Chocolate Week at Spiral Style: Cookie Day

In honor of Valentine's Day I'm featuring chocolate this week on Spiral Style.   Flowers and chocolate are traditional Valentine's Day gifts and while chocolate is appropriate any time, it seems especially so this week.  I'm starting with cookies because I'm going to send some love in the form of cookies to my nieces and nephews and other family members.  I need to mail my packages so I chose cookies that would travel well.  The cookies above are Chocolate-filled Hazelnut Cookies from a 2004 Gourmet Magazine recipe.  These crispy cookies are complimented by a smooth, chocolaty filling.  Rather than the melted chocolate they suggest as a filling, I used Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread.

TECHNIQUE FOR COOKIES

Toast nuts in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.  Put nuts in towel, (see photo left) and "massage" nuts vigorously.  The nuts will shed their papery skin. 

These cookies are reminiscent of those gooey s'mores we all loved as kids.   The whole wheat, brown sugar and touch of molasses give the cookies a graham cracker flavor.  

Whole Wheat S'more Cookies are filled with chocolate chips, marshmallows and nuts.  (I used peanuts rather than walnuts)  Click here for the recipe.  
note* The dough will be very stiff.  I rolled the dough into small balls and flattened them slightly, giving them a more even, finished look than just dropping with spoons on the cookie sheet.  

Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies are adapted from the The Babbo Cookbook and found on epicurious.com.  These cookies are fudge-y and delicious.  Make sure to use Dutch-process cocoa powder.  This is necessary because of the type of leavening agent used in the recipe.  


All of these cookies are simple to make, pack well for mailing, and stay fresh for about a week if stored in an airtight container.  

Bake some chocolate love!