Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints

Taster approved- kept going back for more! 

Makes 2 dozen

I purchased and roasted/peeled raw hazelnuts but next time I’ll try buying them prepped. I used a food processor to grind them and about 10 packets of “sugar in the raw” = 3 Tb turbinado.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temp

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, separated 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts, roughly ground

3 Tb turbinado sugar

Chocolate Filling

1 cup dark chocolate, finely chopped

2 Tb unsalted butter

Beat butter and salt until smooth. Add sugar and mix until incorporated. Add egg yolk and vanilla.

Add flour and mix until dough comes together. Dump onto plastic wrap and knead into a ball, wrap and refrigerate 1 hour (I did overnight). A log would be helpful.

Prepare hazelnuts and mix with turbinado sugar.

Oven 350.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Cut up dough into equal Tb sizes and form into balls with a thumb divot in each.
Whisk the egg white until frothy.
Dip cookie into egg white then into the nuts. Use a spoon to help sprinkle. It’s ok if the mix coats everything.
Bake 10 minutes (first pan in, 2nd pan takes about 10 min to prepare).
Take first pan out, 2nd goes in.
Fuss with divots to remake them if they filled in. Put back in oven, may need up to 10 more min but keep an eye out, you want them golden brown and set.
Allow to cool on sheets and prepare the chocolate filling.
In a bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate then stir in butter until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool. I was impatient; my chocolate could have cooled longer before piping it.
Use a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and when the cookies are cooled, pipe chocolate filling into the cookie cavities.
Enjoy immediately, or allow chocolate to set up.