A delicious buttery, crumbly and light cookie that you won’t be able to stop eating. Reminiscent of shortbread, the toasted ground hazelnuts add an earthy flavor the works so well with the butter. These cookies can be cut into any shape, although the stars are a wonderfully festive choice.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour + 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup ground hazelnuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
If you are making freshly ground hazelnuts (which gives a much better hazelnut flavor), toast them and peel off as much of the brown inner lining as possible. Add the hazelnuts into a food processor along with one tablespoon flour and pulse until the hazelnuts are finely chopped. (Note: You can make additional ground hazelnuts and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.) Alternatively, use store-bought ground hazelnuts.
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Sift the flour and salt, and then stir in the ground hazelnuts. Set aside. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix for a few more minutes.
Fold in the flour-hazelnut mixture and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Once the dough has slightly chilled, place between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to a 1/4” thickness. Cut out the desired shapes. Re-roll any remaining dough. Place onto the prepared baking sheet at least 2” apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Allow the cookies to rest in the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Melt the chocolate in 10-second intervals in the microwave and transfer it to a piping bag. Snip the edge and using a back and forth motion, drizzle onto one point of the star cookie. Allow the cookies to sit for 10 minutes for the chocolate to set.
The number of cookies depends on the shape used. Yield from 24 to 36 cookies.
Patataki 