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Soft, tender chocolate hazelnut shortbread cookies combining buttery flavor with chopped bittersweet chocolate and toasted hazelnuts, perfect for any occasion.

  • Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 32 cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6.17 ounces (175 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 7.05 ounces (200 grams) light brown sugar
  • 3.53 ounces (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (omit if using salted butter)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 10.58 ounces (300 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3.09 ounces (88 grams) toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 3.09 ounces (88 grams) bittersweet chocolate (55-60% cocoa), chopped (filtered to remove chocolate dust)
  • Optional: Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Chop toasted hazelnuts into small chunks. If starting with raw hazelnuts, toast at 350°F (180°C) for about 10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.
  2. Chop bittersweet chocolate into small pieces and sift to remove fine chocolate dust. Combine larger chocolate pieces with chopped hazelnuts.
  3. In a stand mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment, combine room temperature butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, and kosher salt (if using unsalted butter). Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
  4. Stop mixer and scrape bowl sides. Add egg yolk and vanilla bean paste. Mix on medium speed until incorporated and smooth. Scrape sides again.
  5. Add all flour to the bowl at once and mix on low speed until the dough begins to come together; increase speed to medium until large clumps form and dough is cohesive.
  6. Fold in chopped hazelnuts and chocolate on low speed until evenly distributed.
  7. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal portions (about 440 grams each). Shape each into a square.
  8. Roll each square into a cylinder about 1½ inches thick and 9 inches long. Press cracks together if dough cracks while rolling.
  9. Wrap each log tightly in wax paper, twisting ends to seal. For neat, uniform shape, nestle dough logs in opened flat cardboard paper towel tubes.
  10. Chill dough logs in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
  11. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a half-sheet baking sheet with parchment paper.
  12. Remove dough log from fridge and let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Using a ruler, mark every ½ inch and slice into rounds.
  13. Place 12 slices on the prepared baking sheet, spacing slightly apart. Optionally sprinkle flaky sea salt on top of each cookie.
  14. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until bottoms are light golden brown.
  15. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Weigh your ingredients for accuracy to ensure correct texture and flavor balance, avoiding too much flour or too little sugar., Use high-quality butter such as Kerrygold or Tillamook for best flavor and texture., Mix the dough just until combined to avoid tough cookies caused by excess gluten development., Chilling the dough helps cookies hold their shape and prevents excessive spreading during baking., This recipe follows a classic 3-2-1 ratio of flour, butter, and sugar by weight for ideal shortbread consistency., Optional sprinkling of flaky sea salt enhances flavor contrast in baked cookies.

  • Author: mapps6841@gmail.com
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 194 kcal
  • Fat: 10 g
  • Carbohydrates: 22 g
  • Protein: 3 g