Ferrero Rocher Cookies

I'm not going to be humble or quiet about this. I am incredibly proud (and astonished) that I went an entire month without eating chocolate. No cocoa powder, chocolate bars, chocolate cake, nothing. That being said, when I woke up this Wednesday after 4 straight weeks sans my number one love, I was more than a little giddy to put some cocoa in my bulletproof breakfast coffee. (We'll skip the story about how I quite literally fell to the floor after taking a bite of my favourite chocolate cake from Thierry in Vancouver.) I didn't do it for health reasons or for dietary reasons, I simply needed to make sure that I could survive without the stuff. It wasn't anywhere near as tough as I'd anticipated, but I definitely won't be taking another break anytime soon.

Spending a month without chocolate also meant I was baking without it too. I did succeed in making a batch of my mexican hot chocolate cookies without sampling any of the batter though! Quite proud over here, if you can't tell. In all honesty though I can bake without chocolate, no problem, but I can't be the only one who loves to taste and then re-taste my recipes. It's all about quality control in this house.

These little nuggets of deliciousness are fantastic just as the recipe calls for, but can also be modified to suit different levels of density, depending on how you like your cookies. These are soft, thick and slightly chewy, but omit 1 tbsp or both tablespoons of coconut flour to create a thinner, chewier version for yourself. Even if you haven't spent a month depriving yourself of the stuff that most baking dreams are made of, whip up a batch of these and give yourself a pat on the back anyways. You deserve it.

Ferrero Rocher Cookies

1 1/3 cup hazelnuts, divided.

1/4 cup dark chocolate, melted (min 60-70%, dairy free, filler free)

1 tbs cocoa (raw, not raw, whatever you like)

5 tbs coconut sugar

2 tbs honey

2 tbs grass-fed butter, melted

1-2 tbs coconut flour (depending on chewy factor)

Pinch Salt

1 tsp Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

1/4 tsp espresso granules or instant espresso

1 egg plus 1 yolk

dark chocolate pieces or disks of high quality couverture, for decorating. 

Preheat oven to 350.

While the oven is heating up, toast 1 heaping cup of hazelnuts until the skins have cracked open and they begin to look shiny. Remove from heat and let cool.

Place room temperature toasted nuts in a food processor and blend until they turn to nut butter. Add in melted chocolate and espresso powder and pulse until combined. Measure to ensure you have about 1 cup of chocolate hazelnut butter. If not, add back some of the mixture, adding a few more nuts and blend. Chunks are ok.

Mix 1 cup of hazelnut butter, sugars, melted butter, egg and yolk and vanilla. Stir until combined.

Using a sifter, sift coconut flour (if using) and cocoa powder with soda and salt over wet ingredients. Fold in until combined.

Roll small 1 1/2 inch balls out onto parchment paper. Press down slightly with chocolate discs or pieces, then fold up sides to cover most of the chocolate. Chop up remaining hazelnuts into small pieces and sprinkle on top of chocolate pieces.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, until puffed up and spread out. Let cool 2 minutes on tray, then transfer to racks to finish cooling.

***Side note!! If you want a real deal ferrero rocher experience, chop your hazelnuts really finely and spread on top. If you're feeling extra adventurous, caramelize them in a pan with homemade caramel: 1 tsp water, 2 tbs coconut sugar, let bubble for a few minutes, then toss in crushed toasted hazelnuts to coat, 1-2 min. Dry on parchment then break apart and spread on cookies***