Servings 24

Ingredients

1 flax egg 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons warm water
2 cups + 3 tablespoons raw hazelnuts
½ cup maple syrup
1/2 cup (52g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup (42g) coconut sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup organic dairy-free dark chocolate chips divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare flax egg, set aside.
Place 2 cups hazelnuts on cookie sheet in one even layer. Roast for 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before using a clean kitchen towel to rub skins off hazelnuts.
Once a good amount of skins have been removed, transfer hazelnuts into the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse food processor until hazelnuts resemble a fine meal. Stop and remove 3/4 cup of the meal. Put lid back on and continue to process, scraping down sides when needed, until meal turns into a smooth butter.
In a large bowl, whisk 1/2 cup hazelnut butter, maple syrup, and flax egg together. Add 3/4 cup hazelnut flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir until fully combined. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
The cookie dough will be sticky, so spray your hands with cooking spray, then using a tablespoon, scoop cookie dough and gently roll into a loose ball with your hands. Place in even rows on cookie sheet.
Wet a fork with water and press down slightly on top of ball. Rewet your fork each time. This is not to get a tines marking on your cookies, rather, it is to ensure they spread into a more even circle during baking.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and wait a minute or two before transferring cookies to a wire rack.

Toppings

While cookies are cooling, chop remaining 3 tablespoons of hazelnuts. Set aside.
Place remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips in a small microwavable bowl. Heat at 30 second intervals until most of the chocolate chips have melted, stirring after each interval.
Drizzle melted chocolate over cooled cookies and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Drizzle a little extra chocolate over nuts if desired.
Allow to set, or place in refrigerator to set chocolate faster.
Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Recipe Notes

*2 cups raw hazelnuts yields 3/4 cup hazelnut meal and 1/2 cup hazelnut butter. The amount of raw hazelnuts called for will give you just the right amount of hazelnut flour and hazelnut butter that you need for the recipe. Feel free to use more hazelnuts in the food processor than called for, so that you have extra hazelnut butter left over for topping toasts, adding to smoothies, or dipping fruit! Store the extra in an airtight container in the refrigerator.