Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies

These Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies are one of my favorite cookies. It is buttery shortbread cookie filled with dark chocolate and crunchy roasted hazelnuts. These cookies can be made any time of the year, but they are a new favorite for the family Christmas cookie basket.

I made these chocolate hazelnut shortbread cookies for my friend's January 1 meeting.  Yes, the same wedding for which I made the Chocolate S'Mores Tarts. These cookies were a last-minute addition because I wanted to make sure that there were enough desserts for the dessert table.  And more is better right?  I'm glad I made extra because shortbread cookies are more popular than I realized.

For these cookies I used the same 3-2-1 shortbread recipe that I used for my Cranberry and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies. I love this basic recipe because there are so many variations that I can try and I've only started. Chocolate and Hazelnut is one of my favorite combinations and a second chocolate dessert would be a nice addition to the wedding desserts.

I used dry roasted hazelnuts, also known as filberts, from Trader Joe's.  If you don't have a Trader Joe's, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and toast the nuts for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.  Use your favorite bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate bars for this recipe.  I buy the 1 pound bars from Trader Joe's for most of my baking.  Yes, I admit I am a big fan and shop there often.

For the wedding I made square cookies to contract with the round shape of the Cranberry and Pistachio cookies.  I didn't have a square cookie cutter so it took me longer than I planned to measure and cut the cookies.  For everyday baking I prefer my round cookie cutters.

There is nothing complicated about these cookies.  This recipe is also perfect if you need a quick bake for a special event or the get together at the office the next day.  Chop the hazelnuts and the chocolate.  Combine the sugar, butter, and salt and beat until well combined.  Add the flour and mix on low speed until the cookie dough comes together.  The dough will be crumbly at first but eventually, come together into a smooth dough.  Add the chocolate and the nuts and mix on low speed until they are well mixed in.

These cookies are so good and cookies are my weakness. It's so easy to grab 2, 3 or 4 and much on them as I walk through the house or grab my favorite spot on the couch to watch a movie.  You will definitely enjoy these cookies.

Other Shortbread Cookie Recipes

If you're looking for other shortbread or cookie recipes check out my other delicious shortbread recipes:

• Apricot and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
• Cranberry and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
• Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies

This recipe is based on my 3-2-1 shortbread cookie recipe.  I think the combination of hazelnuts and chocolate is great in anything, especially in shortbread.  Go for this recipe when you want the combination of chocolate and nuts and you want it fast.

5 from 17 votes

Print Pin Comment

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Chilling: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 24 cookies

Author: Cheryl Norris

Ingredients

• ▢ 3/4 cup (90 grams) unsalted toasted hazelnuts, chopped
• ▢ 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• ▢ 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• ▢ 1/4 cup (2 ounces) light brown sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup (2 ounces) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 3 cups (12 ounces) all-purpose flour
• ▢ Maldon Sea Salt

Instructions

• Chop the hazelnuts and the chocolate and set aside. I use the toasted hazelnuts from Trader Joe’s. If you are using raw hazelnuts, toast the nuts at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes until lightly browned.
• Place the butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add all the flour at once. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix until all the flour is just combined. The dough will be crumbly at this point. Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until the dough has completely come together. Add the hazelnuts and the chopped chocolate and mix on low speed until they are well combined into the dough.
• Turn the cookie dough out onto a lightly floured surface. You can turn it out onto a large piece of parchment paper or Silpat. Use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangle and lightly flour the top of the dough. Do not use too much flour, just enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking.
• Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thick. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Place the cookies on parchment lined cookie sheet about 1-inch apart. Prick each cookie in the center with a fork. Pricking the cookies will ensure they bake in the center.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Chilling the dough will help the cookies hold their shape when baking.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt.  Bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be lightly golden brown. 
• Take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a cookie rack to completely cool.
• The cookies can be stored in a container for about 1 week.

Notes

This shortbread cookie recipe works best when flour, sugar and butter are weighed.  Weighing the ingredients will ensure that you are not adding too much flour or too little sugar.  Depending on how the butter is packaged you may not need to weigh it.  In the United States butter usually comes in 4 ounce (1/2 cup) sticks. 

For the best results use good quality butter.  Brands such as Challenge Butter, Land o Lakes, and Tillamook work well in this recipe.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 99mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 239IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

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