Holiday Cookies!

You can't go through a holiday season without baking some sort of treat. This year I made Adam's favorite, Kiss cookies, which I had to call his mom for recipe. I also made these hazlenut chocolate cookies which were a big hit as well. I think it was a draw as to which was the better, more delicious cookie. I'll let you be the judge.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Thumbprints (Cooking Light, December 2009)

4.5 oz. all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. instant espresso (optional)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 cup finely chopped hazlenuts, toasted
1/3 cup hazlenut-chocolate spread (such as Nutella)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, and salt; stir with a whisk. Place butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stir egg yolks with a whisk, adding espresso, if desired. Add the yolk mixture and vanilla to butter; beat well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat at low speed just until combined.
3. Turn dough out onto a sheet of wax paper; knead 6 times or until smooth and shiny. Shape dough into 28 (1-inch) balls. Roll sides of balls in nuts, pressing gently. Arrange balls 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Press thumb into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake, 1 batch at a time, at 350 for 10 minutes. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks. Spoon a scant 1/2 tsp. hazlenut-chocolate spread into center of each cookie.

Kiss Cookies (June Magruder, from Adam's Grandmother)

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 package Hershey's kisses (I used dark chocolate kisses)

1. Beat sugar, vanilla, and butter until fluffy. Add flour and nuts, beating until combined.
2. Chill dough about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 375.
4. Shape dough around kisses. Bake for 12 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets, or until slightly golden.
5. Cool briefly and then roll in confectioner's sugar. For maximum sugar, re-roll in the confectioner's sugar after a little cooler.