Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies are a fun twist on a classic dessert. The hazelnuts give an added crunchy texture, while the cookie itself is soft, chewy and perfectly sweet.

Ingredients for hazelnut chocolate chip cookies

This recipe calls for all the typical ingredients that you would need for classic chocolate chips cookies, with one special addition. All you need is:

• All purpose flour
  • Suggestions on making this recipe gluten free can be found below.
• Butter
  • I love to bake with salted butter to enhance all the flavours, however, unsalted butter will also work fine.
• Brown sugar
• White sugar
• Egg
• Vanilla extract, baking soda, salt
• Chocolate chips
  • I use mini chocolate chips in this recipe but you could use regular sized, if preferred. You could also use chocolate chunks and chop them up finely.
  • I recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips to balance the sweetness of the cookie dough, however you can also use white, milk or dark chocolate chips.
• Chocolate covered hazelnuts
  • This is the added twist to make these hazelnut cookies stand out! Make sure you chop them well so they get distributed evenly.
  • If you do not have chocolate covered hazelnuts, you can use regular raw hazelnuts instead. I do not recommend using roasted hazelnuts.

What nuts go with chocolate chip cookies?

Nuts and chocolate pair really well together. Whether it’s as a trail mix snack, chocolate covered nuts, or combined in a recipe.

The most common nut that would be found in a chocolate chip cookie recipe is likely walnuts. Walnuts are used in many baked goods to add texture, protein, fibre, and omega 3 fatty acids.

You may also see chocolate chip cookies made from almond flour, which is blended up almonds. Almond flour may be used to make the recipe gluten free, lower in carbohydrates and more moist. However, it’s important to note that you cannot substitute almond flour for all purpose flour in the same ratio. They have much different baking properties so need to be used in different amounts.

In this recipe we use chopped hazelnuts to bring a nutty flavour and an element of crunch. You can use chocolate covered hazelnuts or raw hazelnuts. Make sure they are chopped finely so there aren’t any large chunks in the cookie.

How to make the hazelnut chocolate chip cookies

Putting the cookie dough together doesn’t take very much time or effort. Here is how to make the Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the butter and brown sugar. Add the white sugar and mix again.
3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix. Finally, add in the dry ingredients (all purpose flour, salt and baking soda) and mix until combined.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips and chocolate covered hazelnuts and stir until they are incorporated.
5. Distribute on the baking pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. The baking time may seem short but this allows for a soft and chewy cookie.

 

How do you make these cookies gluten free?

If you want these Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies to be gluten free, there is just one main substitution to make to the ingredient list. Instead of all purpose flour, opt for a gluten free flour. My favourite gluten free flour to use in baking is the Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour. There’s no need to adjust the amount, just use it in the way you would use regular flour!

Gluten plays a role in binding the cookie dough together, so you may notice a slight change in texture if you use gluten free flour.

Should chocolate chip cookies be hard or soft?

Everyone has their own personal opinion on how soft, chewy or crunchy a cookie should be. There is no judgement from me on your preference, but these Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfectly soft and chewy at room temperature.

If you prefer your cookies to be hard and crunchy, I recommend flattening the cookie dough on the baking sheet before placing it in the oven. You may also want to bake the cookies for 2-3 minutes longer to achieve that texture.

 

Why did my chocolate chip cookies spread too much?

There are a few baking mistakes that could make your chocolate chip cookies spread too much and end up flat. The most common is that there is too much fat in the dough. The fat element in baked goods is typically butter or oil. Make sure you follow the recommended ratio of butter to dry ingredients!

Another reason why the cookies could spread is because there isn’t enough flour or there is too much liquid. Melting the butter could cause the batter to be liquidy, which we want to avoid. Use room temperature butter and add the suggested amount of flour.

As long as you follow the instructions step by step, these Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies should come out of the oven perfectly fluffy and chewy!

I hope you love these Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies as a twist on a classic dessert. Don’t forget to check out some of these other desserts for inspiration:

• Almond Pistachio Cookies
• Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies
• Raspberry Lemon White Chocolate Scones
• Black Bean Brownies
• Papa’s Classic Oatmeal Cookies

 

If you make these Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies, I would love to see your comment and rating below. It also makes my day seeing your creation of my recipes on Instagram- don’t forget to tag @allnutrition.rd!