Chocolate…..YES. Hazelnuts…..YES. Crispy…..uh, hell yeah. Chewy……YEP. Delicous……GIMMEEEEEE.

Are you looking for a totally new cookie experience? I found this recipe on line recently. The name of the cookie got my attention. Twisted Tollhouse Cookies. Cool, right? I have no idea why they are called that. They are nothing like a Tollhouse cookie. There are no chocolate chips either. I’ve decided to call these Chocolate Hazelnut Crispies. This is an interesting cookie and I just couldn’t wait to make them for you all. Ok, well…I made them for me, but I was thinking about you all and how much you would love these. The batter consists of the usual brown sugar, white sugar, egg, etc. But it also calls for grated chocolate and ground hazelnuts (hazelnut meal….or as some folks call it, hazelnut flour) Doesn’t it sound fun? If you are an appreciator of good cookies, you must make these. I know my friend Patti will make these for sure. She’s the best cookie baker I know.

This cookie bakes flat. They are also very brown. So don’t be worried that you did something wrong. Hazelnuts have a lot of oil in them, so that combined with the butter in these, makes them flat. The grated chocolate makes the dough all speckly and purty. All that grated chocolate becomes one with the dough.

It really is a unique cookie. But very, very good. I may have to put this one in my top 5 favorite cookies.

Chocolate Hazelnut Crispies

1  3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup hazelnut meal/flour ** see below
1  tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1  cup butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1  tsp vanilla
2 eggs
9 oz bar of Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate bar, grated or FINELY chopped

** You can buy hazelnut meal/flour in the store, but it’s pricey. I grind my own.
Toast the hazelnuts by placing them on a baking sheet and roasting at 350 deg, for about 8 minutes. You will start smelling their aroma. Don’t let them burn. Remove from oven and place them on a dish towel. Cover them with the dish towel and rub them all together. This will remove the skins of the hazelnuts. Place them in a food processor and pulse until you have a fine meal. Don’t over do it or you will have nut butter. Measure out 1/2 cup and combine with the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. On low speed, add the dry ingredients just until combined. DON’T OVER MIX. Gently hand stir in the grated chocolate. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat oven to 350.
Scoop mounds (approx. 2 TBLSP) of dough onto the baking sheet, 2″ apart. Slightly flatten the mounds of dough.  Bake for 12 -14 minutes. Cookies should be brown and flat. Allow to rest on baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer cookies to a cooling rack. They will get crispy.