Richly flavored with melt-in-your-mouth yumminess, these Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies have the perfect buttery crunch. Relish them as is or take them over the top with chocolate drizzle or chocolate dipped.
These cookies have so many amazing things happening at once. First of all shortbread is pretty much perfect on it own! We then enhance the cookies with both cocoa powder and toasted hazelnuts making for an incredibly deep and roasty flavor that is quite irresistible.
Coat the edges in ground nuts… or not. Dip in chocolate… or not. These cookies are amazing as is and even more decadent and fancy if you go for the extras.
These chocolate hazelnut shortbread cookies are perfect for sharing, we love that they hold up well to packaging (especially when dipped in chocolate), and seem even better with time, making them a wonderful gift.
If you want pure unadulterated shortbread goodness this Perfect Shortbread recipe is for you.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Hazelnuts are especially good but of course, you can substitute other nuts.
- Rice flour keeps the short bread perfectly crisp.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How To Make Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
STEP ONE – Finely chop raw hazelnuts. Spread out on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven.
STEP TWO – Cream together softened butter and sugar for about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (or by hand) until just smooth, not fluffy. Scrape down the sides.
STEP THREE – Add vanilla. Mix another few seconds to incorporate. Add in all-purpose flour, rice flour, cocoa powder, hazelnuts and salt. Combine until dough forms.
STEP FOUR – Squish and roll the dough into a log (or two short logs are easier to work with) about 1 1/2 inches in diameter refrigerate 1 hour.
Ways To Enhance
Optional Hazelnut Coating– coat the outside of the chilled cookie roll in chopped hazelnuts by spreading the the nuts in a pan or plate. Brush the cookie dough log with egg white or maple syrup, press and roll in the nuts. You may need to roll a couple times to evenly coat.
Drizzle baked and cooled cookies with melted chocolate. Or alternatively, cover the bottom of the cookie with melted chocolate and let set on a silpat sheet (slip into the fridge or freezer to harden faster), creating a chocolate bottom.
STEP FIVE – Cut in 1/4 inch thick slices, chill on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes.
Bake in a preheated oven at 325F for 20-25 minutes. Let cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes and transfer onto a cooling rack.
TIP: To elevate the cookies, drizzle them with chocolate, or dip them in melted dark chocolate.
Recipe FAQS
Named shortbread due to its short, or crumbly, structure, which is a result of the high proportion of fat. The traditional recipe, developed in Scotland, consists of one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour.
Rice flour gives the shortbread a sandy texture with a crisp delicate crunch.
Shortbread requires just a few ingredients- use good-quality butter and sugar. Rice flour gives a sandy texture and a pinch of salt balances the richness. Refrigerating the dough ensures the butter solidifies and keep the cookie perfectly dense and crisp.
Cocoa powder Dutch Process-is roasted at a high temperature and often treat with an alkali agent to make it less bitter.
Natural Cocoa Powder– is roasted at high temperature but untreated and slightly bitter.
Cacao powder is the purest form of chocolate (check the sources as some make the claim to be cacao but may not be). It is raw, uncooked, with a darker color and more bitter flavor profile. Highly nutrient-dense with antioxidants, flavonoids, magnesium, potassium, and iron.
Cocoa powder and Cacao powder can be used interchangeably in recipes.
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Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 100 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: around 24 cookies
- Category: cookies
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: american
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Richly flavored with melt-in-your-mouth yumminess, these Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies have the perfect buttery crunch. Relish them as is or take them over the top with chocolate drizzle or chocolate dipped. Allow 1 ½ hours chilling time.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups (187 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (56 g) rice flour ( or use more AP flour)
- 1/3 cup (30 g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped- plus another 1/3 cup for coating the edges
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon salt (Himalayan is good here)
Instructions
- Cream together softened butter and sugar for about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (or by hand) until just smooth, not fluffy. Scrape down the sides.
- Add vanilla. Mix another few seconds to incorporate. Add in all-purpose flour, rice flour, cocoa powder, hazelnuts and salt. Combine until dough forms.
- Squish and roll the dough into a log (or two short logs is easier to work with) about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, refrigerate 1 hour.
- Cut in 1/4 inch thick slices, chill on a baking sheet for 20-30 minutes.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 325F for 20-25 minutes. Let cool on the pan for 5-10 minutes and transfer on to a cooling rack.
