Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
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Wonderfully crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread that gets a DOUBLE dose of hazelnut flavor! These shortbread cookies keep for several weeks and also freeze well, so make a double batch while you’re at it and pull one out as needed to satisfy those sweet tooth cravings. This Hazelnut Shortbread recipe is guaranteed to become a favorite!
Growing up in England I was well-versed in all things shortbread. Shortbread in all different flavor combinations, whether lavender, rosemary, orange, ginger, chocolate or lemon. And our family regularly took trips up to Scotland to enjoy the Scottish Shortbread there on location along with their famous luxury version of shortbread known as Millionaire Shortbread. From that exposure to so much incredible shortbread, I’ve been hooked on it ever since.
I developed this recipe back in 2013, just 4 months after launching my website. I was shopping in my favorite international grocery store in Seattle at the time where I bought some hazelnut oil to try out. As soon as I got home I opened it and inhaled deeply and…wow! I had bought it with the intention of using it primarily as a finishing oil for salads, vegetables and pasta, but the moment I smelled that heavenly fragrance I had visions of hazelnut pastries and baked goods dancing in my head. With some whole hazelnuts in my fridge just begging to be toasted and ground, I got to work developing this Hazelnut Shortbread. With that double dose of hazelnut flavor from the freshly ground nuts and the hazelnut oil, these shortbread cookies were irresistible and have remained a family favorite ever since.
Hazelnut and chocolate are a flavor match made in heaven so I’m sharing a few options with you: Plain hazelnut shortbread cookies, chocolate hazelnut shortbread cookies, or plain ones dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with hazelnuts. Take your pick or make a combination of them – you won’t regret it!
Storage Tips
Shortbread does best stored in an airtight container because it has a very low moisture content. Keep your hazelnut shortbread cookies stored in cool (not the fridge), dry conditions to enable it to store longer without becoming stale. Stored properly they will keep for up to 4 weeks. For even longer storage you can freeze them by placing some parchment paper between the cookies to prevent them from sticking together and freeze them in a ziplock freezewr bag of freezer-safe container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Hazelnut Shortbread Recipe
First let’s toast the hazelnuts. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C for 10-15 minutes or until toasted and blistery, tossing occasionally to prevent burning. Remove the hazelnuts and wrap them in a clean kitchen towel for a minute, then rub the hazelnuts in the towel to remove as much of the skins as you can. Allow the nuts to cool completely before grinding them in a blender or food processor.
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the hazelnut oil and vanilla extract. Add the hazelnuts and mix just until combined.
NOTE: If making chocolate hazelnut shortbread cookies, add the cocoa powder in now.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture just until combined. Be careful not to over-stir
Form the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap the shortbread in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Unwrap the shortbread and slice in 1/4 inch thick rounds.
Place the shortbread on cookie sheets.
Bake in a preheated oven set to 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
If you like, you can dip the cookies in melted chocolate, then sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and let the hazelnut shortbread cookies sit until the chocolate is set.
You can also leave the hazelnut shortbread cookies plain and spread with a little Nutella…yummy!
Enjoy!
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Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raw whole hazelnuts
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (if making chocolate hazelnut shortbread)
Instructions
- To toast the hazelnuts, place them on a cookie sheet and roast in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until toasted and blistery, tossing occasionally to prevent burning. Remove the hazelnuts and wrap in a clean kitchen towel for a minute, then rub the hazelnuts in the towel to remove as much of the skins as you can. Allow the nuts to cool completely before grinding them.
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the hazelnut oil, vanilla extract, and ground toasted hazelnuts. Mix until combined. If making chocolate shortbread, add the cocoa powder in this step as well.Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour just until combined. Be careful not to over-stir.Form the shortbread into a log about 2 inches in diameter and wrap with wax paper. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Remove the log from the wax paper and slice in 1/4 inch thick rounds. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet. Bake the shortbread cookies for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Dip the cookies in chocolate and then chopped hazelnuts and let cool until the chocolate is set, enjoy them plain, or spread them with a little Nutella before eating.Makes about 24 shortbread cookies.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet May 24, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
These hazelnut shortbread cookies were absolutely HEAVENLY! The addition of the hazelnut oil is brilliant. My children and husband raved about these cookies and have already requested more.
