Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies

You can never have enough cookie recipes in your arsenal. I love the all-American Chocolate Chip Cookie, but sometimes they can become boring. This is a fun variation on the classic Chocolate Chip Cookie. The addition of ground hazelnuts gives this chewy cookie a Praline-like character. They are so good, that I bet that you can't eat just one!

Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Cookies
Makes 3 dozen cookies

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup hazelnut flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 cups best quality semisweet chocolate chips

Position oven racks to center of oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or use Silpats.

Mix flour, hazelnut flour, baking powder, and salt together using a whisk.

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time and beat in thoroughly. Add the vanilla, mix in, and scrape the bowl again.

Add flour mixture and blend on low until just incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and blend until they are well distributed. Allow dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

After dough has rested, scoop out 1/4 cup portions, roll into a ball, then divide the ball in half. Place each half on prepared baking pans until you have 12 cookies per pan. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes. For best results, bake only 1 pan at a time. When finished, remove cookies to a cooling rack. Best served warm, but these cookies will keep for a week in a covered container.

Spiced Pumpkin Madeleines

Wow! What a time of transition it has been! Sorry that I have been away for a while, but there have been many changes going on at Beyond The Kitchen Wall. The biggest change was moving from the Estate in Glencoe, Illinois to a temporary house in Wilmette, Illinois. It was hard to leave my Kitchen and Garden behind, but that's life... I also managed to squeeze a fantastic honeymoon to Paris in there as well. It was great to return to the City of Lights after many years. Paris is magical and renewed my passions for French Cuisine and the French People.

That being said, it is time to get back to business. And my business is FOOD! I have been working on many recipes in my absence and hope to share them with you in the coming weeks.

We are at the threshold of the Holiday Season, Thanksgiving is this Thursday in the U.S. I wanted to share a recipe that features an ingredient that figures very prominently in the Thanksgiving celebration and during the Holiday Season as a whole, namely Pumpkin. I love pumpkin and am a die hard pumpkin pie fan, but there are other things that you can do with this ingredient. One of my favorite new recipes is for Spiced Pumpkin Madeleines. It is a very French way to use an all-American ingredient.

These "cookies" are incredibly easy to prepare because I use good old canned pumpkin puree. Their texture is pure madeleine, crispy on the outside and cakey-soft on the inside. Also, like true madeleines, this texture is fleeting. They are at their zenith of perfection while still warm from the oven. They begin to decline quickly, and should be consumed the same day that they are prepared. After a day, they become soft and "wet"/sticky. They still taste great, but they lack the hallmark madeleine texture. This really should not be a problem though, because they are so good that they won't be around that long!

Spiced Pumpkin Madeleines
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon Madagascar vanilla extract
• 3/4 cups cake flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, browned

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat begin to melt the butter. Once the butter melts, allow it to gently cook until it begins to turn a light brown color. Immediately turn off heat and allow butter to sit. It will continue to brown as it rests. If your butter gets too dark, start over.

Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a mixer along with half of the sugar. Beat on high speed until sugar melts and yolks become a pale yellow. Add pumpkin puree and vanilla and beat on low until just mixed together.

Place egg whites in a separate mixer bowl and beat on high speed until they reach soft peaks. Add remaining sugar and continue beating until egg whites are stiff and glossy.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and spices.

Whisk 1/3 of the egg whites into the pumpkin mixture to lighten the batter. Then in 2 batches, gently fold in remaining egg whites using a large rubber spatula. Sprinkle flour mixture gently over the top of the batter and fold until combined. Be sure that there are no pockets of flour at the bottom of the bowl. Finally, add 6 tablespoons of the reserved brown butter, reserving 2 tablespoons to grease the madeleine pan. Cover batter and allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

To bake:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place oven rack in middle position. Lightly butter a madeleine pan with the reserved brown butter. Be sure that no butter pools in the bottom of the shells as this will distort the final appearance. Place 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of batter in each shell mold. I find that a small portion scooper works best for this. Place in hot oven and bake for 14 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and invert madeleines onto a cooling rack. If they stick, just bang a corner of the pan on the rack and they will come right out. Allow to cool to warm and serve immediately. They may be kept for 1 day, uncovered.

Amandines au Chocolat a l'Ancienne

These Old-fashioned Chocolate and Almond Cookies are an absolute delight! They are simple yet sophisticated, and incredibly easy to prepare. The entire recipe is made in the food processor, and bakes in only 12 minutes. The cookies are addictively chewy and packed with flavor. They are almost macaroon-like. I guarantee that once you try them, you will be hooked!

This is also a great recipe to use for Passover, as it contains no flour or butter. It is parve by nature and does not force you to have to use matzah meal!

This recipe is a variation of a recipe in the book Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan. I have made some slight changes in ingredients (I add salt and vanilla) and cooking time and temperature. I also make my cookies a bit larger.

Amandines au Chocolat a l'Ancienne
Makes about 18 cookies

• 81/2 ounces blanched almonds or almond flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (I use Valrhona)
• 1/2 leftover, dried vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel
• 3 large egg whites

Position oven racks to center and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat.

