Irresistible Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies with Nutella: A Ferrero Rocher Inspired Treat
Prepare to fall in love with these decadent Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies, a truly sensational treat that masterfully blends the rich, creamy flavor of Nutella with the irresistible crunch of toasted hazelnuts. Crafted with simple, wholesome ingredients like butter, sugar, and flour, these cookies are a dream come true for anyone who adores the classic combination of chocolate and hazelnut. If you find yourself reaching for a Ferrero Rocher whenever you need a sweet indulgence, then these homemade cookies are about to become your new obsession.
My passion for the delightful taste of hazelnuts sparked the idea for a cookie that would perfectly evoke the beloved Ferrero Rocher chocolates. You know the ones – with their crisp chocolate shell generously studded with chopped hazelnuts, giving way to a velvety smooth, Nutella-like center. They are, without a doubt, a culinary masterpiece. In these cookies, we’ve captured that magic by incorporating a generous swirl of Nutella directly into the dough and then rolling each cookie in a coating of finely chopped hazelnuts before baking. The result is a cookie that delivers a symphony of textures and flavors, from the chewy, tender interior to the crisp, nutty exterior. If you’re a fan of those iconic flavors, you absolutely must try these incredible Nutella hazelnut cookies!
Why You’ll Adore These Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
- Unforgettable Flavor Profile: The combination of rich chocolate from the Nutella and the earthy, sweet notes of hazelnuts creates a gourmet taste that’s hard to resist.
- Perfect Texture Harmony: These cookies boast a beautifully soft and chewy center, perfectly contrasted by the satisfying crunch of the toasted hazelnuts on the outside.
- Inspired by a Classic: For anyone who loves the luxurious experience of a Ferrero Rocher, these cookies offer a delightful homemade alternative, capturing its essence in a comforting cookie form.
- Simple to Make: Despite their sophisticated flavor, these hazelnut chocolate cookies are surprisingly straightforward to prepare, making them accessible for bakers of all skill levels.
- Versatile Treat: Perfect for everyday snacking, special occasions, holiday platters, or as a thoughtful homemade gift. They’re a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
- Customizable: Easily adapt the recipe with additional chocolate chips or a touch of cocoa powder for an even deeper chocolate experience.
Essential Ingredients for Your Hazelnut Cookies
Crafting the perfect batch of chocolate hazelnut cookies starts with quality ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need, along with tips on why each component is crucial:
- Butter: You’ll need ½ cup of softened salted butter. Butter is fundamental for adding richness, flavor, and moisture to the cookies, ensuring they have a tender crumb. Using salted butter also helps to balance the sweetness of the sugars and Nutella. Ensure it’s softened, but not melted, for optimal creaming.
- Sugars: A balanced blend of ½ cup granulated sugar and ½ cup light brown sugar is key. Granulated sugar contributes to the crispness and spread of the cookies, while light brown sugar adds moisture, chewiness, and a subtle caramel note that complements the hazelnut beautifully.
- Egg: One large egg acts as a binder, holding the dough together and providing structure, moisture, and richness. It also contributes to the cookies’ golden-brown exterior.
- Flour: Two cups of all-purpose flour form the primary structural base of your cookie dough. Measure your flour correctly by spooning it into a measuring cup and leveling it off to avoid dense or dry cookies.
- Leavening Agents: A combination of ½ tsp baking powder and ½ tsp baking soda ensures your cookies achieve the perfect rise without becoming too cake-like. Baking soda reacts with the brown sugar and Nutella (which are acidic), while baking powder provides additional lift for a soft and airy texture.
- Nutella: This is the star flavor! ½ cup of Nutella is incorporated directly into the dough, infusing every bite with that smooth, iconic chocolate-hazelnut taste and adding incredible richness and a soft texture.
- Hazelnuts: ½ cup of chopped hazelnuts are added for an earthy depth of flavor and a delicate crunch. These nuts provide a wonderful textural contrast to the soft cookie base and enhance the overall hazelnut experience. For the best flavor, lightly toast your hazelnuts before chopping, then allow them to cool completely.
