Introduction
Chocolate hazelnut cookies should deliver two things: plenty of choc and a proper hazelnut crunch. These have crisp edges, soft centres and little pockets of melted chocolate. They’re made with ground hazelnuts rather than flour, so they’re closer to a nutty biscuit than a thick bakery-style cookie.
We’ve added chocolate chips for extra bite, but you can turn the same dough into thumbprint cookies with a spoonful of LoveRaw® Hazelnut Cacao Spread "Choco Love" in the middle. Both versions are made without eggs or dairy. Pick your favourite, put the kettle on and give the cookies time to cool before you dive in.
Chocolate Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
These cookies get their chocolate flavour from cocoa powder and chips, while chopped hazelnuts give the outside some crunch. They’re delicate straight from the oven, so leave them on the tray to firm up.
The recipe adapts Lazy Cat Kitchen’s flourless chocolate hazelnut cookies, with chocolate chips folded through the dough.
Recipe card
Serves: 12, one cookie each
Prep time: 20 minutes, plus cooling
Cook time: About 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 100g finely ground hazelnuts, also sold as hazelnut meal
- 150g whole hazelnuts
- 80g caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- A generous pinch of fine salt
- 3 tablespoons aquafaba, the liquid from a tin of chickpeas, plus a little extra if needed
- 50g dairy-free dark chocolate chips
Method
- Heat the oven to 175°C, or 160°C fan. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
- Divide the whole hazelnuts into portions of 100g and 50g. Pulse the 100g portion in a food processor until coarsely ground, leaving a few small pieces for texture. Chop the remaining 50g and spread them on a plate.
- Mix the finely ground hazelnuts, coarsely ground hazelnuts, caster sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a large bowl.
- Add the aquafaba and stir until the mixture forms a sticky dough. If it won’t hold together when pressed, add a little more aquafaba, a teaspoon at a time.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll each one into a ball.
- Press each ball lightly into the chopped hazelnuts, coating both sides. Place on the tray with space between them, then flatten gently into thick rounds.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the tops look dry and the edges are lightly browned. The cookies will still feel soft.
- Leave them to cool completely on the tray before lifting them off.
Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies
A thumbprint cookie has a little hollow in the middle for a generous dab of filling. Use the dough above for a chocolatey, nut-coated biscuit, then add the spread after baking.
You’ll need around six teaspoons of Choco Love for 12 cookies, plus a little more if you like a fuller centre.
- Prepare the dough and coat the balls in chopped hazelnuts as directed in the recipe. Place them on the lined tray without flattening them completely.
- Press a shallow hollow into each ball with your thumb or the back of a small spoon. Support the sides with your other hand if they start to crack.
- Bake for about eight minutes. Carefully remove the tray and gently press the hollows again with the back of the spoon.
- Return the tray to the oven for another six to eight minutes, until the biscuits look set. Cool them completely on the tray.
- Spoon or pipe about half a teaspoon of spread into each hollow.
Pressing the centres again during baking helps make space for the filling, a technique also used in TeaTime Magazine’s chocolate hazelnut thumbprints. If the biscuits crack a little, they’ll still taste downright delicious.
Tip: Fill the thumbprints shortly before serving if you want the tidiest finish. Keep them in a single layer so the tops don’t stick together.
Choosing Your Ingredients
Hazelnuts: fine, coarse and chopped
The finely ground hazelnuts help form the dough. The coarsely ground portion gives the cookie more texture, and the chopped nuts add crunch on the outside.
If you’re grinding your own, pulse rather than running the processor continuously. Stop when you have a coarse meal with a few small pieces, not a smooth nut butter. Unsalted hazelnuts let you control the salt in the recipe.
Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate?
Either will work. Chips give you small pockets of chocolate throughout the cookie, while a chopped dairy-free dark chocolate bar gives you a mix of larger chunks and fine flecks.
Keep the chocolate pieces fairly small so the dough is easy to shape. If you’re making the thumbprints, a few chips tucked into the dough are lovely, but the spread is the star of the centre.
