Swiss Hazelnut Taler Recipe

• 1 cup shelled Hazelnuts
• 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 pinch Salt
• ¾ cup Potato Starch
• 1 cup Confectioners' Sugar
• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/8 cups Butter
• ¼ cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• ¼ cup White Sugar

• Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
• Layer the hazelnuts on a baking sheet.
• Roast the hazelnuts for about 10 minutes till they are toasted and fragrant.
• Transfer the hazelnuts into a damp towel and cover them. Rub them lightly to remove the skins. Allow them to cool completely.
• Place the hazelnuts into a food processor and blend them to a coarse mixture.
• Combine together ground hazelnuts, flour, baking powder, salt, potato starch and confectioners’ sugar in a large bowl. Mix well.
• Add vanilla extract and butter. Knead the mixture till it is smooth and even.
• Divide the dough into 8 portions and roll each one into a log of about 1 inch in diameter.
• Sift cocoa powder and white sugar on a plate.
• Roll each dough piece into the cocoa mixture.
• Wrap it with plastic or waxed paper. Repeat with other dough pieces.
• Freeze the pieces for 45 minutes till they are firm.
• Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
• Remove the dough pieces from the freezer and slice each roll into ¼ inch thick slices.
• Place the cookies on baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
• Bake the cookies for 10 minutes till the center is dry and the bottoms are lightly toasted.