Expert Tips for Making Perfect Nutella Hazelnut Cookies
Achieving bakery-quality Nutella cookies at home is easier than you think with these helpful tips:
- Proper Spacing is Key: Due to the extra moisture and fat from the Nutella, these cookies tend to spread a fair amount. To prevent them from melding into one giant cookie, I highly recommend spacing them generously, at least 2 inches apart, on your baking sheet.
- Finding and Preparing Hazelnuts: Chopped hazelnuts can often be found in the baking aisle of most major grocery stores. If you prefer, or if you can only find whole hazelnuts, you can buy them in bulk at health food stores like Whole Foods and chop them yourself. For an even deeper flavor, spread the whole hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast them in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 5-7 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly golden. Let them cool completely before chopping. This simple step elevates their nutty essence significantly.
- Enhance with Cocoa or Chocolate Chips: For an even richer, deeper chocolate flavor, consider adding ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to your cookie dough. If you choose to do this, reduce the all-purpose flour to 1 ¾ cups to maintain the right dough consistency. You can also fold in ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips (or milk chocolate, or even dark chocolate chips for more intensity) along with the Nutella for an extra layer of chocolatey goodness. These additions turn your already delicious cookies into truly extraordinary triple chocolate hazelnut treats.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients, mix only until just combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to tougher cookies instead of the desired soft and chewy texture.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter and egg are at room temperature. This allows them to cream together more effectively, creating a smoother, more emulsified dough that results in a better cookie texture.
- Cooling Time Matters: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes after baking. This allows them to set up and prevents them from breaking when you transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
How Long Do These Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies Stay Fresh?
These delightful chocolate hazelnut cookies are best enjoyed fresh, but they also store wonderfully. When kept in an airtight container at room temperature, they will maintain their deliciousness and soft texture for up to 5 days. For optimal freshness, you might even consider adding a slice of bread to the container to help keep them soft, replacing the bread every couple of days.
Can You Freeze Nutella Cookies?
Absolutely! These Nutella hazelnut cookies are excellent candidates for freezing, whether as baked cookies or as dough. This makes them perfect for meal prepping desserts or having warm, fresh cookies on demand.
- Freezing Cookie Dough: I highly recommend freezing the raw cookie dough broken down into individual balls. Once you’ve scooped and rolled the dough balls in hazelnuts, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flash freeze for 1-2 hours until solid. Transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight freezer bag or container. They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freezing the dough in balls allows you to bake as many or as few cookies as you’d like whenever a craving strikes!
- Baking Frozen Dough: When you’re ready to bake, simply place the frozen cookie dough balls on a prepared baking sheet. There’s no need to thaw! Bake them at 375°F (190°C) for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers are still slightly soft. You might need to add an extra minute or two to the baking time compared to fresh dough.
- Freezing Baked Cookies: If you have leftover baked cookies, you can also freeze them. Once completely cooled, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze until solid. Then, transfer them to an airtight freezer bag or container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. They will keep for up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature for a few hours, or warm them slightly in the microwave for a fresh-baked taste.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies Recipe
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Cookies, Dessert
American
Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies, Nutella Cookies, Ferrero Rocher
15 minutes
11 minutes
26 minutes
18 cookies
210kcal
Jessica & Nellie
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup Nutella
- ½ cup chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and set it aside.
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In a spacious mixing bowl, combine the softened butter with both the granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Use an electric mixer to cream these ingredients together on medium speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Add the large egg to the creamed mixture and whisk for 1-2 minutes until fully incorporated and the mixture is even lighter. Then, gradually add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Continue to whisk on low speed until there are no longer any visible pockets of dry ingredients in the batter, being careful not to overmix.
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Gently fold in the Nutella until it’s just swirled into the dough. Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5-2 tablespoons), drop 8 balls of dough onto your prepared baking sheet. Remember that these cookies will spread, so ensure they are spaced at least 2 inches apart. Roll each ball of cookie dough generously in the chopped hazelnuts, pressing them gently to adhere. Bake the cookies for exactly 11 minutes.
