a bite sized taste sensation of toasted hazelnuts, honey, butter, flour and sugar...the perfect "not too sweet" treat.
Ingredients
½ cup shelled raw hazelnuts
1 stick unsalted butter (1/4 lb.)
⅓ cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1½ tablespoons honey
1 cup all-purpose flour
parchment paper for baking
Instructions
preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
spread hazelnuts on baking sheet and toast them for 8 minutes (don't let them overly brown!)
cool slightly and wrap in a dishtowel and rub together roughly to remove most of the brown skins.
grind the hazelnuts coarsely.
cream the butter with the confectioners' sugar, in a medium but deep bowl.
beat in the honey.
beat in the flour and nuts and make a soft dough.
flour your hands and roll bits of dough (i use a teaspoon to roughly measure) into a ball shape.
if dough is too sticky add a bit of flour until you can easily roll into a ball shape.
place the noccioletti on two parchment lined baking sheets 1 inch apart.
bake for approximately 20 minutes (swapping out sheets and reversing them mid-way through)
baking time will vary with the weather and your particular oven, so watch them carefully to prevent burning.
set the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTE: my italian cookbook suggests rolling them in confectioners' sugar at this point, but we choose to enjoy the flavor of the hazelnuts and shortbread-like dough without added sweetness. enjoy a few with a coffee or tea just out of the oven! also great with red wine or champagne...
Recipe by Color My Kitchen at http://colormykitchen.com/noccioletti-hazelnut-cookies/