I love the effort-to-reward ratio of slice-and-bake log cookies. You get these evenly-sized rounds without having to carefully weigh out each blob, or having to roll out dough and ensure an even thickness.
These salted cocoa hazelnut cookies are crisp and light with textural contrast from the chopped up hazelnuts, and the flaky sea salt adds a bit of elegance.
Pay attention to the bake time on these; you probably want to underbake them slightly as they will continue cooking through as they cool.
Salted Cocoa-Hazelnut Cookies
Recipe from NYTimes
Makes 5 dozen cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 2 ½ cups/363 grams all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup/75 grams cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups/341 grams (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ 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
PREPARATION
- 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. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
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