My previous post involved caramelised chestnuts, and I mentioned that I’d blitzed some of them up until smooth to give a bowl of luxurious purée. I ate a couple of spoonfuls of the stuff straight, but I’m not a sugar monster, and needed something to tone it down. I decided to experiment with baking it in to a batch of cookies, tempering the sweetness by adding a good measure of cocoa powder and a handful or two of roughly chopped hazelnuts. I’m not usually a fan of sugar coating, whether in the figurative or literal sense (although there’s always a place for tact, and now and again, a freshly made sugared donut.) But the frosty looking, crunchy crust on these that came into being on a last minute whim ate like a revelation. It turns out, I do like sugar coating after all!
Ingredients
200g chestnut purée
120g flour
60g good quality cocoa powder
1 egg
Pinch of salt
30g sugar, plus extra for rolling
Splash of milk
50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Sift together the flour, cocoa and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, then combine these dry ingredients with a fork.
Throw in the chestnut purée and the egg. Still using the fork, mix until just combined (you may need to add a splash of milk.) Add the chopped nuts and stir through, then use your hands to bring together into a ball.
Break off small pieces of the dough and roll between your palms until approximating golf ball size. Roll each in a good coating of sugar, then place on a lined baking tray (mine made sixteen small cookies.)
Bake in the middle of the oven for about 6 minutes, until cracked and crisp on the outside but still a little soft in the centre. Lovely warm, but mine were even tastier on the second day. Great with a strong cup of coffee!
Not sure I find the hazelnuts in the ingredients but they look very tasty! 🙂
Thanks for letting me know, I’ve added them to the list 🙂
Lovely! I love the idea of chestnut and chocolate! Must try those lil’ guys. I made spelt bread and chestnut purée once, for a blue cheese theme; very interesting.
Yumm…These look decadent 🙂