Aquafaba and cocoa
Aquafaba binds the ground nuts into a dough. Drain a tin of chickpeas over a bowl and measure the liquid; there’s no need to whisk it first. Add a little extra only if the dough won’t hold together.
Use unsweetened cocoa powder rather than a sweetened drinking-chocolate mix. It gives the cookies their deep chocolate flavour without changing the sweetness of the dough.
Want Chocolate Hazelnut Biscuits With More Snap?
These cookies are already crisp at the edges, with softer centres. For a thinner, more biscuit-like result, flatten the dough portions a little more before baking and start checking them a few minutes early.
Don’t judge the texture while they’re hot. They firm up as they cool, and moving them too soon can break them. Leave them on the parchment until completely cool, then lift them with a spatula.
For a softer centre, keep the rounds thicker and take them out when the tops look dry. They shouldn’t look wet, but they will still be tender to the touch.
Cookie Troubleshooting
The dough is crumbly
Press a small amount between your fingers. If it falls apart instead of holding together, stir in another teaspoon of aquafaba and check again. Add it gradually: the mixture should be sticky enough to shape, not runny.
Make sure the hazelnuts are ground finely enough too. Large pieces are great for the coating, but too many in the dough can make it difficult to form a cookie.
The dough is too sticky to roll
Sticky is normal, but if the mixture clings to your hands, chill it briefly before shaping. Slightly damp hands can also help when rolling the portions.
Avoid adding a handful of flour to fix it. That changes the balance of this hazelnut-based dough and can make the finished cookies dry.
The cookies are falling apart
They need their cooling time. Leave them on the tray until completely cool, then slide a thin spatula underneath.
If they’re still crumbly, the dough may have needed a little more aquafaba. Next time, check that a pressed portion holds together before dividing the mixture.
Serving and Decorating Ideas
A plain chocolate chip cookie is a good place to start. A little extra topping makes it even better.
- Spread and crunch: Add a small spoonful of Choco Love to a cooled cookie and finish with a few chopped hazelnuts.
- Wafer topping: Chop a M:lk® Choc Cre&m® Wafer Bar and scatter the pieces over the spread just before serving. The wafer contains wheat.
- A little salt: Add a small pinch of flaky salt to the cookies after baking for a salty-sweet finish.
- Dessert plate: Serve a cookie alongside a scoop of your favourite dairy-free frozen dessert. Crumble another over the top if you fancy extra crunch.
For gifting, cool the cookies completely and pack them carefully in a sturdy container. Unfilled cookies are easier to stack; keep filled thumbprints in a single layer.
Storage and Making Ahead
Keep the cooled, unfilled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy them over the next few days for the best texture.
You can freeze unfilled baked cookies in a freezer-safe container, with parchment between layers. Defrost them at room temperature before adding spread or wafer pieces. For thumbprints, make the hollows before freezing and add the filling once the biscuits have defrosted.
Conclusion
For a chocolate hazelnut cookie with proper crunch, give those ground nuts and chocolate chips room to shine. LoveRaw Choco Love makes a velvety finishing touch when you fancy a thumbprint.
- Cool the cookies on the tray before moving them.
- Fill thumbprints once the biscuits are completely cool.
- Add wafer pieces just before serving for extra crunch.
Key Takeaway: Make one batch of dough and choose between chocolate chip cookies and spread-filled thumbprints.
Ready to fill your next batch? Try our Hazelnut Cacao Spread "Choco Love".
FAQ
Can I make chocolate hazelnut cookies without flour?
Yes. This recipe uses finely and coarsely ground hazelnuts to make the dough, with aquafaba to bind it. The finished cookies are delicate, so let them cool completely before moving them.
Can I use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips?
Yes, use the same weight of chopped dairy-free dark chocolate. Cut it into fairly small pieces so you can shape the dough without the larger chunks getting in the way.
Can I bake the chocolate hazelnut spread inside the thumbprints?
For this recipe, add the spread after baking and cooling. That keeps the filling soft and makes it easier to control how much goes into each hollow.
Can I make the cookies ahead?
Yes. Bake and cool the cookies, then keep them in an airtight container or freeze them unfilled. Add spread and any wafer decoration after defrosting, just before serving.
