Hazelnut Mocha Crunch Cookies

Coffee truffle ice cream is best enjoyed when shared with your sister Piggie at 4:00 a.m. while watching Lost on DVD. This is a fact of life. 

Unfortunately for you, the chances of all of these conditions coinciding on the same night are extremely low. Especially because you probably do not have a Piggie for a sister.

Coffee truffle ice cream. Oh that holy, holy food.

The reason it was so good (apart from the fact that it was coffee flavored with hazelnut truffles) is that it was consumed at such an ungodly hour. You see, the longer that your tastebuds have been starved, the more ready they are when you actually feed them. Haven't you ever noticed that when you eat cookies all day and then try to eat your dinner, your dinner tastes bland?

Or maybe you don't have that problem.

Speaking of cookies, look what I made! Cookies! I've been thinking about that ice cream so much that it just seeped out of my brain right into my cookies. The hazelnut truffle part of the ice cream is expressed through Nutella, the king of all things wonderful. They also are packed with coffee, chocolate chunks, and almonds. Hazelnuts would obviously have been a little more appropriate for the occasion, but sadly I had no hazelnuts at the the time. Still, they turned out perfectly. They are thin and crispy with a chewy inside. As you eat it you will run into goopey chunks of melted chocolate, big crunchy almonds, and a subtle hint of cinnamon throughout. Then you will say, "That Yammie. What a good girl she is. She always knows just what to do."And your heart will sing with joy and your tummy will smile in contentment. Then you will look at the clock which will say 4:05 a.m. and you will say, "I will be so tired all day tomorrow, but this was so worth it."

Hazelnut Mocha Crunch Cookies

3/4 cup Nutella
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey or pancake syrup (maple syrup would be the best, but I can't waste my precious syrup on cookies)
2 1/2 T instant coffee
1 T vanilla
1 egg
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup roughly chopped almonds (or hazelnuts)
1 cup milk chocolate chunks (I used Hershey bars again. What, they were on sale!)

Preheat the oven to 375º.
Cream the Nutella, butter, and sugar for about five minutes. Dissolve the instant coffee in the syrup and vanilla. You might need to microwave it for about thirty seconds. Add the coffee/syrup/vanilla and egg to the Nutella mixture and beat until well combined.
Mix together the flour, soda, and salt. Add to the rest and beat until combined.
Add the almonds and chocolate chunks.
Scoop by about 1/4 cup scoops on a cookie sheet (they will flatten as they bake). Bake for about 8-11 minutes or until desired doneness is reached.
Warm the rest of the Nutella that's left in the jar (if you haven't eaten it all by now) and drizzle it over the cookies.