Easy Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon Cookies (Gluten-Free)

So, normally we post pretty healthy recipes, right? Well, this is not one of those times. (And last week we were just talking about finding "treats" other than food. You know, on the post with the bad picture, but yummy food.) Of course, we are okay with a real, sugary treat every now and again. And when you fill a soft, nutty cookie with rich chocolate ganache, you get a really good one.


Ingredients

1 1/4 C powdered sugar
1 c finely ground hazelnuts
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 C granulated sugar

Directions

1. Cut 3 pieces of parchment paper the same size as your cookie sheets. On the wrong side, use a pencil to trace circles about 1.5 inches in diameter. Turn the paper back to the right side.

I used a small cup as my guide.

2. Stir together powdered sugar, hazelnuts, and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. (If you can't find chopped the hazelnuts at the store, I chopped mine in food processor and it worked fine. I also ran a tablespoon or two short and added some almonds, which worked as well.) Set aside.

3. In your mixing bowl, combine egg whites, vanilla, and a dash of salt. Beat eggs with an electric mixer until they're frothy.

My frothy egg whites.

4. Add in sugar slowly. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form. In other words, just barely soft enough to hold a shape for a little while. When you've reached this point, stir in the hazelnut mixture.

5. Spoon the cookie batter into a decorating bag with a 1/2 inch round tip. For some reason, we couldn't find a tip that would work, so I just spooned it into a zip-lock bag and snipped off the end. Necessity is the mother of invention! Pipe the batter into the circles that you've traced on the parchment paper.

6. Now this part is important for those perfect macaroons with the little "foot." Let the cookie sheets with the piped mixture lay on the counter undisturbed for 30 minutes. I had the best luck with the ones that sat there for exactly that long. The ones that were there for 45 minutes were more likely to crack. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

The cookies anxiously awaiting to enter the oven.

7. While cookies are setting, make ganache filling. Place chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat cream over the stove, stirring constantly, until boiling. Carefully pour cream over chocolate chips and let sit for a minute. Then begin stirring. The chocolate chips should melt into the cream until mixture is smooth. Place into the fridge to cool.

8. Bake cookies for 9 to 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets on wire racks. After they are cool, carefully peel the cookies off the parchment paper.

9. Spread the cooled ganache filling on each cookie. Enjoy right away. They don't store well. Makes about 22 sandwich cookies.

This is how they are supposed to look. See the little "foot" at the bottom?

The ones that sat out on the counter longer didn't have such a nice foot. They cracked on the top. The taste isn't changed at all. I decided I liked them cracked too. They look a little more homey.

Some of the cracked finished cookies. They were delicious!