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed them, thank you Trisha!
Superb!
Thank you so much, Sally!
Hi Kimberly, Just finished baking and they turned out beautifully, after dipping in chocolate I first sprinkled with a bit of citrus sugar from my candied oranges and lemons and then with chopped hazelnuts. Your recipes are incredible, haven’t tried one yet I didn’t like. Thanks so much!! Still waiting for the springerel recipe. So lucky to live next to where hazelnuts are grown.
Thanks so much, Mary, I really appreciate that. You are lucky indeed. I LOVE hazelnuts, they’re such an integral part of baking in Germany but relatively few people in the U.S. use them – other than eating Nutella ;) The Springerle recipe is coming :)
Hi Kimberly, Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! I tried this recipe last week, and it turned out amazing! I just have a quick question: how long can I keep the dough in the fridge ? Can I freeze it?
Thank you :)
Wonderful! You can refrigerate it for at least several days. I haven’t tried freezing this dough but generally any cookie dough with a lot of butter freezes well.
Kimberly, I did go ahead and make these as a last minute addition to my Christmas cookie platter (cookies and ice cream buffet is our family’s Christmas Day dessert). I have three standards I always make, and each year add in a couple of experiments. For this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill hazelnut flour instead of starting with whole hazelnuts, and lightly toasted the specified 0.5 cup in a parchment-lined jelly roll pan at 350 (stir frequently) until it was lightly browned. As per our discussion above, I divided the dough in half and made half chocolate (Valrhona cocoa, 1.5T). Dipped in melted Lindt dark 70% (available in the local grocery store), sprinkled with chopped toasted skinned hazelnuts, and a bit of red Christmas decorations. Whoa – they were incredible! My college-aged nephew who has been addicted to Nutella from the day he was born wanted the recipe, and people ate so many there weren’t any left-over for me :(
Guess I’ll have to make some more, this is a seriously special recipe, which is headed from experimental to standard status!
Yahoo! I’m so thrilled to hear that, Jan. Thanks so much for the feedback and Happy New Year!
Is 3 Tablespoons of cocoa the amount for making the entire recipe chocolate, or half the dough, as in your photo? In other words, if I am going to divide the dough in half, and make half plain and half chocolate, do I want 1.5T or 3T for the chocolate half of the dough? Thanks!
Hi Jan, 3 tablespoons is if you’re making the entire batch chocolate-flavored. So if you’re making a batch of dough and want half of it to be chocolate, then yes, use 1 1/2. If you like it really chocolately you can use a little more. Happy baking!
okay
Awesome! Truly :) Thank you, Kimberly!
Thank YOU, Michele, for stopping by!
I love love love hazelnuts. I’ve never used hazelnut oil in baking, but after seeing your shortbread cookies, I need to change that.These look really delicious.
Thanks for the compliment, sweetlab! Absolutely, as a baker you’ll find lots of yummy ways to incorporate hazelnut oil. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies http://t.co/uG0mGDscbi
As one who loves shortbread, I’m sorely tempted by these little gems. Well done!
Thanks, Kathleen! I’m usually not a raw cookie dough eater, but this dough was divine! The hazelnut flavor was even more pronounced in raw state and I could have easily eaten the whole batch unbaked ;)
Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies http://t.co/e26GJ1QszG
OH MY GOSH! I want these! I just need to find some hazelnut oil… The hunt is on. :)
They were good…and didn’t last very long. Not overly sweet, which I prefer (unless you load up on Nutella, haha!), but you can always add more sugar if you prefer. I’m going to be experimenting more with the hazelnut oil and post more recipes using it.