Hazelnut, spelt, chocolate chunk cookies

I am weak at the knees when it comes to anything that involves hazelnuts and chocolate and these cookies are just divine. Most definitely a cookie over a biscuit they are large and rounded with a good crunchy outside and soft centre. I used spelt flour for these but you can use regular plain flour or any gluten free flour blend too.

Hazelnut, spelt, chocolate chunk cookies

| makes approx 20 cookies |

INGREDIENTS

225g butter (soft, at room temperature)
160g light brown soft sugar , or coconut sugar (1 packed cup)
2 large eggs
2 tsps pure, organic vanilla extract
80g hazelnuts (3/4 cup)
250g dark – 70% or darker – chocolate (1 ½ cups)
300g spelt flour, plain works too (3 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
pinch of salt

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Next place your hazelnut on a dry baking tray and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until they begin to smell fragrant and their skins slightly split. Be careful not to burn them. Remove and allow to cool.
Whilst they are cooking chop your chocolate. Don’t be to precious about this, big chunks and small chunks are all fine. Don’t throw away the very fine chocolatey, dusty bits. These give the cookies wonderful chocolate flecks.
Once your hazelnuts are cool enough to touch transfer them to a clean, dry tea-towel and uses your hands to scrunch up the fabric and rub away their skins. If a few remain intact do not worry. Give your hazelnuts a rough chop and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl beat your butter using an electric whisk until fluffy. Add your sugar and beat again until light and fluffy. Beat in your eggs one at a time and then add your vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl whisk together your spelt flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Pour your dry mix into the creamed butter and fold until incorporated adding your chopped chocolate and hazelnuts about half way through.
Your batter should be thick and sticky, if it is a little thin place it in the fridge for an hour to chill.
Using two tablespoons drop about 2 tablespoons worth of mix onto the baking tray. Bake int he preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are brown but the middle is still a touch soft. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack.

After about five minutes slide the cookies off the tray and place them onto the rack to cool completely. Enjoy.