Healthy Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies (?)

I'm not too sure if I am eligible to dub these aromatic and delectable cookies "healthy". It was the ingredients that made me conclude that these cookies carry some nutritious value. Oh well, you be the judge :) Before I begin, I hope you are enjoying the picture I took from Union bus station on my way to Hamilton. Such calming blue sky and majestic building. Love it :)

The making of these cookies began with a craving for the aromatic toasted hazelnuts pieces I ate a week ago when my sister made them for Valentine's Day. The thought of eating those cookies again was so irresistable that I finally resoted to my reserved in-shell hazelnuts on my kitchen countertop. I had bought them for decorations in my kitchen, but they end up cluttering the space. So, why no crack them up and use them for making those Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies again?

As the craving started to settle in, I realized that this was such a brilliant combination!
Dark chocolate and hazelnuts = Nutella !!
You could never go wrong with this! :D

Here comes the recipe, straight from its origin, FoodTV's Sugar. However, I made some adjustments because I ran out of vanilla extract and I used some leftover egg-white. Thus, I replaced the vanilla extract with two tablespoons of Jamaican Rhum and added a splash of milk. Also, I used more coffee powder than I was supposed to. Just because as the coffee powder and rhum intermingled I couldn't resist their wonderful aroma and desired a bolder taste as a result :)

Without further ado...

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

• 3/4 cup whole hazelnuts
• 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp instant coffee powder
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp fine salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 12 minutes. Cool, then rub off skins with a tea towel and roughly chop into small pieces.
   
3. Melt chocolate in microwave, stirring every 10 seconds and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in eggs. Stir vanilla and instant coffee together and add to butter mixture. Stir in melted chocolate.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to butter mixture to combine. Stir in chopped hazelnuts. Drop by large tablespoonfuls onto a parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until just lightly crisp around the edges but the cookies should be chewy in the center.

I kind of see these cookies as a more adult version of other ordinary cookies. Just because...
I shaped them into fun bone cookie cutter but they ended up looking like some chewing bones for doggies. However, I can guarantee the taste and don't be shy to go for it !

Yum-O!

Delicious with coffee or tea