Giada's incredible cookies. Version 3.

We had a little housewarming party, celebrating the finishing of a very messy project (taking down a wall, a brick wall). It gave me the needed push to clean up the overdue mess, laugh to tears with my friends and ... make more cookies. This time, a full version, with more milk chocolate, less sugar and some spelt flour.

Recipe based on Chocolate chunk cookies with almonds (Giada's incredible cookies. Version 1)
time: 30 min preparation + 3x13 min baking + 15 min cooling 


 ingredients 

1/2 cup (55 g) oats (not instant)
2 1/4 cups (340 g) regular flour OR, what I used: 1 cup (120 g) whole spelt flour and 1 1/4 (190 g) cup regular flour  

1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
1 teaspoon (8 g) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon (4 g) salt
2 sticks (240 g) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup (330 g) light brown sugar
2 medium eggs
1 vanilla bean, split open, seeds removed
1 cup (140 g) whole hazelnuts 
7 oz (200 g) milk chocolate
5 oz (140 g) dark chocolate

 instructions 
Preheat oven to 180C/350F (fan forced function). Line four baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a food processor with steal blades, blend oats till fine. Transfer it to a medium bowl and mix it together with flour, baking powder, soda and salt. 

Prepare hazelnuts: On a medium skillet set on medium/high, toast nuts for 5 minutes, stirring often. Rub cooled nuts between your hands to remove the thin skin. Chop them in a food processor with steal blades or with a big knife. Chop chocolates the same way.  

In a bowl of a standing mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar and vanilla seeds till fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs (one and then the other), scraping sides and bottom of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula when necessary. Add the flour mix. Combine it together without over-mixing. Stir in chocolate and hazelnut pieces. 

Using an ice cream scoop or two tablespoons (and some water to dip your tools in), make golf-size balls and arrange on the sheets, loosely spaced, 9 balls on each. Do not flatten. 
Place one baking sheet at the time in the hot oven for about 13 minutes, till cookies just starting to slightly brown around the edges (or one edge).

Take the sheet out of the oven, let cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes and then lift and transfer (using a flat, skinny tool) to a cooling rack for further cooling.

NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES NOTES 

• cookies were a great party idea...I had as many kids as adults over;
• no cutting, asking, serving, no cleaning plates;
• and everybody had a couple cookies to take home and I had one to complete my breakfast the next day.