Hazelnut Lace Recipes

HAZELNUT LACE COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F (if using dark or nonstick cookie sheet, heat oven to 350°F). In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, coffee crystals and corn syrup. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in flour, cocoa, hazelnuts and vanilla until blended.
• Heat ungreased cookie sheet in oven for 5 minutes. On warm cookie sheet, drop hazelnut mixture by teaspoonfuls 3 inches apart. Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until cookies spread thin and are deep brown. Cool 1 minute; working quickly with spatula, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• In small resealable plastic food-storage bag, place white baking chips and oil; seal bag. Microwave on High 1 minute. Gently squeeze bag until chips are smooth. Cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to make snowflake design on cookies with glaze.

HONEY-ALMOND LACE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine the butter, honey, and brown sugar in a small saucepan, over medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is bubbly and smooth, about 5 minutes. Stir in the almonds, salt, and vanilla and cook 1 minute more.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour until smooth. Let cool slightly. Refrigerate until the batter sets up, at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F and arrange racks in upper and lower third.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, leaving 3 to 4 inches space between each. Put the sheets on the racks and bake until bubbly, brown on edges, and golden throughout, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet. Repeat until all of the batter is used.
• When cookies are cool, melt the chocolate over medium-low heat, in a small saucepan, until smooth. Dip half of each cookie in the chocolate, scrape off excess, and set on a cooling rack to dry. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes to set up.

HAZELNUT FLORENTINES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and apply a light coating of cooking spray to the foil. As an alternative, a Silpat sheet work quite well.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, molasses and milk. (Lazy chef's tip: you can also mix the batter in the saucepan or bowl used to melt the butter).
• Mix in in the ground hazelnuts and flour.
• Drop scant teaspoons of batter onto the prepared sheets leaving 3 to 5 inches between each drop. Your drops should be smaller than a quarter.
• Bake for 5 or 6 minutes until the cookie until the cookie a deep golden hue and has a lace like appearance where the butter has melted off. Remove tray from oven and let cool until set, about 1 or 2 minutes. Remove from tray and place on a cooling rack. If your cookies are still soft at this point, they are not quite cooked and you can return them to the oven for another minute.
• To decorate the cookies, melt the chocolate according to your favorite method. Drizzle on cookies.
• (Melting tip: With small quantities of chocolate, you can place the chips in a small heavy duty storage bag and force the chips to one corner. Submerge the sealed bad in a cup of boiling water for 20 to 30 seconds and remove. Knead the softened chips into a liquid. If if needs additional melting, return the bag to the water bath. Once the right consistency is achieved, snip the corner and drizzle).

HAZELNUT LACE SANDWICH COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies:
• Pulse hazelnuts, flour, and salt in a food processor until nuts are finely ground; set aside.
• Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter foams, then browns, about 5 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes, then add granulated sugar, cream, maple syrup, vanilla, and 1 Tbsp. water and stir to incorporate. Return saucepan to medium heat and bring to a boil; cook, without stirring, 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in hazelnut mixture. Scrape batter into a medium heatproof bowl and let cool, stirring occasionally to reincorporate the butter.
• Meanwhile, place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 325°F.
• Scoop out rounded teaspoonfuls of batter and roll between the palms of your hands into smooth balls. Place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets at least 3" apart. Because these cookies spread so much during baking, give each ball plenty of space. You should be able to fit 8 per sheet and will need to bake in 2 batches for a total of 32 cookies.
• Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until they spread into thin lacy disks and are deep golden brown around the edges, 10-14 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets. Repeat with remaining batter, using fresh parchment paper on baking sheets.
• Filling and assembly:
• Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter in a medium bowl until light, about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and beat until pale, about 30 seconds. Add jam about 1 tablespoonful at a time, beating until smooth after each addition, then beat in lime zest.
• Carefully remove cooled cookies from parchment. Using a small offset spatula, spread 1-2 tsp. filling across flat sides of half of cookies. Top with remaining cookies to create sandwiches.
• Do Ahead
• Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature, separated by layers of parchment paper to prevent sticking.