Hazelnut Cookies
Who doesn’t love a good cookie?! Especially one that’s actually healthy for you. These hazelnut cookies are packed with nutrients, so you don’t need to feel guilty after having a few (or more than a few).
These cookies are paleo and gluten free. Desiccated coconut, ground hazelnut and raw cacao make a perfect base for the cookie dough, no need to use white flour.
So if you’re looking for something absolutely delicious, this recipe is for you. Crunchy on the outside, soft in the center, these cookies taste like Nutella thanks to the hazelnut and cacao. The cinnamon and nutmeg also lends a subtle aroma to the cookies. Seriously, it’s good. You won’t stop at just one cookie.
You need:
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 1 tsp Summer Day Naturals’ Organic Ceylon Cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg powder
- A pinch of salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp Summer Day Naturals’ Ground Vanilla Bean
- 1/2 cup ground hazelnut
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped hazelnut
- 1/3 cup raw cacao (sifted)
- 1/3 cup pure butter
- ½ cup honey
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.*
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl: the desiccated coconut, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, salt, baking powder, vanilla bean powder, ground hazelnut, chopped hazelnut and cocoa powder. Mix well.
- In another bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the honey and beat to incorporate. Add the egg and beat again. Once you have a smooth mixture, add the dry ingredients in. It will form into slightly sticky dough. Add the chocolate chips and mix well (optional).
- Scoop a small amount of dough, about ½ tbsp and form into balls. Place on the prepared baking tray and flatten them. The cookie will not expand when baked, so it’s important to flatten it to the exact size and shape that you want. Continue until you have used up all the dough.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes. Let it cool slightly on the tray before removing them. Cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy!
*We tried 3 different baking temperatures and times to see which yields maximum crunchiness. Baking at 350°F for 20-25 minutes gave the best crunchiness, but you run the risk of getting the cookies slightly burnt. Not very good.
Baking at 350°F for 15 minutes will give you a soft cookie, more like a dense brownie than anything else.
Lowering the temperature to 325°F, and baking for 20 minutes gives you a good balance – crunchy on the outside and still a little soft in the center. However, the crunch doesn’t last long, up to a day at most. It still tastes awesome as a soft, chewy cookie!
