Introduction
Gianduja hazelnut chocolate is an Italian confection made by blending chocolate with finely ground hazelnuts. The result is smooth, nutty and melt-in-the-mouth, with a softer bite than many ordinary chocolate bars. If you love chocolate and hazelnuts together, this is a combination worth getting to know.
You might find gianduja in a bar, a small wrapped chocolate or a soft paste. It’s also a brilliant flavour to borrow for biscuits and bakes. At LoveRaw®, we’re big fans of that chocolate-and-hazelnut pairing, especially when there’s a little crunch involved. Whether you’re choosing a bar or making a batch of Italian-inspired cookies, the texture matters as much as the flavour.
What Makes Gianduja Different?
Gianduja, also written gianduia, brings chocolate and hazelnut paste together in one smooth mixture. The hazelnuts aren’t simply scattered through the chocolate. They’re finely ground and blended in, so their flavour runs through every bite.
That’s the big difference between gianduja and a chocolate bar studded with whole or chopped nuts. A nut-studded bar gives you a contrast between chocolate and crunch. Gianduja gives you a more even, velvety texture and a softer bite.
Depending on the recipe, the chocolate can taste deep and cocoa-rich or sweeter and gentler. The hazelnuts add a roasted, nutty flavour that sits right alongside the chocolate rather than hiding in the background.
A Little Italian History
Gianduja has its roots in Turin, in Italy’s Piedmont region, where hazelnuts have long been used in confectionery. Its name comes from Gianduja, a character associated with the region’s carnival traditions.
The familiar story links the chocolate-and-hazelnut mixture to the nineteenth century, when cocoa was costly and local confectioners turned to hazelnuts. Eataly’s history of gianduja describes both the character and the confection’s Piedmontese roots.
What Does Gianduja Taste Like?
Think chocolate first, followed by a generous hit of hazelnut. A darker version can have a more pronounced cocoa flavour, while a sweeter one lets the nutty notes come forward.
Texture matters too. A piece of gianduja may hold its shape like a chocolate bar, but the finely ground nuts can make it softer on the bite. It’s not usually the choice for someone seeking a loud, crisp snap. For that, pair the smooth chocolate with a crunchy biscuit or wafer.
Bars, Chocolates and Hazelnut Paste
An Italian chocolate and hazelnut treat can come in several forms. They share a flavour pairing, but they won’t all behave the same way in a recipe.
| Format | Texture | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Gianduja bar | Firm enough to slice, but generally softer than a plain chocolate bar | Eating in pieces, chopping into bakes or melting |
| Gianduiotti | Small, individually shaped gianduja chocolates | Serving with coffee or giving as a gift |
| Gianduja paste | Smooth, with firmness varying by recipe | Filling chocolates or adding to desserts |
| Chocolate hazelnut spread | Usually soft enough to spread straight from the jar | Toast, pancakes and sandwich biscuits |
| Hazelnut-studded chocolate bar | Firm chocolate with pieces of nut | A crunchy bite rather than a smooth one |
Gianduiotti are the little chocolates often associated with gianduja. A gianduja bar gives you the same kind of chocolate-and-hazelnut combination in a format that’s easy to share or chop.
A paste can be softer or firmer depending on its ingredients and intended use. If you’re buying one for baking, check the description rather than assuming it will pour like a sauce. A firm paste may need gentle warming before you can spread it.
Is Chocolate Hazelnut Spread the Same as Gianduja?
Not always. A chocolate hazelnut spread may offer a similar flavour, but its ingredients and texture can differ from a firmer gianduja chocolate. Some are made to stay soft in the jar, while a gianduja bar is made to hold its shape.
For toast or pancakes, a spread is the obvious choice. For neat chocolate pieces or a biscuit filling that sets more firmly, a bar or a firmer paste may be more useful.
Our Hazelnut Cacao Spread "Choco Love" is a handy way to bring chocolate and hazelnut flavour to a bake. It’s a spread, though, so use it for its soft texture rather than assuming it’s a direct substitute for a gianduja bar.
How to Choose an Italian Hazelnut Chocolate Bar
The best bar for you depends on what you want to do with it. Are you after a smooth little square to have with coffee, or a bar you can chop into cookies? Those are two different jobs.
Look at the Texture
For a smooth bite, look for a bar described as gianduja or made with finely ground hazelnuts. If you want crunch, choose one with visible hazelnut pieces instead.
For baking, think about whether the chocolate needs to hold its shape. Chopped gianduja can soften into a bake differently from firmer chocolate chunks. That’s lovely in a soft-centred chocolate hazelnut cookie, but less useful if you want distinct pieces in every bite.
Choose Your Chocolate Flavour
A darker chocolate-and-hazelnut bar can bring a stronger cocoa flavour. A sweeter bar may put more emphasis on the mellow, roasted taste of hazelnuts.
Neither is automatically the right choice. If you’re serving it with a sweet biscuit, a darker bar can provide contrast. For a straightforward chocolate-and-hazelnut treat, choose the style you’d happily eat on its own.
Check the Ingredients
Recipes vary, so read the ingredients if you’re looking for chocolate made without dairy. Gianduja isn’t automatically vegan, and neither is every dark chocolate bar.
Hazelnuts are central to the flavour, and other nuts may also appear in a recipe or in allergy information. Check the packaging for the details that matter to you.
For gifting, small wrapped chocolates are easy to portion out. A bar is a good pick when you want to share a few pieces or give someone an ingredient they can bake with. Keep it somewhere cool and dry, following the storage instructions on the pack.
