Method

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C
• Cream butter and the first lot of icing sugar until creamy and light, add the vanilla and mix well
• In a separate bowl mix the finely cut hazelnuts (blitz them in a kitchen whiz if you’ve got one, or get Hazelnut Estates Hazelnut flour or pieces), cream of tartar & flour and slowly add to the butter mix
• Lightly flour a clean bench and roll out the dough, I used star cookie cutter for the cookies
• Line two baking trays and placed the cookies on the trays
• Bake for 15- 20 minutes
• Leave to cool
• To make the praline, in a small pot, add the ¼ cup of sugar and heat until it starts to melt
• Roughly cut the whole hazelnuts
• Once the sugar has started to look golden, add the nuts
• Lay baking paper on a baking tray and pour the mix onto the tray and spread, then let it cool
• Once the praline has cooled, blend it in a whizz, or hand crush it, but not too finely
• Mix the last lot of icing sugar and water to a paste and spread a small amount on the centre of the cookies, then sprinkle over the praline