Notes
Optional Hazelnut Coating– coat the outside of the chilled cookie roll in chopped hazelnuts by spreading the the nuts in a pan or plate. Brush the cookie dough log with egg white or maple syrup, and press and roll in the nuts. You may need to roll a couple of times to evenly coat.
Optional (but highly recommended) Drizzle with melted dark chocolate– Or alternatively cover the bottom of the cookie with melted chocolate and let set on a silpat, slip into the fridge or freezer to harden faster.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 78
- Sugar: 4.4 g
- Sodium: 13.4 mg
- Fat: 2.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.1 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
The perfect addition to my holiday gift plate of cookies this year! Thank you!
So glad you liked these Linda!
I hope everyone is measuring the cocoa powder and not weighing it – because 30 grams is way more than 1/4 cup.
Oh thanks Grace! Fixed it. 🙂
Thanks for the heads up. I’ll weigh next time.
I wonder if anyone has tried these cookies with almonds instead ? I know they’d work, but as good as hazelnuts ?
They would be delicious with almonds!
Un bel équilibre noisette chocolat. Juste assez sucré, on en redemande …
“A nice hazelnut-chocolate balance. Just sweet enough, we want more…”
Thanks Serge! Appreciate the review. 🙂
I made a half batch of these for my birthday (12-13 cookies) and they were perfect. I only made the cookie part without the extra hazelnuts and chocolate and it was everything. Thank you for a wonderful birthday treat!!!
Awww, love that Angeli! Happy Birthday!
Thank you! 🤗❤️
❤️
Would this work with GF One to One all purpose flour
Someone did comment that they had success with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1!
,a,inc these now! If you want to roll in chopped hazelnuts, did you skip the hazelnuts in the cookie dough? Thank you for all your wonderful recipes ! Always my inspiration!!
Glad to hear you are enjoying Lisa! We use hazelnuts in the cookies plus more for rolling! But up to you. 🙂
I made these for my girlfriend of 40 years last night. I used Valrhona cocoa and Valrhona dark chocolate for the drizzle. These are the most yummy cookies I have ever eaten. I had to get them into the tin and tape the postal box before I ate them all. 🙂 Thank you, Sylvia. I tell everyone I know about you. You have it all, girl, to include the gorgeous photos (we eat with our eyes first). Thank you again!!!!!
Awesome Colette, so nice to hear all this!
In the photos it looks like you’re leaving the skins on the hazelnuts before chopping fine and roasting, is that correct? I’ve always roasted hazelnuts whole and rubbed them in a dishtowel to remove the skins before chopping but I’m wondering if this is necessary? Aren’t the skins kind of bitter?
It is really up to you! If you find them bitter, rub them off.
My opinion, I used organic roasted, salted hazelnuts with partial skins and it was phenomenal. No need going to all that trouble (as I have also done in the past).
Hi Sylvia, these look delicious, just wondering if I could use Brown Rice Flour instead, as that is what I have on hand? Thanks
That will work just fine Claudia!
These cookies look amazing. I would like to drizzle them with chocolate but want to make sure it doesn’t make them sticky for shipping, so what type of chocolate would you recommend?
I guess it depends on the weather, where you are shipping and how they are packed. We used guittard dark chocolate chips. They stacked up great in cellophane bags for holiday gifts. You could place parchment between the cookies when packing.
I’m looking forward to making these! I wonder if you could add the 1 hour refrigeration time to the prep time to help with planning ahead. Thanks for the recipe!
Yes, just updated it, thanks janet!
I don’t have rice flour and probably won’t buy any. What’s the alternative, please
Just sub regular flour!
I have seen recipes that use cornstarch instead of rice flour here.
Yes, they both work to keep the shortbread crisp. We prefer rice flour, cornstarch has more of a starchy feel.
What?!!! These are the BEST cookies ever! So tender and crisp with the most dreamy chocolate hazelnut flavor. The chocolate coating sends it above and beyond deliciousness. Magic!
Thanks we totally agree!
Do these cookies freeze well?
Yes!
These worked well with Bobs Red Mill gluten free 1:1 flour!
Awesome!
I’d love to try these gluten free. Any ideas on flour alternative….. bobs red mill 1:1?
Thanks!
Yes, that should work. Can use the mix for both the flour and rice flour measurements, as the mix has rice flour in it. 🙂