Italian Hazelnut Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate and hazelnuts aren’t limited to bars and pastes. They’re also a lovely match in Italian-style biscuits, particularly when you want a crisp or crumbly bite alongside a smooth chocolate filling.
One example is baci di dama, or "lady’s kisses". These small Italian sandwich biscuits have two rounded halves joined with chocolate. Versions can be made with hazelnuts or almonds, and the finished biscuits are usually small enough to enjoy in a couple of bites.
The recipe below takes its cue from those biscuits. It uses ground hazelnuts in the dough and dark chocolate for the filling. The chocolate doesn’t need to be gianduja, but you can use a gianduja bar made without dairy if you have one and want an extra hazelnut hit.
Hazelnut Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits
Serves: 12 biscuits
Prep time: 20 minutes, plus chilling and cooling
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 100 g ground hazelnuts
- 100 g plain flour
- 60 g caster sugar
- 90 g dairy-free block baking fat, softened
- 50 g dark chocolate made without dairy, or dairy-free gianduja
- 1 to 2 teaspoons plant-based drink, only if needed
Method
- Mix the ground hazelnuts, flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the softened baking fat and rub it in, then bring the mixture together with your hands.
- If the dough won’t hold together when pressed, add a little plant-based drink, a teaspoon at a time. Shape the dough into a disc, cover and chill for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 160°C fan and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Divide the dough into 24 pieces and roll into small balls. Place them on the tray with space between them, then chill for another 15 minutes.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the bases and edges are lightly golden. Leave the biscuits on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
- Melt the chocolate gently in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Keep the base of the bowl above the water and stir until smooth.
- Let the chocolate cool until thick enough to spread without running. Add a little to the flat side of one biscuit and sandwich with another. Repeat, then leave the biscuits somewhere cool until the filling sets.
Biscuit Tips and Variations
Use ground hazelnuts, not chopped nuts, for a more even dough. If you grind them yourself, stop before they turn into a paste. A few tiny pieces are fine, but large chunks can make the little biscuits harder to shape.
Dairy-free baking fats vary in softness. If yours is very soft and the dough feels sticky, give it a little longer in the fridge before rolling. Chilling the shaped balls also helps them keep a neater shape in the oven.
Don’t rush the filling. Warm, runny chocolate can slide off the biscuits, while completely cool chocolate can become too firm to spread. Let it thicken a little, then use a small amount on each pair.
For a softer centre, swap the melted chocolate for a little chocolate hazelnut spread. The filling won’t set in the same way, so use a thin layer and follow the spread’s storage instructions.
Keep the finished biscuits in an airtight container somewhere cool and dry. They’re best enjoyed within a few days. If the filling is soft, place them in a single layer so they don’t stick together.
More Ways to Use Chocolate Hazelnut Paste
A spoonful of chocolate hazelnut paste can do a lot of work in a dessert. The trick is matching its consistency to what you’re making.
For a sandwich biscuit, choose a paste soft enough to spread but thick enough to stay between the halves. For a tart, spread a thin layer over a cooled base before adding your other fillings. For a warm pancake, a softer spread will be easier to swirl across the top.
If your paste is firm, let it soften gently before using it. Work with a small amount first: you can always add more, but a filling that’s too soft may squeeze out when you assemble your bake.
Want more crunch? Chop an M:lk® Choc Cre&m® Wafer Bar and scatter the pieces over a bowl of dairy-free ice cream, or add them to a dessert just before serving. It brings a different texture to the same chocolate-and-hazelnut occasion.
Pairing Gianduja With Other Flavours
Hazelnut and chocolate are satisfying on their own, but a few simple additions can change the experience.
- Coffee: Serve a small piece alongside an espresso for a contrast between sweet chocolate and a stronger drink.
- Shortbread-style biscuits: Pair a soft piece of gianduja with a crisp, buttery-style biscuit.
- Raspberries: Their sharpness can balance a sweeter chocolate and hazelnut dessert.
- A little salt: A small pinch in a homemade biscuit dough can sharpen the contrast with a sweet filling.
Keep the portions of extra flavour modest if you want the hazelnut to stand out. Gianduja already has plenty going on.
Conclusion
Gianduja is for anyone who wants chocolate and hazelnuts blended into a smooth, mellow bite. Try a bar when you want neat pieces, or reach for a paste when a dessert needs a soft filling.
- Choose finely ground hazelnuts for a smooth texture.
- Pick a nut-studded bar when you want crunch.
- Check the label if you need a version made without dairy.
Tip: For a spreadable chocolate-and-hazelnut treat, explore the LoveRaw spreads collection.
FAQ
How Do You Pronounce Gianduja?
A useful approximation is "jan-DOO-yah". You may also see it spelled gianduia; both spellings refer to the chocolate-and-hazelnut confection.
Is Gianduja Vegan?
Some gianduja is made without dairy, but you can’t assume every version is vegan. Check the ingredients and any allergy information on the packaging before buying.
Can I Use Gianduja Instead of Chocolate in Cookies?
Yes, you can chop a gianduja bar and add it to cookie dough, or melt it for a sandwich biscuit filling. It may be softer than the chocolate specified in your recipe, so expect the texture to be a little different.
Where Can I Find Italian Gianduja Chocolate in the UK?
Look for it at Italian delis, chocolate specialists and retailers that sell Italian confectionery. Check whether you’re buying a bar, individual gianduiotti or a spread, as each offers a different texture.
