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Cookies Desserts

Hazelnut Gianduia Spritz Cookies

Hazelnut Gianduia Spritz Cookies

Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 46 minutes
Course Cookies, Desserts
Servings 15 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 80 g hazelnuts chopped
  • 70 g icing sugar sieved
  • 125 g butter
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tbs cognac
  • 150 g 1/3 cup all-purpose flour siieved
  • 80 g cornstarch sieved
  • 150 g giandula
  • 100 g bittersweet chocolate
  • 50 g heavy cream

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  • In a skillet gently toast the hazelnuts until golden, then place them in a food processor and process until finely ground. Allow to cool.
  • Using an electric whisk, whisk icing sugar, butter and salt until tick and creamy – approx. 10 minutes. Add the Cognac, egg and egg yolk and continue to whisk until well incorporated.
  • With a spatula fold in the flour, cornstarch and ground hazelnuts into the batter, making sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl. Place the batter in the fridge for 15 minutes, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
  • Pipe approx 30-35 small circular shaped cookies onto the prepared baking trays and refrigerate for 1 hour. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes until the cookies are a light golden color. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
  • In the meantime melt together the gianduia and 50g chocolate over a water bath. In a saucepan bring the cream to just below boiling point then pour over the gianduia-chocolate, mixing with a spatula to a creamy mixture. Refrigerate for 45 minutes, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle.
  • Turn over half of the spritz cookies and pipe small amounts of the gianduia-chocolate filling on each. Place the other half on top and gently press.
  • Melt the remaining 50g of chocolate in a water bath. Dip the sandwiched cookies into the chocolate and allow to drip on a wire rack.
  • Store the spritz cookies in a cookie box between layers of baking paper. Will keep for about 10 days.

Notes

Hazelnut Gianduia Spritz Cookies

Christmas Cookies 2011 (0184) by Meeta K. Wolff
Another classic Christmas cookie, Spritz cookies cannot be absent from the German cookie tray! Basically, a type of short crust pastry, the dough of the spritz cookies is piped from a piping bag into the desired shapes and is decadent dipped in chocolate. This year I continued on the path of decadence with my spritz cookies and made a heavenly gianduia chocolate filling to sandwich between two spritz cookies. Why not? It’s Christmas after all.

 Christmas Cookies 2012 Hazelnut Gianduia Spritz Cookies (0184) by Meeta K. Wolff
Recipe: Hazelnut Gianduia Spritz Cookies
Printable version of recipe herePrep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutesIngredients:
  • 80g hazelnuts, chopped
  • 70g icing sugar, sieved
  • 125g butter
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons Cognac
  • 150g all-purpose flour, sieved
  • 80g cornstarch, sieved
  • 150g gianduia
  • 100g bittersweet chocolate
  • 50g heavy cream
Method:
  1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
  2. In a skillet gently toast the hazelnuts until golden, then place them in a food processor and process until finely ground. Allow to cool.
  3. Using an electric whisk, whisk icing sugar, butter and salt until tick and creamy – approx. 10 minutes. Add the Cognac, egg and egg yolk and continue to whisk until well incorporated.
  4. With a spatula fold in the flour, cornstarch and ground hazelnuts into the batter, making sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl. Place the batter in the fridge for 15 minutes, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
  5. Pipe approx 30-35 small circular shaped cookies onto the prepared baking trays and refrigerate for 1 hour. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes until the cookies are a light golden color. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
  6. In the meantime melt together the gianduia and 50g chocolate over a water bath. In a saucepan bring the cream to just below boiling point then pour over the gianduia-chocolate, mixing with a spatula to a creamy mixture. Refrigerate for 45 minutes, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle.
  7. Turn over half of the spritz cookies and pipe small amounts of the gianduia-chocolate filling on each. Place the other half on top and gently press.
  8. Melt the remaining 50g of chocolate in a water bath. Dip the sandwiched cookies into the chocolate and allow to drip on a wire rack.
  9. Store the spritz cookies in a cookie box between layers of baking paper. Will keep for about 10 days.
Yields 15-20 cookies
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!