Cookies Are Happiness

Today was a long day. Not especially bad, though not especially good. Long. Started early, home late. Not feeling very good despite the wheatgrass shots I inhale daily now. Trudged home after a long and jampacked-multi-train-ride home. What do I want? I want cookies of course. Cookies without limits.

Not any cookie will do. I'm not looking to chomp on a crunchy store-bought cookie that was baked in a factory 3 months ago. I want nothing that resembles healthy; read: no dried fruit, no oats, no wheat germ, no nuts. I want a large cookie, or several small cookies. Chocolate. Must be very chocolatey.

Yes, four cookies should do. That should take the working-class blues away.

Yup. I'm good now.

Chocolate Hazelnut Chip Cookies

1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, I used Justin's Organic

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon hazelnut extract

1/4 cup black coffee

1 cup plus 1 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mini chips

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Whip together the chocolate hazelnut spread, brown sugar, coffee, extracts and almond milk in a large bowl with a whisk. Whip it together really good so that it's super smooth. Add flour, salt and baking soda, and grate in nutmeg. Stir together until the dough comes together, then mash in the mini chips.

Line 2 big baking trays with stuff so it doesn't stick. I use silpats but you can use parchment or sticky-proof your sheet however you roll.

using a tablespoon, grab a big hunk of dough and roll it into a ball. Drop it on your sheet. Continue with remaining dough and space out about 1 1/2" apart. I got 22 cookies.
Bake for 9 minutes, then remove from oven. Let cool 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool.