Hazelnut Cookies with Blueberry Ganache Filling

Colorful and fruity version of Italian hazelnut cookies (Baci Di Dama).

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

• 3/4 cup hazelnuts. toasted, any loose skin removed, and cooled
• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 drops blueberry flavoring
• 2-3 drops food coloring (optional)

For blueberry ganache:

• 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Grind nuts and sugar in a food processor until powdery. Beat together butter, zest, salt, blueberry flavoring, food coloring, and nut powder in a large mixing bowl with rubber spatula until creamy. Add flour and keep mixing until well incorporated and forms a dough.
• Roll about 1/2 teaspoon of the dough into tiny balls and arrange 1-inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes or until they turn light brown. Transfer to wire rack and let them sit to cool completely.
• Place the fresh blueberries in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat , stirring occasionally, until the thick sauce forms and reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from the stove and set aside. 
• In a double boiler, melt the chocolate, then add blueberry sauce and heavy cream. Stir until the ganache is smooth. Transfer ganache to a piping bag, snip off the bottom of the piping bag to form a small hole. Pipe small mound of ganache onto the flat side of a cookie and top with other cookie, pressing 2 cookies together to help adhere. Repeat with the remaining cookies. 

Make about 25-30 cookies