Whole Wheat Cookies with Currants and Cacao Nibs

Whole Wheat Cookies with Currants and Cacao Nibs

What I like about this recipes is its versatility. You could easily make these buttery cookies with pistachios and apricots or chopped dried cherries and pecans. Keep the proportions the same and go to town. Another bonus: if kept air-tight, they will stay good for two weeks — long after all of those house guests have gone.

Adapted from: Alice Medrich’s Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy

Ingredients

1 cup whole hazelnuts
1 1/2 cups white-whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur)
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 sticks (14 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup roasted cacao nibs
1/2 cup currants

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until they smell toasty and are golden brown in the middle when you cut one in half. Once cool to the touch, rub the nuts together to remove as much of their skins as possible. To do this I put them all in the center of a dishtowel and use it to help. Chop the nuts into small chunks — remember the larger the chunk, the more difficult it will be to slice the cookies later so do take some time here.

Combine the flours in a medium bowl and mix with a fork. With a mixer or a strong wooden spoon, beat the butter with the sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth but not fluffy. Mix in the nibs and nuts. Add the flours and mix until just incorporated. Finally, mix in the currants. Scrape the dough into a mass and knead it with your hands a few times to make sure the flour’s incorporated evenly. Form the dough into a 12 x 2-inch log. Wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Use a sharp knife to cut the cold dough log into slices 1/4-inch thick. Place cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart on lined or greased cookie sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown at the edges. Rotate cookie sheets halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.

Allow cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving them onto a wire cooling wrack where they should cool complete