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Once baked, let your cookies cool on the hot baking pan for 5 minutes. This crucial step allows them to firm up and prevents them from breaking. After 5 minutes, carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy these warm, nutty, and chocolatey delights!
Notes
To freeze, form dough into balls and flash freeze on a baking sheet. Then, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F (190°C) for 10-12 minutes. Baked cookies can also be frozen for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature before serving or warm gently.
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions About Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
Can I substitute the hazelnuts for another type of nut in this recipe?
Yes, absolutely! While hazelnuts are classic for this recipe, you can certainly customize these cookies by replacing them with other nuts. Almonds, pecans, or walnuts are excellent choices that complement chocolate beautifully. Each nut will impart a slightly different flavor profile and texture: almonds offer a delicate, buttery crunch; pecans provide a rich, almost caramel-like flavor; and walnuts contribute a more robust, earthy note. Experiment to find your favorite combination! Just be sure to chop them to a similar size as the hazelnuts for even distribution and baking.
Is there a way to make the cookies softer or chewier?
Indeed! There are a few tricks to achieve your desired cookie texture:
- Adjust Sugar Ratio: To make your cookies noticeably softer and chewier, increase the proportion of brown sugar while slightly reducing the white granulated sugar. Brown sugar contains molasses, which adds significant moisture and contributes to a wonderfully soft and pliable texture. For instance, you could try using ¾ cup light brown sugar and ¼ cup granulated sugar.
- Undercook Slightly: Reducing the baking time by just a minute or two can make a big difference. Cookies that are slightly underbaked in the center will finish cooking on the hot baking sheet, resulting in a softer, chewier interior. Look for edges that are set and lightly golden, but centers that still appear a bit moist.
- Melted Butter Magic: Using melted butter (cooled slightly) instead of softened butter can also intensify chewiness. Melted butter affects gluten development differently, leading to a denser, chewier cookie. If you opt for melted butter, be aware that the dough might be a bit softer, and you may need to chill it for 20-30 minutes before scooping.
- Chill the Dough: Chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes (or even overnight) can also lead to thicker, chewier cookies. The colder fat takes longer to melt in the oven, slowing the spread and creating a richer flavor.
Discover More of Our Favorite Nutella Flavored Treats
If you can’t get enough of that delectable chocolate-hazelnut spread, you’re in for a treat! Explore these other fantastic Nutella-infused recipes from our collection:
- Nutella Cookie Cake is a show-stopping, rich, and utterly irresistible dessert. This giant, chewy cookie serves as the perfect base, generously swirled with creamy Nutella throughout, offering an indulgent and delightful experience in every slice.
- Our recipe for Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies takes classic comfort to a new level. These soft, wonderfully chewy cookies are not only loaded with melty chocolate chips but also feature a glorious, gooey Nutella center, ensuring each bite delivers an explosion of rich chocolate-hazelnut goodness.
- For those times when you crave something sweet without the oven, these Nutella No Bake Cookies are a perfect solution. Quick and incredibly easy to make, they combine wholesome oats, cocoa, and creamy Nutella for a delightfully chewy, chocolate-hazelnut treat that comes together in minutes.
- Elevate your baking skills with our delicate Nutella Macarons. These elegant French almond cookies are crisp on the outside and wonderfully chewy on the inside, sandwiched together with a luxurious, creamy Nutella filling. They offer a sophisticated blend of classic technique and irresistible flavor.
- Make a batch of these amazing Nutella Mousse Cookies for an unparalleled indulgence. These cookies are incredibly soft and boast a delicate texture, infused with the rich, dreamy flavor of Nutella mousse in every single bite, making them a truly memorable dessert.
These Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies are truly a celebration of flavor – buttery, soft, and rich with Nutella, all beautifully complemented by the delightful crunch of chopped hazelnuts. They are an absolute must-try treat for any chocolate and hazelnut lover, especially fans of Ferrero Rocher, offering a homemade bite of pure, unadulterated indulgence. Bake a batch today and savor the magic!