Whole spelt chocolate kipferls (Austrian croissants)

Austrian tradition, Italian recipe, my home...

Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: 20 min preparation + 1 hr inactive + 2x20 min baking + 15 min cooling
makes 32 pieces

ingredients

• 1 2/3 cup flour (250 g regular OR 200 g whole spelt)
• 1 1/2 stick (175 g) cold butter, diced
• 1 cup (150 g) whole almonds
• 2/3 cup (125 g) sugar
• 1.8 oz (50 g) dark chocolate, finely grated (I used 50 % cocoa)
• 1 medium egg
• zest from 1 small lemon, grated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch fine salt

instructions

1. In a food processor, blend almonds with sugar till fine. Transfer the mix into your mixing bowl. In the same food processor, blend now butter with flour till coarse mill texture (about 10 seconds). Add it to the almond mix. Put the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and, using your standing mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, incorporate it all till just combined (10 seconds max). Form a disc, wrap it in a plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least one hour. 
2. Toward the end...preheat the oven to 180C/355F (fan forced). Prepare two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Using your hands, roll chilled dough into long cords, small-finger thick. Cut them in 10cm/4inch long pieces, bend into horse shoes and arrange on a baking sheet spaced 1inch/2.5cm between. 
3. Set the sheet in the hot oven for 18-20 min. Remove, transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack for 15 min to cool completely.

notes

• light, crunchy-soft with some coarseness from nuts and flour;
• delicate taste of chocolate, butter and vanilla; simple - kids friendly;
• lemon zest just made everything a tad better...
• Italians add lemon zest even to their ragu...it makes any dish come alive a little more; 
• I made white kipferls last year, also very good;
• easy recipe, the only place to mess up is the oven;
• they should not get any color, which is hard to see since they are already brown;
• check 5 minutes before the recommended time for readiness; 
• I used oven twice, one sheet at the time...because when I bake with two, no matter what I do, one sheet always bakes better than other;
• jar full of cookies, lights on the tree, ski jumping on TV... the Season is ON;
• the cookies can be kept for days in a glass jar with a lid; their flavors intensify.