Recipe for hazelnut “polvorones”

• 120 g peeled and toasted hazelnuts
• 250 g baking powder
• 125 g of lard
• 110 g powder sugar
• 1 tea spoon of cinnamon (optional)
• Powder sugar to decorate

1. In a pan we include the baking powder and toast it for 6 minutes stirring it with a wooden spoon. When it starts to golden we remove it from the heat. Be careful not to leave it for longer time because the taste can change.
2. By the other side we chop the hazelnuts with a whisk until we get almost a powder. It doesn’t matter if you find little pieces of hazelnuts on your mix.
3. In a bowl, we introduce the flour, the hazelnuts, and the cinnamon and then we include the lard (half melted) and the sugar.
4. We knead all the dough until it is completely mixed, and then we start to create a ball. We leave it to rest in a plastic wrap for an hour and thirty minutes in the fridge.
5. Once the time is over, we remove the plastic and start to squash it. It is better if you start with your hands and then finish it with a roll. The thickness depends on how you like it, but it is better if it is not very thick (no more than 1cm and half).
6. With a star shape mould we start shaping the polvorones that we will place on the tray. With the rests of the dough we will repeat the process: mix, squash and cut with the mould.
7. We leave it to rest for half an hour and then we introduce it in the oven at 180º during 20 minutes. If you want, in the last minutes you can grill it.
8. We remove it from the oven and spread the powder sugar on the top.

You can also toast the flour in the oven during 30 minutes at 130º