Chocolate hazelnut brownie cookies

Creating these cookies was such a fun Sunday morning activity, and I'm so excited to share them with you. They are FULL of delicious chocolate, with a nutty flavor that adds an incredible crunch to the gooey texture. You get the delicious flavor of a fudgy brownie, in a compact bite and without needing to bake them all at once (though you definitely won't regret it if you do).

I have always loved the flavor of chocolate hazelnut, but never baked much with hazelnuts at all. I bought raw, shelled hazelnuts and roasted them in the oven (all in it take about 15 minutes) and if you buy a mid sized container, you'll also have plenty leftover to use for future baking adventures, or even to top on a salad or other dish. I also added almond extract since I have some on hand for a future baking adventure, and I loved the flavor it added. You could always swap out for vanilla extract, or leave out altogether, but I really did enjoy the extra nuttiness.

This dough will chill briefly in the fridge, and then it's ready to be scooped and baked or you can freeze some or all of the dough for use later on. Instead of a large scoop, I used a medium sized scoop (1.5 tablespoons) but they are naturally thick, and will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. I haven't tried these yet in a larger size, but when I do I will add info for baking! You can also freeze the small dough balls if you don't want to bake them all at once, I'll leave some baking guidance for that use case at the bottom too.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup, 8 tablespoons)

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate melted

• 1 cup flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional, but I loved this addition!)

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup roasted and chopped hazelnuts

Cooking time: About an hour including including chill and prep time (add on about 15 minutes if you roast your own hazelnuts)

Cooking instructions:

This recipe calls for roasted and chopped hazelnuts. If you buy your hazelnuts raw, you'll want to roast and remove the skin. I used this recipe from Martha Stewart. Set your oven to 375 degrees and roast your hazelnuts on a pan for about 10 minutes. Remove your pan from the oven and rub the hazelnuts between a clean towel, or you can use paper towels. Most of the skins should come off this way, and as needed you can remove the skin manually. Chop your hazelnuts and set aside. You can chop them as finely as you'd like, but I like to keep mine a bit smaller than the regular sized chocolate chips. This can be done in advance of baking this recipe and you can store your chopped hazelnuts in a container at room temperature.

Melt your one cup of semi sweet chocolate, this can be done in a heat safe bowl in the microwave, starting with 30 second intervals, then switching to 15 seconds until smooth. Melt your butter, and then combine the two into a large bowl and set aside to cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Add in your half cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and half cup of chopped hazelnuts, and whisk to combine then set aside.

To your large bowl with slightly cooled melted chocolate and butter, and in all three sugars using a spatula or large spoon to combine. Then mix in your almond extract (optional, but definitely recommended). Mix in both eggs until fully combined.

Pour your flour, hazelnut, and chocolate chip mixture to your wet ingredients and fold to combine using your spatula or large spoon. Mix until just combined, be sure not to over mix. Cover your batter and place it in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes.

If you plan to cook your cookies now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove your batter from the fridge, it will be slightly cooled and more set. Use a medium sized scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons) to portion out your cookie dough. They should not spread much when baking and are a naturally thicker cookie! Bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove them to cool, and know that they will still be a bit soft but shiny on the top. Allow them to cool slightly and enjoy when warm, or once cooled you can keep them in an airtight container for a few days.

If you choose to freeze the dough, you can bake from frozen at 325 degrees for about 13-16 minutes, or place the dough in the fridge for a few hours and bake with the original instructions.

Carb and serving info:

Servings: 27 cookies (using a medium scoop or about 1.5 tablespoons each)

Carbs per serving: 15.9

Carbs per full batch: 430.6

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.