Yes, it's very Christmassy... although... it's not quite Christmassy here yet. And yet (always surprising to me) it's just a few days before the first Advent. It's high time to start baking cookies! That's why this week's recipe is a cookie recipe. And that alone is a bit of a sensation, because we've never featured a sweet recipe here before.
The reason for this first release is this: ever since we started stocking the wonderful hazelnut butter made from the deliciously roasted Piedmont hazelnuts, I've been wondering what the best thing to do with it is. Since I imagine some of you feel the same way, I've chosen a cookie recipe that I can use it in. And a recipe that doesn't require a lot of kneading, weighing, sifting, chopping, and, most importantly, a long resting time (for the dough, anyway...). Oatmeal cookies, of course! For me, they're a traditional part of Advent, but they don't contain cinnamon, so they seemed perfectly fitting for the end of November.
The original recipe, which I found on the lovely blog www.mynewroots.org (which also features a fabulously simple recipe for whole-wheat bread without flour or kneading ), is vegan and uses almond butter instead of hazelnut butter, coconut oil instead of butter, and chia seeds instead of egg. I took the liberty of enriching the recipe with our delicious butter, replacing the chia seeds with an egg, and the almond butter with hazelnut butter. I was a little apprehensive about this, as baking is known to be a kind of mysterious alchemy where even the smallest variation can end in disaster. But lo and behold: everything worked out wonderfully. Even the raw dough tasted fantastic, and contrary to my fears after a glance at the ingredients list, it wasn't too sweet. After I managed to avoid overeating and at least finish baking a few cookies, the entire kitchen was soon filled with a wonderful nutty aroma, and thanks to the short baking time, I was finally able to taste the warm result just a few minutes later. The cookies taste delicious—nicely nutty, but neither too sweet nor too Christmassy. Next time, though, I'd add a few chopped hazelnuts to the dough to further emphasize the nutty flavor, which is very subtle in this version.
Ingredients (for about 20 cookies):
- 4 tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp hazelnut butter (original recipe: almond butter)
- 75g cane sugar
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp water + 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or concentrate
- 200g fine oat flakes
- 1 tsp baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- Jam, marmalade or jelly according to taste, e.g. red currant jelly
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 175°C
- Mix the oat flakes well with the baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the butter and hazelnut butter until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix.
- In another bowl, whisk together the water, maple syrup, and egg, then add to the buttercream. Mix everything together well.
- Gradually add the oatmeal and mix everything together. Towards the end, it's best to use your hands.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, form the dough into small balls (ideally enough to fit on a tablespoon) and place them on the parchment paper. Flatten the balls with the bottom of a glass. The dough tends to stick to the glass, but it can be easily removed with a knife.
- Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake on the middle rack for about 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow to cool on a rack, spread one half with the jelly, place another half on top and finally place half a hazelnut with the same jelly on the double-decker cookie.
Conclusion: The salty butter and nuts give these otherwise rather coarse oatmeal cookies a rich, luxurious flavor. The delicately sour, not overly sweet, and slightly tart jelly complements them with a lovely fruitiness without dominating. These are truly delicious cookies, which are best left over from a cookie tin and baked fresh to serve on an Advent plate and eaten quickly...
The hazelnut, almost chocolatey, comes out best when the cookies have cooled for a few hours. Since the oatmeal has a rather strong flavor, I recommend using the hazelnut butter generously in this recipe. However, if you're using the butter in a shortcrust pastry or cream, you'll want to use it sparingly.
Wine pairing: If you prefer wine to tea or coffee, we recommend the Bastardo from Domaine Conceito in the Douro region – it's beautifully fruity yet tart, with plenty of character, but doesn't overwhelm the pastry with heavy tannins or too much body. A great combination!