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What's better than a chocolate sandwich cookie? A Hazelnut Chocolate Sandwich Cookie. Hazelnut and chocolate is one of the best combinations and if you've had Nutella you know what I'm talking about. Soft hazelnut shortbread cookies are filled with a milk chocolate ganache for an absolutely delicious cookie.
Why This Recipe Works
This cookie starts with quality ingredients - Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Flour and Hazelnut Flour. Both flours are all-natural and ground fine and together they create a cookie dough that is easy to handle and tastes great. Instant espresso is added to the milk chocolate ganache and the coffee flavor adds a depth of flavor to the ganache filling.
I love the hazelnut chocolate combination so much that this is my third variation of these yummy flavors. Here are two of my other chocolate-hazelnut recipes: Chocolate Cherry Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies and Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies.
Hazelnut Cookie Ingredients
This hazelnut cookie is based on my Shortbread Cookie with a few additional ingredients. This is a softer cookie because of the fat from the hazelnut flour and the shorter cooking time. Here are the cookie ingredients:
- Bob's Red Mill Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. Adds structure to the cookie.
- Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Flour. The hazelnut flour is ground fine and gives the cookie a beautiful nutty flavor. I prefer Bob's Red Mill because it is finely ground, mixes well with other ingredients and taste great.
- Granulated Sugar. Sugar is added for sweetness.
- Light Brown Sugar. Brown sugar adds a slight molasses flavor and produces a tender cookie.
- Unsalted Butter. Butter adds tenderness and flavor to the final cookie.
- Ground Cinnamon. The ground cinnamon when combined with the hazelnut flour and brown produces a wonderful flavor to the baked cookie
- Kosher Salt. Salt boosts the flavors of all the other ingredients.
How to Make The Hazelnut Cookies
This recipe works best if you weigh the ingredients, so all the amounts in the recipe are listed in ounces and grams.
A food processor is used to make the cookie dough. I learned how to use a food processor to make cookie dough from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Christmas Cookie Book, one of my favorite cookbooks.
Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until the ingredients are well combined.
Cut the cold butter into 1-inch cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Pulse the food processor until the mixture has the consistency of panko breadcrumbs. Don't let the dough form a ball.
Dump the cookie dough onto a lightly floured Silpat and if you don't have a Silpat use a wooden board or your countertop.
Press the dough together until you're able to form it into a rectangle. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick and cut out 2.5-inch circles. For this recipe, you can use any size cookie cutter you want. The 2.5-inch cookie cutter makes one dozen hazelnut sandwich cookies.
Chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. Bake the cookies at 300°F for 20 minutes. If you want a firmer cookie bake them for another 3-5 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool completely before adding the chocolate ganache.
How to Make the Milk Chocolate Ganache
Typically ganache is made with bittersweet or dark chocolate and specific ratios of chocolate to cream will give you a ganache ranging from thin for glazing cakes to think for truffles or tart fillings. See my recipe for Chocolate Shortbread Sandwich Cookies for the formulas for firm, medium, and soft ganache.
Since milk chocolate has cocoa butter and milk solids those same ratios don't work. This cookie requires a medium ganache so we're using a ratio of 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream or 10 ounces of chocolate and 5 ounces of heavy cream.
Chop the chocolate into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and heat on medium until it just starts to boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the espresso powder. Whisk the cream and espresso powder until the powder is dissolved.
Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate, let it sit for 1 minute, and gently whisk with a metal whisk until the ganache is smooth and there are no lumps of chocolate.
Cool the ganache to 77 degrees F. It will still be soft but firm enough to pipe onto the cookies and hold its shape.
How to Assemble the Cookies
Place the chocolate ganache in an 18-inch pastry bag. I used Ateco decorating tip 808 to fill the cookies. It's the perfect size to create a layer of ganache.
Starting on the outer edge pipe a series of concentric circles until the entire surface of the cookie is finished. Place a second cookie on top. Your cookies are ready to devour or share with friends.
How to Store the Cookies
The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days because of the amount of sugar in the ganache. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. As the cookies sit the hazelnut cookie will soften.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Using cold butter for this recipe. A crumbly cookie dough will be easier to handle and roll out.
- Don't overmix in the food processor.
- Use a Silpat to roll out the cookie. The Silpat will make it easier to roll out the dough and it won't stick as much.
- Chilling the dough after cutting the cookies will ensure the cookies hold their shape while baking.
- Pricking the holes on top will allow steam to be released and keep the cookie from rising
Recipe - Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if you don't have hazelnut flour then you can use an equal amount of almond flour.
Yes, you can make this recipe without nut flour. Increase the amount of all-purpose flour to 12 ounces.
These cookies are for any time. Chocolate and hazelnut are such a good combination that is my third cookie featuring chocolate and hazelnut. Consider making these for at home or even as a gift. When you make this recipe please leave a comment below or send me a Comment. If you're on social media connect with me on Instagram and Facebook.
Ingredients
Hazelnut Cookies
- 10 ounces (284 grams) Bob’s Red Mill unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 ounces (57 grams) Bob’s Red Mill hazelnut flour
- 2 ounces (57 grams) light brown sugar packed
- 2 ounces (57 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces (227 grams) unsalted butter cold
Milk Chocolate Ganache Filling
- 10 tablespoons heavy cream
- 10 ounces milk chocolate
- 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee
Instructions
Hazelnut Cookies
- Place the all-purpose flour, hazelnut flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process the dry ingredients for about 20 seconds.
- Cube the butter into 1-inch cubes and add them to the food processor. Pulse about 30 times until the dough resembles breadcrumbs. Don’t let the dough form a call.
- Pour the dough onto a lightly floured Silpat and knead the dough into a ball. Roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out 2.5-inch circles. Line a baking sheet or flat board with parchment paper and place the cookies on the paper. Prick each cookie with a fork. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cookies on the sheet 2 inches apart and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Milk Chocolate Ganache
- Chop the chocolate into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-sized bowl. Heat the cream on medium heat until it just begins to bubble. Be careful not to let the cream bubble over.
- Remove the cream from the heat and add the instant coffee or espresso to the cream and whisk to combine. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute. Whisk the cream and chocolate until the mixture is smooth.
- Let the chocolate cool until it is 77°F. Add a decorating tip to an 18-inch pastry bag. I used Ateco #808. Pipe a single layer of milk chocolate ganache on one cookie and place a second cookie on top.
Storing the Cookies
- The cookies can sit at room temperature for two days. Refrigerate the cookies for up to one week. As the cookies sit with the ganache, the cookies will get soft.
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