Here’s a riddle for you foodies: What’s the only thing better than a steamy, creamy, perfectly spiced latte? Answer: One that’s served with these crush-worthy holiday hazelnut cookies on the side.
For this year’s holiday cooking class inside the home of LA designer, Jenni Kayne, we invited private chef and caterer, Lori Stern, to take over the kitchen with her signature nature-inspired cookies — grab one recipe below and another fave here!
These cacao ganache dipped hazelnut cookies are made all the more magical with these sugared sage leaves – absolutely stunning on the table and surprisingly easy to make. The cookies are as adaptable as they are adorable. Both the hazelnuts and the sage can be substituted for any other nut or herb. The sweetener can also be swapped for whatever liquid sweetener you prefer — raw honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, etc.
Hazelnut Cookies Dipped in Salted Cacao Ganache + Sugared Sage
Ingredients:
For the cookies:
1 ¼ cup blanched almond flour
½ cup chopped or blended hazelnuts
1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ cup grapeseed oil
2 1/2 Tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
½ Tbsp vanilla extract
For the salted cacao ganache:
¼ cup melted coconut oil
¼ cup raw cacao
1 Tbsp raw honey or maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
For the candied sage:
1 egg white
3 Tbsp unrefined cane sugar
individual sage leaves
Directions:
For the cookies:
Mix dry ingredients. Then make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and add oil, honey and vanilla. Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until dough comes into a ball, then pat down between 2 parchment sheets and roll out until dough is about 1/3” thick. Put dough in fridge or freezer until very cold / firm. Then stamp out cookies into desired shapes and place in freezer until frozen (overnight works best). When it’s time to bake, preheat your oven to 350 and place cookies on parchment-lined baking sheet for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Let cookies cool.
For the salted cacao ganache:
Put all ingredients in a heatproof bowl. Mix until completely combined + smooth (make sure coconut oil is melted or this recipe won’t work). Dip cookies into ganache and put aside on clean parchment paper. If your room is cold, the ganache will harden. One way to ensure ganache will stay smooth is to place the heatproof bowl on your hot stove or over a pot of steaming water.
For the candied sage:
Gather sage leaves and paint front side with small amount of egg white, then sprinkle with cane sugar. Let sit out for several hours or overnight until sage leaves are candied and slightly crisp.
