Instructions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread hazelnuts on baking sheet and bake until skins blister and nuts are fragrant, 12 to 13 minutes. Slide nuts onto a kitchen towel, fold towel over and rub vigorously to remove skins; dont be concerned if little bits adhere to nuts. Cool nuts thoroughly.

In top of double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt chocolate with butter, stirring until smooth. Remove top pan from water and let cool.

When nuts are thoroughly cool, put them in food processor with 1/4 cup of sugar and pulse on/off to finely grind nuts; set aside.

In large bowl, beat remaining 1 3/4 cups sugar and eggs with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla and cooled chocolate mixture. Stir in nuts.

In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add to batter, about half at a time, beating well after each addition (dough will be very soft). Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two large baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll in confectioners sugar, coating well, then place on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake until puffy and seem underdone when poked, about 13 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and cool 10 minutes, then remove cookies to rack and cool completely.

Comments: What you get, essentially, is a brownie within a thin crust thats quite exquisite. The key is taking them out of the oven before they seem done: They should still be squishy when you give them a gentle poke. This way, they end up with a supersoft center when they cool. If you overbake them theyll still be good, just not extraordinary.

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