Chocolate and Hazelnut Linzer Cookies

Today I'm posting my final entry in the second annual brunch week co-hosted by Terri of Love and Confections and Susan of The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen.  From May 5th to 11th, a group of over 30 bloggers are celebrating the deliciousness of brunch.  In addition, we have some amazing sponsors who have donated great prizes for a gigantic giveaway so please see below for more information.

I think it's only fitting that I end this tasty week the way I like to end meals - with a little something sweet.  I don't generally want a heavy dessert after a light meal like brunch but a cookie (or two) provides that little sweet bite.  If you follow this blog than you already know how much I love shortbread.  But shortbread with a little extra texture is even better.  And two of them together with a dollop of creamy chocolate hazelnut spread sandwiched in between is cookie perfection.

One of our Brunch Week sponsors, Bob's Red Mill, was kind enough to send me a bag of hazelnut flour and I've been having a blast using it in different recipes.  It gave these cookies that bit of crunch and hazelnut flavor that really made them special.  Enjoy!





Ingredients
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Stick unsalted butter
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 Teaspoon chocolate hazelnut spread
1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup hazelnut flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/3 Cup chocolate hazelnut spread for filling

Add the sugar and butter to a bowl and beat together using a stand or hand mixer.  Add in the vanilla and chocolate hazelnut spread and continue beating until incorporated.  Sift together the all purpose flour, hazelnut flour and salt and add to the butter mixture.  Note that, if you're using a hand mixer, you may find it easier to incorporate the flour by hand with a spoon since the dough will be thick.  Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper, cut with a round or fluted edge cutter but leave the cookie in place and simply peel the excess dough away from the sides.  Using a smaller cutter, cut out a center piece from half the cookies.  Re-roll the scraps and center pieces to create more cookies.  Note that they will spread a small amount so keep them about an inch apart.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 12 minutes.  The cookie edges will only be barely browned and the cookie itself will still be soft.  Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes until the cookies harden a bit.  Then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Once cooled, place a teaspoon of chocolate hazelnut spread between two cookies (one solid and one with a hole) and sandwich them together.  Using a 3" cutter I got about 20 cookies which made ten sandwiched cookies.

Giveaway has ended.