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1
Adjust the oven racks so one rack is in the middle and preheat the oven to 325F.
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2
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and cut another piece of parchment the same size.
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3
Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are golden brown and fragrant, shaking the pan occasionally so the nuts brown evenly.
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4
Remove the hazelnuts from the oven and set them aside until the nuts are cool enough to touch.
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5
Gather the nuts into a clean dishtowel and rub them together inside the towel to remove the skins.
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6
Coarsely chop 1 pound of the chocolate and set it aside.
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7
Set a stainless steel bowl over a pot of water or fill the bottom of the double boiler with water, making sure the water doesnt touch the top vessel, and bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.
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8
Place the remaining 1 pound plus 6 ounces of chocolate in the bowl or the top of the double boiler.
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9
Melt it without stirring.
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10
Remove the chocolate from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
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11
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
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12
Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on high speed until light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, about 5 minutes.
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13
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating until each egg is incorporated into the batter before adding the next egg.
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14
Turn the mixer off and add the dry ingredients.
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15
Return the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter just until the flour is incorporated.
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16
With the mixer still running, slowly add the melted chocolate and mix until the chocolate is incorporated into the batter.
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17
Turn the machine off and remove the bowl from the stand.
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18
Add the toasted hazelnuts, chopped chocolate, and cacao nibs, if using, and stir to distribute evenly.
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19
Dust a flat work surface with flour.
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20
Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and bring it together into a ball.
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21
To prepare the dough in advance, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to three days, or freeze it for up to two months.
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22
(Defrost the dough overnight in the refrigerator.)
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23
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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24
Turn the dough out on the baking sheet and place the second sheet of parchment on top of the dough.
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25
Use your hands to pat the dough out to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
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26
Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to three days.
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27
Adjust two oven racks so that one rack is in the top third of the oven and one is in the bottom third and preheat oven to 350F.
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28
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and flip it to turn the dough out onto a flat work surface.
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29
Peel off both sheets of the parchment paper, and use them to line two baking sheets, with the clean side facing up.
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30
Use your hands to tear the dough into roughly 1 1/2-inch pieces, and place the pieces on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each.
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31
If all the cookies dont fit on two sheets, put them on a third parchment-lined baking sheet, if you have one, or place them on a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate the dough while the first batch is baking.
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32
If you are reusing the baking sheets, set the cookies aside to cool slightly before removing them from the baking sheet, then bake the second batch in the same way as the first.
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33
Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, until they are cracked on top and soft but not liquidy to the touch, rotating the baking sheets both from front to back and from the upper to lower racks halfway through cooking time so the cookies brown evenly.
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34
Remove the baking sheets from the oven.
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35
Vin Santo Del Chianti Classico (Tuscany)
