Juniper berry spiced Chocolate Hazelnut cookies

1. Place the juniper berries in a dry pan. Heat the pan over medium heat, to dry roast the berries for a few minutes. (You will start to smell the juniper berries when they are done.)
2. Remove from the heat and let the juniper berries cool down. Place the cooled juniper berries in a spice grinder (or use a mortar and pestle), and grind them to a powder. Juniper berry powder will be slightly wet and sticky. Set aside until needed.
3. Add the butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla and juniper berry spice to a large bowl OR your mixer bowl. With a hand mixer or stand mixer (with a paddle mix), mix until the butter and sugar are well mixed and creamy - do not beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the sifted flour and sifted cocoa powder. Fold them in by hand, OR use the mixer/hand mixer (on the lowest speed) to incorporate the flour and cocoa powder.
5. Add the hazelnuts and milk chocolate chunks and mix them in until they are spread throughout the dough. Divide the dough in half.
6. Form a 2 - 2 ½ inch diameter cookie dough log with each of the dough portions. Wrap each log in plastic wrap (knotting the ends tightly).
7. Refrigerate for about 1 - 2 hours until the cookie dough is firm. The dough can be refrigerated overnight as well.

When you are ready to bake

1. Line two half sheet pans / cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Sprinkle the raw sugar on a flat plate.
2. Unwrap one of the cookie dough logs and roll the log in the raw sugar.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut off the tapered end of the cookie dough log. Then cut 1cm thick slices. Please note that because of the nuts and chocolate chips, you may not get clean slices, so reshape the cookies into rounds when they don’t cut cleanly. Roll the edges in the raw sugar again if you need to.
4. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet. Each log should make about 10 -12 cookies (not including the ends).
5. Cover the lined baking sheet with plastic wrap / parchment paper / or a another baking tray and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minute before baking. This chilling is important to allow the cookies to keep their shape while baking.
6. While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 325°F / 163°C. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 - 15 minutes. The cookie edges will be slightly firm and the middle will be soft when you take them out of the oven. And since they are dark brown, it would be hard to tell if they are done. But they will firm up as they cool.
7. When the cookies have cooled down, remove them from the baking tray and place them on a wire rack.
8. Repeat with the second cookie log and the second baking sheet. The cookies will be crunchy on the outside, and fudgy in the middle.
9. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature.