neat rows of just baked chocolate hazelnut balls

The winning combination of chocolate and hazelnuts is the focal point of my mother’s melt-in-your-mouth Haselnuss Bällchen.  Ruth’s bite-size hazelnut balls, based on a December 1978 Gourmet magazine recipe, are deliciously decadent, similar to a nutty chocolate truffle.

My mother has made these cookies during the holidays for over 30 years. They are easy to make, and the festive and uniquely rich flavor of hazelnut is a perfect complement to the variety of other cookies in her Christmas baking portfolio.

There are only four ingredients in this recipe, so look for the best quality chocolate and hazelnut.  Flour is not an ingredient, a plus for those looking for a gluten free cookie.

Recipe for Haselnuss Bällchen

Adapted from December 1978 Gourmet 
Makes about 60 cookie balls
Preparation time: About 1 hour; bake time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

3½ oz semisweet (or dark) chocolate
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1¼ cup ground hazelnuts

Preparation:

A note about the hazelnuts (or filberts): Use pre-ground hazelnuts if you can find them; otherwise, lightly toast raw whole hazelnuts, place them in a paper towel or kitchen towel, and rub off the skins. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until they are fine, but do not over-process to a paste.

Melt the chocolate, using a metal bowl set over a saucepan with simmering hot water, or using a microwave-proof bowl and low heat. Watch the chocolate, so it does not burn or overheat.  Let the chocolate cool.

In a bowl beat the butter with the confectioners’ sugar until the mixture is fluffy. (Use a standing mixer, an electric hand-mixer, or mix by hand with a metal whisk.)  Stir in the melted, cooled chocolate and beat the mixture until it is very creamy and smooth. Stir in the ground hazelnuts, form the mixture into a ball, and chill it for at least 30 minutes, wrapped in wax paper or plastic wrap.

use a teaspoon-full of dough to make the hazelnut balls; use parchment paper for baking

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pinch off 1 teaspoon of the dough at a time, rolling it in your palms to form a ball. Arrange the balls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and bake them for 8 minutes, or until they have lost their gloss. Let the balls cool on the baking sheets and store them in an airtight container.

the cookies are done in about 8 minutes; let them cool on the baking pan