Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies & Chocolate-Pecan Butter Balls

It's been a month since I last updated my blog... Well, I was back in Penang for the long chinese new year break and right after trip, I was busy studying for exam. I was so glad that the exam is over, and to celebrate, I baked two types of chocolate based cookies over the weekends!


Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:
130g unsalted butter
50g icing sugar
1/2 tbp lemon zest
pinch of salt
1/2 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
160g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
60g hazelnut meal
200g chocolate

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 175 deg C.
2) Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
3) Beat the butter, sugar and lemon zest together with a hand mixer on medium speed, until pale and fluffy.
4) Add the egg and vanilla essence into the batter.
5) Finally mix in the sifted flour mixture and hazelnut meal.
6) Spoon the batter into a piping bag fitted with star-shape tip, pipe into 1-inch strips, spacing them apart on the baking sheets.
7) Bake in the pre-heated oven for 16 minutes. Cool on wire racks.
8) Melt the chocolate over a pot of boiling water.
9) Dip one end of the cookies into the melted chocolate, place on wire rack until the chocolate harden.

Yield: 60 cookies




Chocolate-Pecan Butter Balls Recipe
(Recipe adapted from Lisa Yockelson's Chocolate Chocolate)

Ingredients:
2 cups + 2 tbs plain flour
5 tbp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbp finely chopped pecans
3/4 cups chocolate chips


Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 175 deg C.
2) Shift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3) Place the melted butter in a bowl. Using a spatula, mix in the sugar.
4) Add in vanilla essence and pecans.
5) Stir in half of the flour mixture and all of the chocolate chips. Add the remaining flour until the batter form a dough. Let rest for 10 minutes.
6) Spoon up 1 tablespoon-size dough and shape into a ball. Continue with the rest of the dough. Place them on a baking sheet.
7) Bake in pre-heated oven for about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serve.

Yield: 36 cookies

Comments

Edith said…
welcome back. I was just wondering where you have been. Love those cookies.
Ning's Mummy said…
those cookies look sooo.. cute!
I love anything that's chocolaty. Yum Yum!
Jen said…
Looks like a cookie lovers dream. I love them!