Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

These chocolate hazelnut biscotti are dotted with hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Finished with a chocolate drizzle (to make them fancy!) they are the perfect cookie to pair with coffee!

I love to bake biscotti this time of year. There are so many delicious flavour combinations that i love to try a new one each and every year. This year’s might be my new favourite - you can’t go wrong with hazelnut and chocolate. Hazelnut is one of my favourite flavours and it was made to be paired with chocolate.

Biscotti are a traditional Italian cookie that are baked twice. The dough is formed into a log and baked. Once cooled, it is sliced and baked again. It may seem intimidating but it is not difficult to make. The dough comes together quickly and is easy to shape into a log. if you prefer mini biscotti, you can shape the dough into two smaller logs and reduce the first baking time.

These chocolate hazelnut biscotti are the perfect after dinner treat with a cup of coffee or enjoy them in the morning next to the Christmas tree. Tie a bunch together in twine and gift them with your favourite mug and coffee beans.

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Makes: 12 large biscotti

These chocolate hazelnut biscotti are dotted with hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Finished with a chocolate drizzle (to make them fancy!) they are the perfect cookie to pair with coffee!

Ingredients

1/2 c butter, at room temperature 

1 c sugar 

2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla 

2 1/4 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt 

½ c mini chocolate chips

3/4 c chopped roasted hazelnuts

1/2 c  melted dark chocolate, for drizzling 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. 

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, over medium to high speed beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix in vanilla. 

On low speed, mix dry ingredients into wet, until just combined. The dough will be fairly dry but should start to come together in large clumps. Stir in chopped hazelnuts and mini chocolate chips until just combined. 

Turn dough out onto countertop. Knead dough until it comes together. Shape into a large log  (about 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick) and press to flatten slightly. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. 

Allow biscotti to cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting into slices (cut on a diagonal for a more elegant look). Lay slices on baking sheet. 

Bake in a 325F oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and almost dry. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Drizzle with melted chocolate.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These chocolate crinkle cookies are a crowd favourite because of their rich chocolate flavour and brownie like texture!

Cookie season is officially here! It is that time of year when I make more cookies than I can count and my oven barely gets a break! If you are looking for a new cookie to add to your rotation this year these chocolate crinkle cookies would make the perfect addition. They use common ingredients and are oh so delicious! They have the perfect fudge-y brownie like texture with those perfectly crisp edges and a soft center.

Tips for Making Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

1. Chill the cookie dough: This is a crucial step in making these cookies! The cookie dough is very wet and sticky before it has been chilled making it difficult to roll into balls. The unchilled dough will also spread more while baking leaving you with flat cookies. In order to achieve soft pillowy delicious chewy cookies make sure you chill your dough.

2. Use a cookie scoop: To get uniform cookies I highly recommend using a cookie scoop. A cookie scoop will allow for the perfect amount of cookie dough each time.

3. Space out your cookie dough and leave them rolled: There is no need to press down your rolled cookie dough balls, they will spread out and bake into shape naturally. Be sure to leave enough room between the dough to allow for spreading.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Makes: 1 dozen cookies

These chocolate crinkle cookies are a crowd favourite because of their rich chocolate flavour and brownie like texture!

Ingredients

1 c flour 

½ c dark cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder 

½ tsp salt 

1 c sugar 

¼ c butter, melted

2 egg 

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ c icing sugar, for rolling 

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, over medium speed, beat together sugar and melted butter. Beat in eggs one at a time, scrapping down the side of the bowl after each addition. Add in vanilla extract. On low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. 

Cover the dough mixture and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.  

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking trays with parchment paper and set aside. Scoop cookie dough (about 1 tbsp) and roll into roll balls. Roll cookie dough balls in powdered sugar and place on baking tray.  Bake 6-8 cookies per tray for 11-12 minutes. 

When done baking, allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Red Velvet Cookie Sandwiches

These red velvet cookie sandwiches are soft and chewy and filled with everyone’s favourite cream cheese frosting! These heart shaped cookies are perfect to share - anytime!

I am so excited to share this recipe with you. When I started planning what I wanted to make for Valentine’s Day this year cookie sandwiches immediately came to mind. I knew I wanted my cookies to be heart shaped, so I needed a dough that would hold its shape and since everyone loves cream cheese frosting I knew it would be the perfect filling.

Red Velvet Cake has that hint of cocoa flavour and is incredibly moist. I wanted to make sure that my cookies shared the same characteristics while still holding their shape. The cookies have a true red velvet flavour. They have just enough cocoa powder and the addition of sour cream really helps to bring home that red velvet flavour and texture.

There are a few key things that you can do to keep the cookies from spreading while baking. It all comes down to properly chilling your cookies. Chilling them before you roll them out and before they go into the oven really helps them keep their shape.

The cookies are delicious straight from the oven but they taste even better the next day in my opinion. The cream cheese frosting keeps the cookies nice and soft, and that extra day gives all the flavours a chance to meld together.

Red Velvet Cookie Sandwiches

Makes: 2-3 dozen individual cookies or 1-1.5 dozen sandwich cookies

Ingredients

For the Cookies

1 c butter

1 c sugar

1 tsp vinegar

1 egg

Red Gel Food Colouring

2 c flour

¼ c cocoa powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 tbsp sour cream

For the Frosting

8oz cream cheese, at room temperature

½ c butter, at room temperature

3 c icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-3 tbsp heavy cream (optional)

Directions

For the Cookies: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on medium speed, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vinegar and food colouring  to butter mixture. Mix until combined. Sift together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. On slow speed, add in flour mixture. Finally, mix in sour cream. Mix until just combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for minimum 1 hour

Preheat oven to 350F. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to desired thickness. Cut out cookies using desired cookie cutters and transfer to parchment lined baking tray. Chill cut cookies in fridge for 15 minutes before baking. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until cookie edges are light golden brown.  Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

For the Frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, over medium to high speed, beat together butter and cream cheese until light and creamy. On low speed, mix in icing sugar, one cup at a time, until incorporated. Mix in vanilla. Whip on medium to high speed for 1-2minutes or until light and fluffy. Add heavy cream until desired frosting consistency is reached.

To assemble: Pair up similar sized cookies. Pipe frosting onto cookies and sandwich together. Store cookies in an airtight container. Enjoy!