(Paleo) Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies

I don’t even know how to break the news to you – but these Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies are my new obsession...soon to be yours too.
Not only they are decadent in flavor and they taste kind of naughty - with all that rich dark chocolate; but they are paleo-friendly and kind of healthy.
Now, I could easily go on, and on, and on for the whole post citing the reasons why you should eat these cookies. Because they’re gluten-free, refined-sugar free, because of this, because of that, etc.
For once let’s focus on the delicious instead...as these cookies are pure perfection.

In my opinion, you can never go wrong with hazelnut and chocolate, it’s a marriage made in heaven.
Think about hazelnut clusters or Nutella. Unless, of course, you don’t like Nutella….…is that even possible? Is there a person in this world who can resist that velvety chocolate butter?
And, just for the record, I’m not saying that I eat Nutella (as it’s loaded with oil and sugar) but I can’t deny it tastes pretty darn good. End of the story.

But now, now I have these chocolate-hazelnut cookies and they are like legit, on all accounts.
Texture's crunchier than a regular cookie but still a tad chewy. They taste like roasted hazelnuts with a hint of vanilla and honey and covered in chocolate.
Truly addictive; once you had one, you will be back for more.
No seriously, this stuff is good. So good. Why are you still reading? Go bake some. I'll wait.

Welcome back. Wasn't that del-freaking-licious?

(Paleo) Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookies                                                                    Print this recipe! 
Adapted from CaveGirlCulture

Ingredients
Makes 20 cookies

2 cups / 9.8 oz / 275 gr hazelnuts (I used Raw Oregon Hazelnuts)
4 tablespoons arrowroot powder
¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 free-range organic egg (or 1 flax egg)
4 tablespoons maple syrup (or raw organic honey)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon melted coconut oil (or butter)
2 oz / 57 gr + 70% dark chocolate (I used Green & Black’s Organic)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes, stirring once.
Remove from the oven and let cool for a couple of minutes.
If you’re using unblanched hazelnuts, pour them in a clean kitchen towel. Close into a bundle and give an energetic massage, this will (partially) skin the hazelnuts.
Transfer hazelnuts to a food processor and pulse until grind into a thick flour consistency (you don’t want them completely pulverized).
In a large bowl combine hazelnut flour, arrowroot powder and salt.
Add egg, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix until a sticky dough forms.
Place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
In the meantime, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and fill a bowl with water (you’ll need to wet your fingers before handling the dough).
Remove dough from the fridge, scoop one tablespoon and with wet fingers press it down on the parchment paper to form a ¼-inch thick circle.
Using a small glass, a mug or cookie cutter cut out a perfect circle (mines were 2.5-inch wide).
Peel off the excess dough and add back to the bowl.
Repeat to form all cookies (you’ll need to clean the glass a couple of times).
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 11 to 12 minutes (be extra careful not to burn the cookies), and let cool completely on a rack.
When cookies are completely cool, gently melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler (or in the microwave) and dip each cookie into the melted chocolate to cover half.
Let the excess chocolate drip off, place on the parchment paper and let set completely.

Nutrition facts

One cookie yields 97 calories, 8 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs and 2 grams of protein.