Feb 5, 2014

Whole spelt Giada's incredible cookies. Version 2


Hania, my little one, added the "incredible"...


Recipe adapted from Gray Apron 
time: 20 min preparation + 12 min (times 2) baking + 10 min cooling 
makes 18 cookies

 ingredients 
1/4 cup (35 g) oats, not instant
1 1/4 cups (170 g) regular flour OR, what I used: 1 1/4 cups (150 g) whole spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (4 g) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon (2 g) salt
1 stick (120 g) butter room temperature
3/4 cup (160 g) light brown sugar (no substitute or they won't be chewy)
1 large egg or 1 medium + 1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon (30 g) home made vanilla sugar
1/2 cup (70 g) whole hazelnuts
6 oz (170 g) white chocolate


 instructions 
Preheat oven to 180C/350F (fan forced function). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
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 chocolate the same way. 

Using the same processor, blend oats till fine. Transfer it to a medium bowl and mix it together with flour, baking powder, soda and salt

In a bowl of a standing mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, beat butter with sugar till fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in egg. 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 12 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 
  • Mrs. de Laurentiis once said that she keeps this cookie dough in her freezer at all times; I almost believe her;
  • I've made these countless times...it's just this time I realized I can alter them a bit more;
  • first idea was to use whole spelt - no problem;
  • second was to use white chocolate instead of dark - nice!
  • third was to reduce sugar quite a bit (and only use brown sugar), since white chocolate is a lot sweeter than dark;
  • forth...I went back to hazelnuts and I liked it;
  • last thing...was to cut the whole recipe in half; I'm not in the habit of freezing cookie dough like  Giada but we are in the habit of eating these one after another...skipping lunch, filling guilty, etc.;
  • so...in this white chocolate version, cookies tastes somewhere between vanilla, butter scotch and caramel;
  • they are soft and a little chewy, that is, if you don't leave them in the oven too long;
  • and they did turned out incredible and worth to stop your day to eat one...or two.

24 comments:

  1. Oooo the hazelnut / white chocolate combo sounds amazing! These cookies sound so good ... I haven't made cookies in a few weeks now .... that needs to change!

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  2. These are delicious cookies for a nice hot cup of tea in this very cold weather. Blessings dear. Catherine

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  3. Seeing those fabulous cookies next to those beautiful espressos makes me wish I could just reach out and grab one of each! Looks like a great afternoon pick-me-up!

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  4. Beautiful daughter and cookies!

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  5. Oh, I bet the hazelnut white chocolate combo is divine! I'd love this dough in my freezer, too!!

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  6. these cookies look amazing and delicious Ela!!!

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  7. These cookies sound wonderful Ela! I love the white chocolate and hazelnut combination :)

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  8. I don't freeze dough either or I'd be standing in front of the freezer breaking my teeth off trying to bite one of the frozen cookie balls. These cookies look and sound very good indeed!

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    1. ehehe... it probably never thaws fast enough :)

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  9. Yum! I love hazelnuts and your spin on Giada's cookies. I almost always make half-recipes too since we're a family of 3 and I like to try different things and bake often. Spelt flour is on my list of ingredients to try and seeing how often you use it is an encouragement.

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  10. These are awesome!I am drooling!
    Kisses from Greece!

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  11. They sound and look incredible, Ela. Love your profile photo :-))

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  12. Great cookies! This recipe is really intriguing.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  13. Anonymous2/06/2014

    Fabulous versatile cookie.
    Have a super day Ela.
    :-) Mandy xo

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  14. These cookies look totally incredible and delicious!

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  15. These sound delicious, and even a little healthy!

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  16. Hi ela, your daughter is right in calling them "incredible". Hazelnut and white chocolate combination with homemade vanilla sugar, everything sound so good. How long does vanilla sugar stay good on the counter?

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    1. Dear Balvinder, I've been looking for an answer. I checked with Julia Child and others. No answer. My feeling is that it doesn't expire. I've had mine sitting for probably a year now, adding used vanilla beans when become available and sugar to fill up my jar. :) ela

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    2. Thanks, a year is a good time. I will make some.

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  17. Beautiful looking cookies! I change the type of flours used in recipes all the time since I have to use gluten free flours. Love your photos :)

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  18. These look like the kind of cookies I love. Chewy and full of my two favorites: white chocolate and hazelnuts! Thank you for sharing!

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  19. Well if Hania says they are incredible who are we to challenge :-) They look so good and love the hazelnut with white chocolate.

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