Hazlenut Chocolate Chip Cookies

There is just something about fresh from the oven cookies that makes my heart go pitter-patter. Whenever I've had a rough week I love to make a big batch of cookies. Something about mixing together gooey deliciousness calms me down. This work week was a long one and I knew I wanted to kick off my holiday weekend with some cookies. I had bought a bag of hazelnuts on impulse a couple of weeks ago. I generally love anything made with or from this fabulous nut. A quick search for hazelnut chocolate chip cookies turned up a beautiful picture. When I followed this picture, it led me to one of my new favorite blogs, Always with Butter. I happened to have all of the ingredients on hands so I was able to have these wonderful cookies. They are nutty and chocolaty and rich. I chose to make a dozen giant cookies from this batter and I highly recommend you do too. Enjoy!

Hazlenut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:

1 cup cold butter (two sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 eggs
3 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted and lightly chopped

2 tablespoons Nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with a beater attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
Add one egg at a time to the sugar mixture. Scrape down the sides of bowl if needed. Add the flour, salt, baking powder, vanilla, and Nutella and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate and nuts with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Divide into equal portions and place on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating pans half way through baking. Cookies should be lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.


Adapted from: Always with Butter