Maybe we've all heard of Peanut Butter Blossoms, but have you ever made Chocolate Hazelnut Blossom Cookies before? These Chocolate Hazelnut Blossoms are so thick and rich with a brownie-like texture. They are full of roasted hazelnuts and rich chocolate taste with a whole Ferrero Rocher truffle pressed right in. If you love the combination of chocolate and hazelnut, try my Ferrero Rocher Cookies too.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE?
- Rich chocolate flavor - these cookies have a deep rich chocolatey taste thanks to lots of unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Roasted hazelnuts - there is so much hazelnut flavor through these cookies from deeply roasted hazelnuts that are finely ground and mixed into the cookie dough. The chocolate and hazelnut flavor combination is classically delicious.
- Thick chocolate cookies - these cookies are so nice and thick with a soft brownie texture when they are still warm.
- Chocolate chip hazelnut cookies - I love to use mini dark chocolate chips so you get a mouthful of melty chocolate in every bite!
- Ferrero Rocher cookies - each cookie gets a whole Ferrero Rocher chocolate hazelnut truffle in the middle.
INGREDIENTS
- Butter - there is no substitute for butter in chocolate cookies in my opinion! It is the foundation of the rich cocoa flavor. In this recipe, you can use salted or unsalted butter, but if you choose unsalted then I recommend doubling the added salt to ½ teaspoon.
- Granulated sugar - this recipe uses a combination of simple white granulated sugar and brown sugar. White sugar helps create the crunchy caramelized edges. I wouldn't recommend reducing the sugar because it will compromise the chewy texture.
- Brown sugar - I highly recommend dark brown sugar for this recipe as it has twice as much molasses as light brown sugar and will make a big difference to the flavor.
- Egg - you'll need one whole egg for this recipe. It's the perfect amount of moisture to make these cookies chewy and not cakey.
- Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to making delicious chocolate cookies. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
- All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour makes the best in my opinion.
- Cocoa powder - I recommend getting your hands on some good quality cocoa powder! It’s the main flavor and you want it to shine so use the best you can find. I love to use this Dutch Process cocoa powder for this recipe, but natural cocoa also adds a nice fruity flavor - it just means your cookies will be a bit lighter in color. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not cocoa mix.
- Hazelnuts - for the best flavor, roast the hazelnuts before you chop them. The fastest way to do this is to place them in a dry frying pan over medium heat and shake the pan frequently until they are golden and fragrant.
- Dark chocolate – you'll need pure melted dark chocolate to for drizzling. Anything between 50 and 70% cocoa solids will work.
- Cocoa powder - I recommend getting your hands on some good quality cocoa powder! It’s the main flavor and you want it to shine so use the best you can find. I love to use this Dutch Process cocoa powder for this recipe, but natural cocoa also adds a nice fruity flavor - it just means your cookies will be a bit lighter in color. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not cocoa mix.
- Chocolate hazelnut spread - I use Nutella, but any brand of chocolate hazelnut spread will work.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- STEP 1). Beat together butter and sugar. You can use an electric stand mixer, a hand mixer or do this by hand with a spatula. You want to beat until slightly pale and a bit fluffy, but not overly creamed. It will still look like a thick paste or damp sand. Mix in chocolate-hazelnut spread.
- STEP 2). Beat in egg. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well incorporated and smooth.
- STEP 3). Add dry ingredients. Add ground hazelnuts, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the butter mixture and mix well. Sprinkle in the flour and fold it in, then fold in chocolate chips.
- STEP 4). Bake. Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into smooth balls. Place each ball on the prepared baking trays spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until puffed and slightly cracked at the surface and set around the edges.
- STEP 5). Top with truffles. While the cookies bake, unwrap the truffles. Right when the cookies are pulled from the oven, press a truffle into the center of each cookie. Allow the cookies to cool for about 3 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack and continue to bake the rest of the cookies. Enjoy!
- STEP 6). Decorate. Drizzle melted chocolate over each cooled cookie and enjoy.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use regular large size eggs. Large eggs weigh 57g. Using an extra large egg will add up to 2 teaspoons more liquid to the cookie dough which can throw off the moisture balance and make the cookies spread too much.
- Don't skip the salt. The right amount of salt is so important. You can even us salted butter in this recipe and they will be so good!
- Roast the hazelnuts. This adds so much flavor and is always worth it! The fastest way to do this is to place them in a dry frying pan over medium heat and shake the pan frequently until they are golden and fragrant. Or, you can roast them in a 350 degree F oven for 7-10 minutes.
RECIPE FAQ
This cookie dough is ready to bake and there's no need to chill.
These cookies stay nice and thick, so if yours spread a lot, then it could be that there was not the right amount of flour added. Too little flour will mean the cookies will not have enough structure to hold their shape and the dough will be too wet. The best way to measure the flour is using a scale to ensure you use the right amount.
You can use either natural or Dutch cocoa for this recipe and it will still work. I used Dutch cocoa here and it gives them a darker color.
To remove the skins, place the still-warm, just roasted/toasted hazelnuts over a clean kitchen towel, fold up the towel to cover them and then roll them around. The friction will rub off the skins which are loosened during roasting.
STORAGE AND FREEZING
How do I store chocolate hazelnut blossom cookies?
These cookies are best stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If it is really hot where you live, you can refrigerate them so the chocolate drizzle sets and makes them easier to stack and store.
Can I freeze blossom cookies?
Yes, just place the cooled cookies in a resealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. They just need 5-10 minutes to thaw.
If you love cookies, check out these recipes!
Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies The BEST Chewy Pumpkin Cookies Chewy Brown Butter Snickerdoodles Cookies Brown Butter M&M Cookies Recipe Lemon Blueberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks Coffee Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies Hazelnut Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies THE BEST Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies – Bakery Style!More cookie recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Baking with hazelnuts
If you enjoy baking with hazelnuts, check out these recipes:
Chocolate Hazelnut Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie dough:
- ½ cup 113g unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup 100g granulated sugar
- ¼ cup 55g packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon 15ml chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon 5ml pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup 65g roasted hazelnuts, finely ground
- ¼ cup Dutch process cocoa powder (I prefer this one)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 142g all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cups mini dark chocolate chips
For topping:
- 4 oz dark chocolate melted for drizzling
- 16 Ferrero Rocher truffles unwrapped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine soft butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth and a bit fluffy, but more like damp sand. You can use a hand mixer or do it by hand using the "creaming" technique with a wide rubber spatula. Mix in chocolate-hazelnut spread. Add the egg and mix until evenly incorporated.
- Add ground hazelnuts, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the butter mixture and mix well. Sprinkle in the flour and fold it in, then fold in chocolate chips.
- Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into smooth balls. Place each ball on the prepared baking trays spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until puffed and slightly cracked at the surface and set around the edges.
- While the cookies bake, unwrap the truffles. Right when the cookies are pulled from the oven, press a truffle into the center of each cookie.
- Allow the cookies to cool for about 3 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack and continue to bake the rest of the cookies. Once cooled, drizzle with melted dark chocolate and enjoy!
Lisa
Wow! These are so incredibly chocolatey even without the Rocher on top. Thanks for a great recipe.
ss
Looks amazing, can the chopped hazelnuts be replace with almonds?
christina.marsigliese
Hi there, yes that would work.