Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread Dunkers

Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread Dunkers – whoa, that’s a mouthful. And, it’s the best kind too—soft buttery crumbs, full of toasted hazelnuts, then dipped in dark chocolate; and of course let’s not forget the sugar rimming for some added crunch and sparkle.

Now that January is drawing to an end. Can I lure you back into the kitchen for some homemade cookies? The baking hiatus is over. Valentine’s is around the corner and sweet treats are calling.

Oh, I can’t even tell you how much I love this holiday, I don’t care that the naysayers call it a manufactured day. I love it—it is what you make of it, now what others say it is.

 

It’s not even that matt and I do anything in particular, but I always love that we have something planned, especially since it’s one of the last weekend’s before baseball madness starts in our house.

This year with the baby here, we are playing catch up on planning. But what I do know is I’ll have these cookies baked and ready for Matt because despite years of attempted coercion he will always reach for a cookie over cake or any other dessert first.

Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread Dunkers

Yield: Makes 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 large egg yolk
• 4 tablespoon agave 
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) toasted hazelnut, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup coarse sugar
• 8 oz. dark chocolate (65%), melted
• 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Directions:

Preparation: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bakesheet with parchment paper.

Sift flour and salt into a bowl; set aside. Place the butter, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream butter on medium-low speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the egg and vanilla, beat until blended. Reduce the mixer speed low and in the dry ingredients in three additions. Turn off the mixer and fold in the nuts.

Portion the dough in half and shape each half into 15x3x1 inch rectangular logs. Press coarse sugar into each side. Cover with plastic wrap and push both ends with your hand toward the center to tighten the dough. Chill prepared dough for at least 3 hours. Remove chilled dough and slice cookies to ½ inch thickness. Place each cookie 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies are lightly browned, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place chocolate and shortening in a bowl and heat in 5 seconds bursts until melted, making sure to stir between each heating. Dip one corner of cookie into melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to set.

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