, Fleur-de-Sel and vanilla extract. Whisk in the egg.
2. Add flour and baking soda, mix until soft dough forms. Mix in the chocolate chunks.
3. Transfer the cookie dough to a surface covered with cling film. Roll the dough inside the cling film into a log with a diameter of about 7 cm. Put it in the fridge overnight.
4. Hazelnut Insert: Pour the hazelnut butter into a silicone mold, around 15-20 grams per cavity. The cavities should have a diameter of about 4-5 cm. Put in the freezer overnight.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper and arrange the rings on the pan.
6. Slice the cookie dough log into 20 slices, each weighing 35 grams.
7. Place a cookie dough slice on a work surface, then place a frozen hazelnut insert on top of it. Finally, place another cookie dough slice on top of the insert. Press firmly so that the two dough slices wrap around the insert, creating one thick cookie. Repeat the process with the remaining cookie dough and hazelnut butter inserts.
8. Place inside each ring and flatten a little (the cookie will spread during baking).
9. Bake for approximately 7 minutes, then remove from the oven. Sprinkle some roasted halved hazelnuts and Fleur-de-Sel on each cookie, and return to the oven for an additional 2 minutes until the cookies start to brown and become slightly dry on the edges. It is advisable not to overbake to prevent the cookies from becoming too dry.
10. Remove the cookies from the oven and carefully remove the rings (while the cookies are still warm). Allow it to cool to room temperature.

Bon-Appétit
Sharon