Chocolate

Asha Gomez's Smoky Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies

by:
March 21, 2017
0
0 Ratings
Photo by Evan Sung
  • Makes 10 cookies
Author Notes

Asha Gomez' "My Two Souths", the reigning 2017 Piglet champion, combines the flavors of South India with Gomez' upbringing in the South of the United States. Her traditional chewy chocolate cookie gets a smoky kick in the pants from smoked sweet paprika—plus a generous handful of toasted hazelnuts for a nutty finish. —Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

Notes: Notes: To roast and skin hazelnuts, toast the nuts on a sheet pan in a 350°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are beginning to brown and are very fragrant. Place the nuts in a kitchen towel and gather up the edges to form a bundle. Rub the nuts together in the towel to remove most of the dark-brown skin. —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika, divided
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (8 ounces) Nutella, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) hazelnuts, roasted, skinned, and chopped (see Editor's Notes)
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In a medium bowl, using your hands, mix together the flour, sugar, 1½ teaspoons of the smoked paprika, and eggs to form a crumbly dough. Mix in the Nutella and hazelnuts and work to form a smooth dough, no more than 2 minutes.
  3. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
  4. Separate the dough into 10 equal parts, using your palms to roll them into round balls. Place the balls on the cookie sheet, 1 inch apart. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the cookies are flat discs, crisp around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven; dust with the remaining smoked paprika and confectioners’ sugar. Eat them immediately or after they have cooled down.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

4 Reviews

Jane L. March 27, 2017
Just made these!!! with this recipe mine made 17 cookies yet needed about 12-14 mins bake time before they really set. The only change of ingredient i used was coarsely grinded hazelnuts rather than chopped, so i'm not sure why bake time is that different, but just keep an eye on them. They are perfectly soft in the middle, not too sweet, with nutella's comfort and paprika's smokiness that really comes thru. (i used closer to 2 tsp paprika for the first step and IMO didn't over power) I used La Chinata's Pimentón de la Vera from Spain, and while it tastes slightly different from ours here in the states, good ol' Trader Joes carries perfectly good smoked paprika. I adore fun combos and am a huge fan of this recipe. tastes like fine travels.
Blanca O. March 22, 2017
Does anybody know if smoked sweet paprika is easily available in supermarkets in Switzerland/mainland Europe, or where could I try to find it? I don't recall having seen it... And I'd love to try these cookies!
Margot M. March 22, 2017
Yes, you should be able to find it in your supermarket.
Beth100 March 22, 2017
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