It was nearly 15 years ago when I started selling cookies door to store, and a little market off Abbot Kinney (back when little markets could still survive on the now-hipster strip) started carrying a rustic little thumbprint that went surprisingly well on cheese boards. These melt-in-your-mouth chocolate shortbread cookies are dipped in egg whites and hazelnuts before baking and filled with fig preserves, making them the perfect pairing with your cheese and crackers.
Ingredients
1 2/3cup Flour
2/3cupCocoa powder
1tspBaking soda
1/2tspBaking powder
1cupSugar
4Egg yolks
5ozButter
1/4tspSea salt
2Egg whites
1/4cupSugar
1/2cupHazelnutstoasted and finely chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Place the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, sugar and baking powder in a food processor. Pulse a couple of times.
Add the yolks and butter and pulse just until the dough comes together.
Using a fork, lightly beat the egg whites with salt and sugar. Add the hazelnuts.
Scoop balls of cookies (about 2 Tbsps' worth) and dip into egg white and hazelnut mixture. Place on parchment-paper lined cookie sheets and make an indentation with your thumb in each cookie. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Spoon fig jam as soon as cookies come out of the oven. Let them rest for at least 30 minutes before taking them off the paper.