TWD: Linzer Sables

Before I signed up for Tuesdays with Dorie, I'd never heard of a linzer sable. I mean... I'd be apt to call these cookies Jam Sandwich cookies or something equally white trashy. I'm kind of an advocate of the name of something telling you what it's going to taste like. Because, if I tell my brother, Mike... "These are Linzer Sable Cookies" he's going to look at me with a snarl and push the plate aside with a... "ummm... no thanks. Where's the chocolate pie?" So, while it sounds cool to say... "Linzer Sables" I ended up making these for thanksgiving and just told everyone... "These are Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies." Cause that's what mine were.

I used hazelnuts for the nut in the dough and for the filling I ended up using a crunchy chocolate hazelnut spread (think... crunchy nutella. You can buy it at world market). I think all the people who actually tried the cookies, liked them. But honestly, they were a little out of the ordinary looking on our thanksgiving dessert buffet. The smell of cinnamon and hazelnuts was intoxicating and I found the dough to be very easy to work with. I ended up using a 2 inch round shot glass for the cookie cutter and the end of a decorating tip (per Dorie's suggestion) for the center. Usually, I'm not patient enough for fussy looking cookies like these. But these weren't fussy at all. They just look that way!

Next time, I will use jam in the center though. I think that the cinnamon would go better with a nice jam inside... and it would look prettier to have a glistening red or pink showing through the center instead of the dark brown. The most surprising thing to me about these cookies was that they weren't hard and crunchy. I expected them to be, but they actually turned out firm, yet soft. Not crumbly like a shortbread (although, I think technically a sable is supposed to be like a shortbread, yes?), but soft. When you bit into them, they didnt break into a million pieces like I feared they would.

Thanks to Noskos of Living the Life for choosing this recipe.

Oh and sorry for the crappy photos. I had to photograph the cookies at night in bad lighting. Ugh.

Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, I know everyone and their brother is sick of hearing how I was in Oregon last month for a week. So, I’ll spare you the details, except… the one thing I wanted to buy while I was there… (well besides a UofO track t-shirt, chocolate covered hazelnuts and pinot noir) was hazelnuts. Fresh Oregon Hazelnuts. Yum.

I ended up buying some the morning I left at the Portland Airport. And... I know what you're thinking... hazelnuts at the airport?? But, there is this cool store in Oregon called conveniently... "Made in Oregon" where everything they sell is stuff produced in Oregon. Cool, huh? I went to one of these stores in Newport and didn't pick up any hazelnuts, thinking I'd go somewhere later in the week that would have a bigger selection. Turns out. I didn't. So, the Made in Oregon store in the Portland Airport had to do. I’ve had these hazelnuts sitting in my cabinet for a month now and I’ve vigorously searched for the right recipe to use some in. Finally, one day on Cookie Madness, Anna posted a recipe with Hazelnuts that she got from this website. I perused the website and decided on these cookies. Oatmeal, Toffee, Chocolate Chips and Hazelnuts... I mean, you can't go wrong there, right?

These cookies are delicious! I used Heath Brickle Bits instead of Heath Bars cut up, so I added more chocolate chips to the recipe. I must disclose, also, that I added probably a quarter cup more sugar than the recipe called for, because my nuts were salted (ha ha).

These cookies turned out chewy with a little crisp and the hazelnuts and the toffee really go well together. A definite winner.

Hazelnut Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies