Hazelnut Espresso Cookies

(recipe Everyday Food: Fresh Flavors Fast)

Makes 36

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a meduim bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in espresso powder.
  3. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour mixture until incorporated. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix in hazelnuts.
  4. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto three baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake, first two sheets together, until golden, about 12 minutes, rotating sheets front to back and from top to bottom halfway through. Repeat with remaining sheet. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve, or store in an airtight container up to 3 days.

To remove the skins of the hazelnuts:

Heat oven to 250 F degrees. Place hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking pan. Toast in oven until the skins start to crack, about 15 minutes. Wrap hot hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel and let steam for 5 minutes.  Rub the hazelnuts with the kitchen towel until most of the skins have come off. It’s OK if some are still on them. Discard skins