DARK CHOCOLATE & HAZELNUT BISCUITS

Makes approximately 30

There is something magical about the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts — it reminds me of the Italian sweets I ate when I was younger. These biscuits are rich and chewy with a little hint of sea salt. If you don’t want to bake all the biscuits at once, freeze balls of dough on a tray, then transfer to a snap-lock bag and keep in the freezer until ready to bake.

250g unsalted butter, softened 125g caster sugar

125g brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1⅔ cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup hazelnut meal pinch of sea salt, plus extra for serving 150g 70% dark chocolate, roughly

chopped

100g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, cream butter and both sugars in a large bowl until pale and very fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir through flour, baking powder, hazelnut meal and a pinch of sea salt until everything is well combined (being careful not to over-mix). Add dark chocolate and hazelnuts and stir to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Line 4 large baking trays with baking paper. Place heaped tablespoons of dough onto prepared trays, allowing room for spreading. Bake for 12–14 minutes, swapping trays halfway through cooking, or until lightly golden. Allow to cool completely on trays before transferring to a wire rack (if you only have 1 or 2 trays, keep remaining dough in fridge while each batch is cooking, then repeat process once you have a free tray). Sprinkle with sea salt to serve.