Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies~

So one of my New Years Resolutions is to eat healthier.

And since I usually have some form of dessert after dinner every night,

just cutting back to a few nights a week is eating healthier for me.

I've decided to make a nice dessert for the family on Friday nights

and skip dessert on almost all of the other nights.

You can't imagine all the cravings I've had this week, just thinking about

this upcoming Friday night event.

At the top of the list?

This:

Blows Starbucks out of the water.

For tonight's dessert, I decided to make a cookie that I found on the Food Network.

The recipe is from Giada De Laurentis and I only tweaked it a little.

Wow! These cookies are so, so delicious.

I was afraid that my zeal for them might be some kind of dessert withdrawl,

but Josh and Zachary loved them as well.

They're a bit more work than a standard Chocolate Chip Cookie and a bit more expensive to make as well but really, really worth it for a change.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies ~

1/2 cup quick oats

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (I used Kosher)

1 cup unsalted butter at room temp.

1 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

4 oz chopped toffee bits

12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 325. Toast nuts in oven and then chop into fine bits in food processor. Set aside. Run oats through food processor as well to a fine crumb. Combine oats with flour, powder, soda and salt. Beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture my hand until just combined. Add toffee, choc. chips and nuts and stir until just incorporated. Bake on parchment paper lined baking sheet until just starting to brown. The cookies will look and be underbaked. Allow to cool a few minutes on baking sheet until "set" enough to remove to plate to cool completely.