Chocolate Dipped Hazelnut Lace Cookies

It's been a while since I posted a nice cookie recipe.  Well this is certainly one I'm proud of.  You’ve gotta make these cookies.  Chewy and crispy, nutty and buttery, bathed in chocolate, these are worth the time.  I based them on the Lacey’s cookies, which are tubs of heaven at Whole Foods, purchased to soothe the pain of a busy night at the hospital.  The cookies capture the same lacelike look, with a slightly less sweet and chewier mouthfeel.  I used Rice Krispies for most of the starch, keeping an airy quality. 

These cookies are very candy-like, in fact the first step is the same as making toffee. In the humid and already hot days of Texas spring, they are best stored in the fridge.  The whipped egg white, which I realized if done by hand takes the same amount of time as a kitchen aid with the right whisk, adds a meringue like quality.  They need to be baked just perfectly, between 6-8 minutes until the edges are darkened but not burnt otherwise the texture isn’t right.  

Makes ~18 cookie sandwiches or 3 dozen unadorned cookies

1/2 cup hazelnuts

2 cups Rice Krispy

1 stick butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup cream

Pinch salt

Tsp vanilla

1/4 cup flour

Pinch cream of tartar

1 egg white

6 oz chocolate (dark or milk)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Chop the hazelnuts until they are fine.  In a large bowl combine the cereal and the hazelnuts.  Over medium high heat in a heavy saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, honey and cream.  Bring to a boil and let boil for one minute.  Turn off the heat, allow to cool slightly, and whisk in the flour, salt, vanilla and cream of tartar.  In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until it makes soft peaks.  Add a small amount of the warm butter mixture to the egg and fold in.  Fold the rest of the butter mixture into the egg.  Combine the butter and egg mixture with the cereal and hazelnuts.  On a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper, add a heaping teaspoon of batter, spacing at least 2 inches between cookies as they spread when baked.  Bake for 6-8 minutes until the cookie is lacey and the edges are dark brown but not burnt.  Allow to cool, then transfer to a baking rack. 

Over a pot of simmering water on medium heat, add a snug mixing bowl and chopped up chocolate.  Stir constantly until barely melted.  Smear a teaspoon or so on a cookie and immediately sandwich another cookie on top.  Allow to cool and then place in the fridge for the chocolate to harden.  Enjoy!