Cook with Us #7: Hazelnut & Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches

Hello everybody and happy cookies day! I hope you’ve all enjoyed dwelling into the sticky dough and shaping it into balls and flattening then into sizeable cookie shapes. I know I did!! Like most of you I look forward to each week’s competition as it enables me to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. With this week’s theme I’ve tried to look for a twist to put on an otherwise classic recipe. 

The twist normally have 2 objectives: a) prepare a healthy cookie and b) present something original to the chefs judging the contest. To me the cookie also had to remains visually delectable and appealing while also containing some traditional ingredients.  To this end I chose to make a vegan cookie sandwich with hazelnut and chocolate! My inspiration for this was again from my favourite Australian chef Donna Hay. As usual whilst my recipe is inspired by her I try to add and or remove ingredient that don’t fit the objective I’ve set myself at the start. 

I’m a strong believer in the fact that cooking or baking is about experimenting new and different things. And if the flavour does work out well then we try another one until we’ve perfected the techniques.  I don’t know about you but with the @cookwithus contest there are times where I’ve just dumped everything in the bin and restarted over again. Not that it would have appear in the pictures but at the end of the day it’s about being genuine and honest to oneself. 

So without further ado let’s plunge into this cookie sandwich and try and enjoy oneself in the gooey chocolate feelings. 

Ingredients: 

• 160g Buckwheat flour 
• 75g Hazelnut meal 
• 1/4 tsp sea salt flakes 
• 125ml maple syrup 
• 80ml vegetable oil 

Filling: 

• 150g dark chocolate, melted 
• 2 tsp almond butter 
• 60ml maple syrup
  

Method: 

1. In a bowl, add the flour, hazelnut meal, salt, maple syrup and oil and mix to combine. 










2. Use a teaspoon to roll the mixture into balls. 





3. Place on a baking tray (with non-stick baking paper) and flatten. 





4. Place in previously preheated oven (180 degrees Celcius) and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and crisp. Allow to cool on the tray. 





5. For the filling, place the chocolate, almond butter and maple syrup in a bowl and mix until smooth. 















6. Use half the cool biscuits and spread with the filling. Use the remaining biscuits to sandwich the cookies.
   

I hope you enjoy it!

Bon appétit!