Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
Updated April 28, 2011
When I went to Italy a couple of years ago I fell in love with hazelnut everything! I tried several cookies and pastries that were hazelnut based…and of course there was the hazelnut gelato, my absolute favorite treat of all time! So when I saw Giada’s recipe for Hazelnut “Biscotti” in her new book, I couldn’t wait to try them.
Giada calls these cookies “biscotti” because her grandmother used to call them that, but they are really a drop cookie. Not the traditional slice and bake biscotti. The cookies have Nutella and chopped hazelnuts in them…and I also added a drop of hazelnut extract since I had it on hand. The hazelnut flavor is very nice and you get the chocolaty goodness from the Nutella. I just love that stuff! I buy it from Costco because it is MUCH cheaper. You can get two big jars for about $8. That is a bargain!!
In the recipe Giada says to drop the cookie dough on the sheet and flatten them with a fork, but I didn’t. The cookies spread out and were thin enough without mashing them down. They are a crisp cookie, similar to a biscotti, but not so hard. These are buttery and moist and perfect for dunking!!
Josh couldn’t try these because he is allergic to nuts, so I brought some in to my co-workers for a taste test. They all approved!!
Adapted from Giada’s Kitchen
1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup Nutella
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Drop of hazelnut extract (I added this, use if you have it!)
¾ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In another medium bowl combine the butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and drop of hazelnut extract if you are using it and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the hazelnuts and stir until just combined.
Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacing the mounds about 4 inches apart. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 10 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.
**To toast hazelnuts-spread nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat. Bake for about ten minutes at 350 degrees. Stir them a couple of times while they are baking.**
They look wonderful. I’d love to be in Italy now!
I love hazelnuts as well, and who doesn’t love nutella? I love that Giada uses it so much. These look great!
This look amazing. My husband asked for chocolate cookies last night, so maybe I will make these.
Yum! those look wonderful 🙂
BTW, I’ve linked to you from my blog, I hope that’s ok… if you would rather not be linked to, just let me know 🙂
Thanks!
Great picture of the stacked cookies with the ribbon. I love Nutella!
Look delicious! I have yet to try the hazelnut chocolate combo-sounds great though!
Oooh my!! An absolute favorite combination of flavors chocolate, hazelnuts and Nutella!! I must try these really soon 😉
You know how I feel about hazelnut! Mmmmmmmmmmmm
I love hazelnuts so this recipe is a must for me. Thanks for posting.
What wonderful cookies! A great flavor combo! Delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
*swoon* i love nutella, and would no doubt stuff these in my mouth!!
Your cookies look wonderful!! Like the idea of adding hazelnuts as well – yum!
Rosie x
Oh baby, oh baby! Two of my favorites in one! Plus they look so pretty! El Yum-E!
The look so pretty! I love hazelnuts.
Nutella and hazelnut – I’d be in heaven!
Yum! I’ll be over with a cup of coffee and a plate! I love hazelnut so I bet these were so good.
I have made these before (for my christmas cookie exchange last year) and loved them! I love that they’re a little crispy!! I like the bow- too cute!
Oooh these look great…hazelnuts have such great flavor!
Giada does love her Nutella! I just received this book in the mail yesterday (with Ina!), looking forward to reading some of the recipes.
The cookies look very good, I love hazelnuts.
Oh, yum! These look so good. I’m glad you didn’t do the fork thing. I think that they are prettier like this.
Hmmm. Yum. I like hazelnut especially in coffee. These would be perfect for dunkin’.
Thanks! 🙂 I love Nutella! I’ve been collecting recipes with this ingredient as I just discovered this little treat not all that long ago! YUM!!
YUM! I am obsessed with Nutella! These are going in my Nutella file!
those cookies look delicous and perfect. you went to italy? how neat!
I love Nutella anything so I cannot imagine how good these cookies are! Lucky coworkers 🙂
What a great cookie recipe. My husband loves hazelnuts and chocolate so I will have to make these for him.
Yum! I totally have to make these with all the extra hezelnuts i have!
yum! these look great 🙂 i love chocolate and hazelnut together!!
Those look so good- wish I had one now!
Gosh, those look good ! I think I have to make them !!
I am SO making these for hubby! But maybe AFTER Halloween!
I can’t wait to try them!! I love Italian food and love your site. Any pictures from Italy?? I would love to visit one day.
I will absolutely love these cookies! Great recipe!
Love nutella and I love hazelnuts. These definitely would be gone fast around here.
What a pretty little “package” of cookies. I love hazelnut flavor also.
This makes me happy – this has to be nothing but good!
-DTW
http://www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com
those cookies looks amazing!!!
I can remember the flavor of hazelnut right now, but as I like all kind of nuts, so I’m sure I’ll love it too!!!!
Looking forward to my next visit to Costco.
It’s me…back again. Please stop by when you can, I have an award for you!
Josh is allergic to nuts? Oh nooooo! Oh well, you can just give me his share 🙂
These look really wonderful! I’ve seen Nutella showing up in a lot of things lately — can you believe I’ve never tried it? My first time may well be in these cookies!
These are absolutely delicious…love them!!
Those sound wonderful. I’ll be in Italy next week! Can’t wait to eat there!
These sound AWESOME. Nutella makes anything taste great, but having it baked into chocolate cookies…yes please! I am most definitely going to make these babies.
And I agree, hazelnut gelato is my fondest memory of Italy!
Yum – hazelnuts AND Nutella in the one cookie – superb!
allergic to nuts? what a stinker! i’d go crazy if these were within my reach and i couldn’t eat them. they’re lovely. 🙂
Oh my goodness we have another awesome Nutella creation. How can this go wrong? It cant… EVER 🙂
I really dig your love for hazelnuts, they are perfect in something like this. Sweetness.
Yum! These look great. I tagged you with an award today and a 7 things meme!
These would have been lovely with their hazelnut crunch lastnight after dinner:D
I have been looking for good cookies recipe for Christmas baking and I have a nutella sitting in my pantry! Can’t wait to give this a try.
What a great TREAT!
I’m a huge hazelnut freak too. I think I saw Giada make these cookies on one of her holiday specials where she made them for her nieces and nephews. I lusted after them then and I still do now.
I could never buy big cheap jars of Nutella. I’d gain twenty pounds in a week!
Giada’s grandma called them “biscotti” because that means cookies in Italian. Her grandma knew exactly what she was talking about.
May I have a recipe for your chocolate hazelnut cookie please? I was googling a hazelnut biscotti cookie from Italy that I find rarely at home goods and your recipe popped up it looks so delicious. I’d love to try it.