Hazelnut Cookies - Two Ways

In anticipation of Valentine’s Day I thought I would post a fun little recipe for hazelnut cookies that you can prepare two ways. The first is a Linzer Heart – hazelnut cookies sandwiched with raspberry jam and dusted lightly with powdered sugar. The second cookie – Chocolate Hazelnut Hearts – hazelnut cookies sandwiched with Nutella (good stuff!) and drizzled with chocolate and finished with roasted, crushed hazelnuts. Perfect for giving to your sweetie for Valentine’s Day or better yet, give them to yourself. Who better to receive these cookies than you?

Hazelnut Cookies – Two Ways
3 dozen cookies


1 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted then divided in half
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 6-oz jar seedless raspberry jam
½ cup powdered sugar
1 11 oz jar Nutella
¼ cup melted chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until fragrant and skins begin to loosen, about 6 minutes. Rub nuts in a kitchen towel to remove any loose skins (some skins may not come off), then cool to room temperature. Pulse nuts and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a food processor until nuts are finely ground.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat together butter and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Add nut mixture and beat until combined well, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

With floured hands, form dough into 2 balls and flatten each into a 5-inch disk. Chill disks, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 2 hours.

When ready to make cookies, preheat oven to 350 again. Roll out 1 disk of dough into an 11-inch round (1/8 inch thick) between 2 sheets of wax paper (keep remaining dough chilled). If dough becomes too soft to roll out, rewrap in plastic and chill until firm. Cut out as many cookies as possible from dough with heart cookie cutter and transfer to 2 parchment lined baking sheets, arranging about 1 inch apart.

For Linzer Hearts, using smaller heart cutters, cut out centers from half of the cookies, rerolling along with scraps. Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 10 minutes total, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Sprinkle windowed cookie with powdered sugar. Spread 1 teaspoon of jam on flat side of 1 solid cookie and sandwich jam with flat side of windowed cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.

For Chocolate Hazelnut Hearts roll out remaining disk of dough into an 11-inch round (1/8 inch thick) between 2 sheets of wax paper (keep remaining dough chilled). If dough becomes too soft to roll out, rewrap in plastic and chill until firm. Cut out as many cookies as possible from dough with heart cookie cutter and transfer to 2 parchment lined baking sheets, arranging about 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, until edges are golden about 10 minutes total, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Spread flat side of one cookie with 1 teaspoon of nutella and sandwich with remaining cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and then drizzle them with chocolate.

Printable Recipe