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1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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2
Scatter the hazelnuts in a baking pan and toast, gently shaking the pan once or twice to help the nuts toast evenly, until lightly browned and aromatic, 10 to 12 minutes.
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3
Turn off the oven.
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4
Transfer the nuts to the center of a lightly dampened kitchen towel, wrap the towel around the nuts, and rub the nuts around vigorously (but carefully, since they're hot) to remove as much of their skins as possible.
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5
Let the nuts cool completely.
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6
In a food processor, grind the cooled hazelnuts with the sugar until very fine.
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7
Add the cocoa powder, butter, honey, and vanilla.
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8
Pulse until well blended.
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9
In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with a fork to break them up a bit but not make them too frothy.
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10
Add about half of the egg whites to the processor and pulse a couple of times, then add the remaining egg white and pulse again.
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11
You're looking for a paste that's smooth but firm enough to hold its shape.
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12
Fit a pastry bag with a large plain or star tip and fill the bag with the dough.
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13
Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.
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14
Squeeze a small dot of the dough under each corner of each paper lining to adhere it to the baking sheet (this will make piping easier).
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15
Squeeze dough onto paper in big rosettes or teardrop shapes, making each cookie about 1 1/2 inches across and with at least 1 inch between the cookies.
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16
Give the cookies a bit of height as you pipe.
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17
If you make them too flat, they'll be more crisp than chewy when baked.
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18
Let the cookies sit for 1 hour before baking.
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19
Reheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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20
Bake the kisses until they are just set on the outside, about 8 minutes.
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21
The cookies will firm up as they cool and you want the insides to remain tender and chewy.
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22
Transfer the kisses to a wire rack to cool and serve soon, or store in an airtight container for a few days.
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23
Note: If you use a star tip, be sure that its points are open enough to avoid being blocked by the ground nuts.
