Is everyone having a tough time not knowing what their life will be like in a month or two, or is it just me? I think the low-level stress is turning me toward the dark side – chocolate. Not that it was a big turn. But right now chocolate is entirely too satisfying.
That’s why I found myself going through the thousand, or more, recipes I’ve collected over the years. (I started organizing them once, and you can see how well that went.) Most are from the LA Times, back when it had a really great food section, (now it’s rather hit or miss, in my humble opinion). There are scribbled recipes, recipes from my kids’ kindergarten class, Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazine recipes, and some from Woman’s Day, or whatever magazine landed in my lap.
This one, from a 2009 LA Times food section, sounded good, even if I have to give all the cookies away out of thigh self-preservation. The recipe said to put a filling of powdered sugar, butter and melted chocolate in the middle, which sounded meh to me. I thought the hazelnuts pretty much demanded that these cookies be filled with Nutella. Out of deference, I tried their filling and I was right, it was meh. The Nutella is tastier, but pretty messy. I felt compelled to eat my oozing Nutella Sandwich over the sink.
Tomorrow I’ll try filling them with chocolate ganache. See the sacrifices I make for you guys? Chocolate ganache is easy: just 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of whipping cream. You heat it until the chips melt then drizzle it over anything that’s not moving.
So, even though it was 100 degrees here today, I fired up the oven and baked. I figured baking would get me through the news of the week without contemplating murder. I was inspired by this poster my friend Carolyn sent me. She clearly knows me well.
The great thing about these cookies is you can bake them, then store them in the freezer, without the icing/filling, Then take them out when you need a cookie, or ten. I’ll bet they’d make a really good ice cream sandwich too. Oh my God, then you could melt chocolate and dip the ice cream sandwich in the chocolate and freeze them!
Clearly, quarantine alone, with an uncertain future, is dangerous for a baker’s pants.
Nutella Cookie Sandwiches
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. Then blend in 1/2 cup softened butter using a pastry cutter. Then mix in the chopped hazelnuts so they're thoroughly incorporated. Form into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch and cut the cookies into hearts or rounds. They can get a little crumbly, so just press them back together and roll them gently.
Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet about one inch apart and bake 7 to 10 minutes or until barely browned. Then removed the cookies to a rack to cool completely
Once the cookies are cooled, spread Nutella on top, and place a second cookie on top to create a sandwich. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar and serve.