Hazelnut Gianduia Spritz Cookies

Christmas Cookies 2012 Hazelnut Gianduja Spritz Cookies (0184) by Meeta K. Wolff


Prep Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 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

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