Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).Spread the hazelnuts evenly onto a sheet pan and roast them for about 5-10 minutes. You'll notice the nuts starting to acquire a golden-brown hue. Be careful not to let them become burnt. Once toasted, remove the hazelnuts from the oven and allow them to cool down completely. Keep them aside until they are fully cooled.
- Place the cooled hazelnuts and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor equipped with the blade attachment. Process the mixture until it becomes finely ground.
- Transfer the nut and sugar mixture from the food processor into a large bowl. Add the cocoa powder to the bowl and use a spatula to thoroughly mix and incorporate all the ingredients. The nut mixture should achieve an even, dark brown color. After that, add honey over the mixture and stir everything together. Set the mixture aside for further use.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, equipped with the whisk attachment, place the egg whites. Start by beating them on medium speed until they become foamy. Pause the mixer, and add the salt. Resume beating on medium speed until soft peaks start to form. Then, increase the mixer's speed to medium-high and continue beating until the egg whites reach a stiff consistency.
- Transfer the batter into a piping bag that has been equipped with a large open star nozzle. Proceed to pipe out stars that are about 1 inch in size onto the baking sheet, making sure to leave around 1 inch of space between each star.Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the cookies for a duration of 10 minutes. After baking, take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool directly on the pan.
Ganache (filling)
- Place finely chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a bowl.In a saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until it reaches a boiling point. Once it starts boiling, remove it from the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 minute, and then whisk it together until it becomes smooth and well-mixed. Set the mixture aside and let it cool down.
Assemble Cookies
- When the ganache has reached a thickness suitable for piping, transfer it into a piping bag that has been fitted with an open circle tip.Pipe a small quantity of ganache onto the bottom side of one cookie and then press it together with a similar-sized cookie to form a sandwich. Continue this process until all the cookies have been filled and paired.Place the filled cookies in the refrigerator to chill until you're ready to serve them.