Nutty Crunch Hazelnut Butter Cookies

Sometimes I feel like making a quick batch of cookies with ingredients I have on hand. This recipe is just the thing to make. These cookies are nutty and crunchy and buttery. They also keep remarkably well for about a week.

Nutty Crunch Cookies
(Slightly Adapted from Bon Appetit March 2014)

1 cup blanched hazelnuts
1/2 cup unsalted roasted almonds
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter cut into 1 inch pieces
flaky sea salt for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and place in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Watch them closely to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. In a food processor, combine the almonds, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 cup of the hazelnuts, and the seeds from the vanilla bean. Pulse until finely ground. Add in flour, and pulse to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until the dough comes together. At this point, I like to put the dough in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes for it to firm up.
4. Coarsely chop the remaining hazelnuts and set a side.
5. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, scoop balls of dough and flatten to 1/2 inch thick. Space cookies 2 inch apart. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts, and press them gently on to the cookies. Sprinkle the cookies with flaky sea salt.
6. Bake 15-18 minutes, rotating cookie sheets half way through baking time. Let them cool completely. The cookies can be stored in an air tight container for about a week.