Homemade Cookies in 30 Minutes

Ann Mah


We usually think of baking as a special activity involving special ingredients (not to mention a trip to the grocery store). But clearly we’ve been using the wrong recipes. This nut-filled cookie stirs together ingredients found in any not-so-well-stocked larder—which means you can whip up these sweet treats any old time.

The recipe calls for only six ingredients: brown sugar, salt, flour, butter, vanilla extract, and nuts—either a combination of almonds and hazelnuts, or any kind of nut that happens to be hanging out in your pantry! Walnuts? Sure! Pecans? Why not? Peanuts? Yep! In a food processor, grind the sugar, salt, and some of the nuts to a fine powder, add the flour, throw in the butter, and you’ve just made the fastest cookie dough ever. Before baking, sprinkle each cookie with a few chopped nuts to add crunch and texture. Fifteen minutes later, you’ve got yourself a plate of warm cookies and kitchen that smells like heaven.

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NUTTY CRUNCH COOKES
Makes 3 dozen cookies
Active: 30 minutes
Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

  • cup blanched hazelnuts

  • ½ cup unsalted, roasted almonds

  • ½ cup (packed) light brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

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Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool.

Combine almonds, brown sugar, salt, and ½ cup hazelnuts in a food processor. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; reserve pod for another use. Pulse until finely ground, then pulse in flour just to combine. Add butter; process until dough just comes together.

Roll dough into 1” balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2” apart. Flatten cookies to a little less than ½” thick. Coarsely chop remaining ½ cup hazelnuts and press gently into cookies.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are golden brown, 15–18 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cookies cool completely.

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