Cookie Recipes - Filled Hazelnut Crunchies Recipe

  
 

Nut and Spice Cookie Recipes - Filled Hazelnut Crunchies

 

Ingredients 

  • 3 cups/450 g all­purpose/plain flour

  • 1/8 tsp salt

  • 1 cup/200 g superfine/caster sugar

  • 1 1/3 cups/130 g finely ground hazelnuts

  • 1 cup/250 g cold butter, cut up

  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

  • 1/2 cup/160 g strawberry or raspberry preserves

  • 1/4 cup/50 g vanilla sugar

Method:

  1. Refrigerate three cookie sheets. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the superfine sugar and hazelnuts.

  2. Dot the butter evenly over the mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

  3. Add the eggs, beating until just blended. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and work into a smooth dough. Knead gently once or twice (too much kneading causes cracks when cutting out shapes).

  4. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll out small portions of dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch (5 mm).

  5. Use a cutter to stamp into 1-inch (2.5-cm) circles. Gather the dough scraps, re-roll, and continue cutting out cookies until all the dough is used.

  6. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies onto one of the chilled baking sheets, placing them 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) apart.

  7. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas 5. Bake, one batch at a time, for 12-15 minutes, or until just golden. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes.

  8. Spread each cookie with a little preserves and sandwich them together. Dust with the vanilla sugar.