Grain-free, Sugar-free Hazelnut Cookies

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These chocolate hazelnut cookies are grain free, gluten free and refined sugar free. Easy to make and a great one to put all the excess holiday baking ingredients to good use.

Grain-free, Sugar-free Hazelnut Cookies

adapted from here

120 g 70% Dark chocolate, chopped 10 drop Liquid chocolate flavoured stevia 10 g NuNaturals white stevia powder 1 pinch of Cinnamon 1 pinch of Cloves 250 g Finely ground hazelnuts 2 Extra large egg whites 1 pinch of Salt 1 tbsp Rum 200 g Milk couverture, chopped Sprinkles, optional

1. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until chocolate is just melted, turn the heat off and stir in chocolate flavoured liquid stevia.
   
2. Combine the white stevia powder, spices, and finely ground hazelnuts. Set aside.
   
3. Beat the egg whites and salt until stiff. Gradually add in hazelnut mixture and fold to combine. Now add in melted chocolate and rum. Form into a ball and wrap in a plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
   
4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of 1-cm. Cut out the cookies with your favourite cookie cutters. Place the cookies on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Leave them on the kitchen counter to dry overnight.
   
5. Next day preheat the oven, with the fan on, to 180C/350F. Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes. Remove the cookies from the sheets and cool them on a wire rack.
   
6. Melt the chopped milk couverture in a double-boiler. Dip the cooled cookies halfway into the melted chocolate and place it on waxed paper. Garnish with sprinkles if using.

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