Filbertines

This recipe is from A Family Christmas, a hodge-podge sort of book from Reader's Digest that has Christmas stories, crafts, menus, recipes, poems, essays and other Christmas-related oddments in it.  The cookie section is hands-down the best bunch of Christmas cookie recipes I know of.  Lots of easy to make, shippable cookies that just sing "Winter!"  This cookie is very suitable for shipping as well as for prepping ahead and freezing.  Freeze the cookie dough balls after they've been rolled in chopped filberts, and thaw them while you preheat the oven when you're ready to bake.

Filberts, also known as hazelnuts, are delicious little guys.  They have a sweet, unusually spicy sort of aroma in the oven.  They're a pain to crack out of the shells, but I was pleased and surprised to find chopped hazelnuts in the baking aisle at my grocery store.  And for about the same price as walnuts and pecans!  If you have food allergies to work around, you can use another type of nut.


Filbertines
Makes 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup finely chopped hazelnuts

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in egg and vanilla.  Stir in cardamom and baking soda.  Add flour in 3-4 batches, incorporating thoroughly after each addition.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.

Cut dough into 24 pieces and roll each into a 1" ball.  Roll balls in hazelnuts and put on non-stick or greased cookie sheets (or freeze).  Bake 15 minutes at 350F. Pin It