Hazelnut Ravioli Cookies

Among all nuts, I think my favourite ones are hazelnuts. I can't resist them in any form. From cookies to cakes, from spreads to just eating them alone as a snack. Much stronger flavour than almonds, for example, can overtake any other ingredient, and if toast will litteraly get you drunk with that irresistible smell and taste. I know it perfectly. For three years in a row now, my friend in Croatia has been buying them for me, and sending me some over or keeping them for me until I get there in the summer (the best way to keep them for longer periods of time is to freeze them, that way they won't go rancid). And  every time I get my package of hazelnuts, I toast and peel them, my head swirling with new ideas and recipes to use them, only to end up eating more than half of them (my husband being for once a generous assistant) and much less of those end up in recipes.

So with a new hazelnuts bag in my pantry I welcomed the contest organized by four Italian foodbloggers, Stagioniamo, inviting everyone to prepare recipes with seasonal ingredients, more specifically in this case, Walnuts and Hazelnuts, in four categories, appetizers, first dishes, main dishes and desserts.

Since my favourite course is desserts I couldn't but start from the end.

I announced on my FB page that I have prepared my first sugar-free cookies, only to realize later it wasn't 100% true, I forgot I used sweetened cocoa, but of course, to go totally sugar-free, you could use unsweetened cocoa and add more concentrated date juice  if the filling isn't sweet enough for your taste.

I have used other natural sweeteners in sweets before, but it was a discovery for me really to use concentrated date juice. It's really delicious, has a very particular flavour, it's  sweet enough, and althouh it will colour the sweets with a lovely redish-brown hue (the pictures don't show it as beautiful as it was really), the flavour will definitely not overtake. 

The cookies themself are crunchy and soft at the same time, thanks to the ricotta cheese in the dough, while the delicious hazelnut filling will complete the pleasure with every bite, it stays soft and creamy after baking. And I also love the crunchy finish on top.

So, in one word, I'm pretty proud of my little creation. I hope someone else gives them a try.

Hazelnut Ravioli Cookies

* 75 g butter
* 75 g ricotta cheese
* 50 g concentrated date juice
* 1 egg yolk
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 75 g whole grain spelt flour
* 100 g all purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder

hazelnut filling:
* 75 g peeled and toasted hazelnutss
* 2 TBspoons concentrated date juice
* 1 TBspoon heavy cream
* 1 TBspoon sweetened cocoa

+ 1 egg white
   about 50 g rougly ground hazelnuts


      

Stir together the softened butter, the ricotta, the egg yolk, the vanilla extract and the concentrated date juice using a wooden spoon, until the mixture's smooth.
Add both flours  sifted with the baking powder. Bring everything together and knead shortly to form soft and smooth dough.
Wrap the dough and place it in the fridge for 1 hour.
In the meantime prepare the hazelnut filling.
Toast the hazelnuts in an oven preheated to 180°C for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the dark skin and let them cool down.
Grind the nuts finely and mix with heavy cream, the concentrated date juice and the cocoa.
The mixture will be quite thick.
Roll the chilled dough out, rather thin (3 to 4 mm), and cut out rounds using a 5 to 6 cm round cutter.
Put a little hazelnut filling on each round, then fold it in half. Press lightly the central part to distribute the filling evenly and pinch the edges to seal them.
Lightly beat the egg white with a fork. Put the roughly ground hazelnuts into a small bowl.
Brush the ravioli with the egg white on one side only and then dip them into a bowl with hazelnuts, pressing lightly so they they stick to the surface.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet, just slightly distanced.
Bake them in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 15 minutes.
Once they have cooled down, you can store them in an airtight container.

Ho creato questi biscotti per il contest StagioniAMO (potete leggere di più sul blog Crumpets and Co., da Terry, alla quale mando la ricetta per la categoria Dolci). Il tema del contest sono Noci e nocciole. Nocciole che adoro così tanto e non potevo assolutamente non partecipare. Ora vediamo se sarò capace di inventarmi qualcosa anche per le altre categorie, antipasti-primi-secondi.