In the bowl of a food processor, place almonds or almond flour, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla pod (if using, don't add vanilla extract here), and salt. Turn machine on and process until the almonds are ground and everything is evenly blended. Be sure that there are no large pieces of almond hiding in the mix. With the motor running, add the egg whites (and the vanilla extract if you are using it) all at once. Continue processing until just combined. Be careful not to over process as we do not want to incorporate too much air into the batter. Turn machine off and finish blending with a rubber spatula, being sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Transfer batter to a clean bowl.

Using a 1 1/4 inch portion scooper, scoop 9 cookies, evenly spaced, per prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies in preheated oven for exactly 12 minutes. I recommend baking only one sheet at a time to guarantee consistent results. After 12 minutes, remove cookies from oven and carefully slide parchment paper or silpat with the cookies onto a cool counter top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, and then carefully remove cookies from the paper or silpat and place on a rack to cool completely. Repeat with second pan. After cookies cool completely, they may be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I doubt that they will be around that long!

Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here is a fun variation based on the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that I published back in August. Rich, dark cocoa powder is added to the dough and white chocolate chips replace the usual bittersweet chips. The resulting cookie is incredibly decadent. The rich, chocolaty dough is enhanced by the vanilla richness of the white chocolate. These are great cookies to make for kids because the white chocolate is sweeter than expected and helps to tame the intensity of the dark cocoa, which some kids just don't like. It is also fun to make a batch of these cookies when you make a batch of regular chocolate chip cookies. They are like photo negatives of each other. This recipe makes 16 to 18 large cookies.

Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1 1/2 sticks of softened unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 teaspoons Madagascar vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder, I prefer Valrhona
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cups best quality white chocolate chips or chunks

Position oven racks to center of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or use a Silpat.

Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together using a whisk.

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to be sure that they are well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until well blended. Scrape down the sides, add vanilla and mix until well blended.

Scrape the sides again and add the flour/cocoa mixture. Mix on low speed until just about incorporated. Finally, add the white chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated and no more dry flour or cocoa is visible. Allow dough to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but overnight is better to develop deeper flavor.

After dough has rested, scoop out scant 1/4 cup portions of dough, form into mounds, and place on prepared pans. Place 6 mounds per sheet. Using the heel of your hand, lightly flatten each mound of dough. If dough sticks to your hand, wet hand slightly.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. For best results, bake only 1 pan at a time. When finished, remove cookies from pan using a spatula, and place on a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining pans.

Food Trends: Salty Is The New Sweet

As a Private Chef I am responsible for all of the components of a meal, from first courses to desserts. The family that I work for loves desserts and little sweets that can be nibbled throughout the day. Luckily, I am strongly cross-trained in both savory preparations and pastry. I try to stay on top of all of the latest food trends, not easy in this fast paced world...

One of my favorite new trends is the pronounced presence of salt in sweet preparations. It seems like all of the top French Pastry Chefs are putting French Sea Salt into everything. There is something magical about this combination. The sweet tastes sweeter, and the salt lingers on the palate, tempting you to take another bite. These French Chefs are even baking and making candies with, dare I say it, SALTED BUTTER! You know, the butter we're not even supposed to think about using in our recipes. The master, Pierre Herme, makes caramels using the forbidden, "second rate" ingredient. The result... The BEST caramel that you have ever tasted!

When baking with salt it is important to use only the best. We are looking for the purest salt flavor without any funny aftertaste. The French are of course using Fleur de Sel and Sel Gris, but there are a number of fancy sea salts on the market today. Each salt is unique as they all have different mineral contents. Experiment with different options until you find your favorite. Just remember, the larger the crystal, the less it will dissolve in your preparations.

Commercial table salt is not a good option as it contains multiple ingredients to make it "flow". These ingredients impart strange flavors. Don't use it. EVER! FOR ANYTHING!

Back in July, the New York Times published a recipe for the best Chocolate Chip Cookie in New York. The best cookie in New York is French! The recipe was created by Jacques Torres, one of the world's best French Pastry Chefs. The recipe is loaded with French Sea Salt, and the results are wonderful. You can get the recipe from the NY Times, but by now it is all over the web.

The following Chocolate Chip Recipe is the one that I have been using for years with the addition of Fleur de Sel. The original recipe was good, but this one rocks. Try it!


Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 sticks of softened UNsalted butter (I know)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 whole egg, large
2 egg yolks, large
2 teaspoons Madagascar vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Fleur de Sel
2 cups best quality bittersweet chocolate chips

Position oven racks to center of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees for at least 1 hour. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or use a Silpat.

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together using a whisk.

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to be sure that they are well blended. Add the whole egg and mix together, scraping the sides. Then add the yolks, one at a time, until blended. Add the vanilla.

Scrape sides again and add the flour mixture. Blend on low speed until just about incorporated. Finally, add the chocolate chips and blend until just incorporated and no more dry flour is visible. Allow dough to rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour, but overnight is better to develop deeper flavor.

After dough has rested, scoop out scant 1/4 cup portions of dough and roughly form balls in your hands. Don't make them too smooth, the rough texture makes a better looking finished product. Place 6 portions per pan and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. For best results, bake only 1 pan at a time. When finished, remove cookies from pan using a spatula, and place on a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining pans. ENJOY!

Note: Fleur de Sel can be obtained at most specialty food stores, or from The Spice House.