0.5 cup butter unsalted cold cut into small pieces
Equipment
food processor
baking sheet
oven
plastic wrap
baking pan
kitchen towels
Directions
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until fragrant and skins begin to loosen, about 6 minutes. Rub nuts in a kitchen towel to remove any loose skins (some skins may not come off) and cool to room temperature.
Pulse nuts and 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely ground, then add flour and a pinch of salt, pulsing until combined.
Add butter and pulse until dough just forms a ball. Divide dough in half, then roll dough on a work surface lightly dusted with sugar and flour into 2 (11-inch-long) logs (each about 1 inch wide). Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, 1 hour.
Cut logs crosswise into 1/2-inch slices and arrange rounds 2 inches apart on 2 baking sheets.
Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until bottom edges just begin to turn pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on sheet 2 minutes.
Place remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a small dish and dip tops of cookies in it, then cool sugared cookies on a rack.
• Dough can be chilled up to 12 hours or frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap, up to 1 month. (Thaw before cutting and baking.) • Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks.