Ravioli dolci alle nocciole

* 75 g di burro, ammorbidito
* 75 g di ricotta
* 50 g di succo concentrato di datteri
* 1 tuorlo
* 1 cucchiaino di estratto puro di vaniglia
* 75 g di farina di farro integrale
* 100 g di farina 00
* 1 cucchiaino di lievito per dolci

punjenje za raviole:
* 75 g di nocciole spelate e tostate
* 2 cucchiai di succo concentrato di datteri
* 1 cucchiaio di panna fresca
* 1 cucchiaio di cacao zuccherato

+ 1 albume
    circa 50 g di granella di nocciole

Lavorate il burro morbido con ricotta, tuorlo, estratto di vaniglia e succo concentrato di datteri usando un cucchiaio di legno, fino a ottenere un composto liscio.
Aggiungete le farine setacciate insieme al lievito e impastate velocemente e brevemente, giusto il tempo necessario per ottenere una pasta liscia e morbida.
Avvolgetela nella pellicola alimentare e lasciate in frigo per 1 ora.
Nel frattempo preparate il ripieno. Tostate le nocciole nel forno riscaldato a 180°C per circa 7-10 minuti. spelatele e lasciatele raffreddare. Tritatele finemente e unite la panna, il succo concentrato di datteri e il cacao. Otterrete un composto abbastanza denso ma morbido.
Stendete la pasta sottile (allo spessore di 3-4 mm) usando un mattarello.
Con un stampo rotondo da 5-6 cm ritagliate tanti cerchi.
Mettete un po' di ripieno su ogni cerchio (mezzo cucchiaino circa) e piegatelo a metà per chiuderlo. Premete la parte centrale prima per distribuire il ripieno in maniera uniforme e poi premete bene i bordi pizzicandoli con le dita.
Sbattete leggermente l'albume con una forchetta. Mettete la granella di nocciole in una ciotolina. Immergetevi i ravioli solo da una parte nel albume (oppure spennellatelo usando un pennello) e poi passatelo nella granella di nocciole, premendo leggermente per farla aderire bene.
Sistemate i ravioli su una placca da forno rivestita con la carta da forno.
Cuoceteli nel forno già riscaldato a 180°C per circa 15 minuti.
Una volta raffreddati, conservateli in una scatola di latta.

Slatki ravioli s lješnjacima

* 75 g maslaca, omekšalog
* 75 g ricotte
* 50 g koncentriranog soka datulja
* 1 žumanjak
* 1 žličica čistog ekstrakta vanilije
* 75 g integralnog pirovog brašna
* 100 g bijelog pšeničnog brašna
* 1 žličica praška za pecivo

punjenje za raviole:
* 75 g očišćenih tostiranih lješnjaka
* 2 žlice koncentriranog sirupa datulja
* 1 žlica slatkog vrhnja
* 1 žlica slatkog kakaa

+ 1 bjeljanjak
   oko 50 g grubo mljevenih lješnjaka

Izmiješajte maslac, ricottu, žumanjak, ekstrakt vanilije i koncentrirani sok datulja drvenom žlicom dok smjesa ne postane ujednačena.
Dodajte brašno (obje vrste) prosijano s praškom za pecivo, i zamijesite glatko i mekano tijesto.
Omotajte ga prozirnom folijom i stavite u hladnjak na 1 sat.
U međuvremenu pripremite punjenje.
Lješnjake stavite na pleh i prepecite ih u pećnici zagrijanoj na 180°C 7-10 minuta. Zatim ih očistite od tamne opne i ostavite da se ohlade.
Ohlađene lješnjake sitno sameljite. Pomiješajte mljevene lješnjake sa slatkim vrhnjem, koncentriranim sok datulja i kakaom. Dobit ćete dosta gustu smjesu.
Kad se tijesto ohladilo, razvaljajte ga tanko (3-4 mm) i okruglim kalupom (promjera 5-6 cm) vadite krugove.
Na svaki krug stavite malo tijesta, oko pola žličice. Preklopite krugove, pritisnite lagano središnji dio s nadjevom da se jednolično raspodijeli, a zatim dobro pritisnite rubove.
Vilicom malo razbijte bjeljanjak. Stavite grubo mljevene lješnjake u zdjelicu. Umočite gornju stranu svakog keksa u razmućeni bjeljanjak (ili ga premažite uz pomoć kista), pa tu istu stranu stavite u lješnjake, lagano pritisnite da se dobro zalijepe.
Složite oblikovane raviole na pleh obložen papirom za pečenje.
Zagrijte pećnicu na 180°C i ispecite kekse.
Ohlađene ih možete spremiti u metalnu posudu.