June 9, 2019

Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

Name: Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Ingredients: 40 g almond meal (21.9g of fat); 80 g natural smooth peanut butter (39.4g of fat); 60 g hulled tahini (36.4g of fat); 1 egg (5g of fat); 1/4 cup honey; 1/4 tsp baking powder

Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies.

When the kids have a meltdown because you say they can’t have a second cookie, you know you’ve found a winner. These Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies are simple to put together. Especially if you have a jar of my Chocolate Hazelnut Spread ready to go.

Threenagers.

I’m not sure how, but the days seem to be disappearing faster. In the middle of the chaos, when the ‘threenagers’ have taken over the house and I feel like I’m not achieving much of anything, the days do feel long. But once I’ve tucked them up in bed and kissed them goodnight (after filling requests for water, cuddles, different toys, tucking their blankets in differently etc etc) , I wonder where the day went.

It feels like the kitchen is always a mess. Or on the days when I manage to get all the dishes away and I’m just hanging up a tea towel, someone will announce they WANT TO EAT! And the mess starts all over again.

Trying to find a balance.

Creating new recipes when I’m feeling overwhelmed by the workload around me (not to mention, trying to toilet train our nearly 3 year old twins!) isn’t something that I’m really in the right frame of mind for. I have a handful of winners, Norah is putting on weight (HAPPY DANCE!). So making more mess, just doesn’t seem worth it. *Since starting this post, Norah has been sick and lost some weight. I definitely need to get back into the kitchen now!*

Then I lie awake after the kids have gone to bed. After I’ve refilled the dishwasher for the 3rd time and find myself thinking of ingredients and recipes. And then, jotting down ideas on my phone.

Stop making it so Complicated.

A week or so ago *a lot longer now!* I thought about my last recipe (Salted Caramel Bliss Balls) and realised I used my Cashew Chocolate and Coconut Bliss Ball recipe as my starting point for that. This is what I should be doing with more of my recipes.

So I’ve changed up the Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Tahini Cookie recipe and added a bit of a twist. The best part; the twist is my Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. This new Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies recipe was pretty much written and ready to go. I just had to test them out. Sleep first.

Originally I thought I would just make the Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Tahini Cookies and sandwich them with the Chocolate Spread. But then I thought maybe that would be a bit of a chocolate overload. Yes you read that correctly, even though a huge portion of my recipes have chocolate in them (Chocolate Coconut Hummus, Choc Coconut Mug Cake, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chia Mousse, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Tahini Smoothie….that’s just a few) I think there probably is a point of too much chocolate.

So the outside of these Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies is peanut butter and tahini based. I made the Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Tahini Cookies, but left out the cacao. Each cookie needs a top and a bottom. So when I scooped the mixture onto the baking paper I used half the amount I did for the original cookies.

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread.

My Chocolate Hazelnut Spread recipe has 7 tbsp of coconut oil in it. That means when it’s stored in the fridge, it sets hard. For obvious reasons, I store it in the pantry. But because it sets hard, it’s prefect for the inside of these Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies. That being said; the twins couldn’t wait for them to set in the fridge when I made them the first time. They were disappointed enough that I made them wait for the cookies to cool before I sandwiched them together. The cookies taste delicious whether the spread has set or is still soft. Grab the recipe for the filling HERE.

A little bit sticky.

I did notice the following day that the bottom of the cookie slightly stuck to the plate. It didn’t change the taste whatsoever, but the kids did turn their noses up at the change of appearance. Next time I will place a small amount of baking paper on the plate or container I store them in/on.

*It’s been so long since I started writing this post, I have made these Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies again already. Putting the baking paper under them worked a treat and Norah even said, “There’s no holes on the bottom this time.”

Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

Course Snack

Keyword Almond Meal, Cacao, Chocolate, Coconut Oil, Cookies, Hazelnuts, Peanut Butter, Tahini

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Making the Chocolate Hazelnut Spread 30 minutes

Servings 9

Ingredients

40 g almond meal 21.9g of fat
80 g natural smooth peanut butter 39.4g of fat
60 g hulled tahini 36.4g of fat
1 egg 5g of fat
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp baking powder

Instructions

Pre heat the oven to 180℃ fan forced.
Weigh out all the ingredients and put into a mixing bowl.
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Use a 1/2 tablespoon to measure out the mixture for the top and bottom of each cookie.
Use your fingers to shape the mixture into cookies.
Place a small amount of water in a cup. Wet a fork with the water and lightly press the fork onto the top of each cookie to create the indent on top. Dunk the fork each time you use it
Place the cookies in the oven for approximately 7-8 mins, or fairly firm to touch.
Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack before placing 1/2 a tablespoon of the chocolate hazelnut spread on half of the cookies.
Place the remaining cookies on top of the ones that now have chocolate hazelnut spread on them.
Enjoy them straight away while the spread is still runny. Or place them in the fridge on a lined plate or plastic container for approximately 15 mins for the spread to harden.