Ellen Schwab, Bethesda, Md.

　　"I created this cookie, which combines my two favorite flavors — hazelnut and chocolate — just for this contest."

　　

Ingredients

Makes 45 sandwich cookies

　　1 1/2 cups hazelnuts

　　1/2 cup chocolate chips

　　1 1/3 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

　　1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

　　3/4 cup brown sugar

　　1 egg

　　1 teaspoon vanilla

　　

For apricot filling:

1 pound dried apricots, coarsely chopped

　　2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

　　1 cup water

　　1 tablespoon sugar

　　

Step 1

1. Finely chop hazelnuts in a food processor; remove to a bowl. Finely chop chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon flour in food processor; add to the nuts. Set aside.

　　

Step 2

2. Sift the 1 1/3 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

　　

Step 3

3. Cream butter and brown sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla; beat until well combined.

　　

Step 4

4. Add the flour mixture to the butter in thirds, beating well after each addition. Add the hazelnut-chocolate chip mixture, using a wooden spoon and mixing until the dough is well combined.

　　

Step 5

5. Form the dough into three flat disks, dusting with a little flour, if necessary, to prevent sticking; wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.

　　

Step 6

6. Remove one disk from the refrigerator and roll on a lightly floured work surface into an 11-inch circle, 1/4-inch thick. Cut out stars using a star-shaped cookie cutter. (You may use different sizes of stars for variety.) Save the scraps and reform into a disk. Chill the scraps slightly before rolling out and cutting. Repeat with other disks.

　　

Step 7

7. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the stars on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are brown around the edges, about 7 to 8 minutes. Cool cookies on a rack.

　　

Step 8

8. Prepare apricot filling: Place all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Puree this mixture in the food processor until smooth. Allow the filling to cool completely before filling the cookies. (Filling may be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.)

　　

Step 9

9. Fill the cookies just before serving, if possible, so they stay crisp: Spread a thin layer of the filling on the bottom side of one star and sandwich with another, bottom-side facing the filling.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per cookie: 122 calories

　　16g carbohydrates

　　no protein

　　6g fat

　　14mg cholesterol.

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by New Wellness

　　Richmond

　　Va.

　　PARADE® and Simply Delicious® are used by CondéNet Inc. under license.