German Hazelnut Cookies
This article may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure link for more information.
These easy German Hazelnut Cookies are delightfully light, buttery cookies packed with flavorful chopped hazelnuts.
I always associate cookies with Christmas in Germany. The first year I lived in Hamburg, my German host mom made all kinds of delicious holiday cookies. I was always so happy when she’d bring out a selection of traditional German Christmas cookies to enjoy with our afternoon coffee.
Unfortunately, being 17 years old and rejecting everything domestic, it never occurred to me to ask for any recipes. Or to even help bake them! But I sure did help eat them. 🙂
Hazelnuts are another thing I associate with Germany. They’re everywhere! Even though I grew up in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where 99% of US hazelnuts are grown, I don’t think I’d even tried a hazelnut until I moved to Germany. Crazy, right?
These German hazelnut cookies are the perfect addition to your holiday cookie tray….or to make mid-week in the summer, simply because you’re craving a light, crunchy, nutty, delicious cookie. (That was me last week. Ha!)
We loved these cookies. Even my husband, who’s not a big fan of hazelnuts. I had to put my cookies in the freezer so we wouldn’t eat them all in one day!
The hazelnut flavor in these cookies really shines through. They’re kinda like a cross between German Butter Cookies and Vanillakipferl/Austrian Vanilla Crescents (you can get both of those German Christmas cookie recipes here in my free European Christmas Cookies ebook!) — but with more hazelnuts.
The chopped hazelnuts on top toast while baking and add a deeper flavor that pairs well with the untoasted hazelnuts in the cookies.
I thought about drizzling chocolate on top or even dunking half of each cookie in chocolate before sprinkling chopped hazelnuts on top (in that case, I’d toast the hazelnuts separately).
But after trying the “plain” hazelnut cookies, I found I didn’t want any chocolate.
But it’s an option to try if you’re a chocolate lover, and I might experiment with it when I made these cookies for this year’s fall and winter holiday parties.
Another idea: spread a little Nutella on top of or between two cookies to make a cookie sandwich. Yum.
One more great thing about these cookies?
You can make them in one bowl, so clean up is quick and easy. In about 30 minutes (half of that is bake time) you can enjoy a plate of these easy German cookies.
That said, while they’re good right out of the oven, I liked them even better the next day.
Contents
The Easy Way to Chop Hazelnuts
I don’t like having lots of kitchen gadgets cluttering up my kitchen counters, cupboards, and pantry.
So I tend to make do with my high quality but basic cooking and baking tools, even if it takes a little longer or requires a little more effort.
Whenever I needed to chop nuts (or chop anything), I’d get out my chef’s knife (that I just now realized I’ve had for 20 years!) and I’d chop, chop, chop away.
It worked.
But it was tedious.
So, for Christmas last year my family got me this mini food processor…and omg, I love it!
This is one kitchen gadget I wish I’d gotten sooner.
It takes me all of 10 seconds to chop hazelnuts for this recipe, and the nuts were evenly chopped. Clean up was easy too, just a quick wash in the sink.
It’s mini-size, which makes it easy to store on top of my fridge. And it’s not ear-shatteringly loud like my blender.
I now use this mini food processor all. the. time. to make salsa, pesto, and pretty much anything that needs to be chopped, ground or pureed. I highly recommend it! (Click here to check the price of this Cuisinart mini food processor.)
? How to Make German Hazelnut Cookies
Pre-heat your oven to 325F/162C.
Chop the hazelnuts in a food processor.
I use whole hazelnuts and pulse them about 10 times so they’re chopped into small pieces (but not all the way into crumbs).
Set aside 3/4 of the chopped hazelnuts to use in the cookie dough and 1/4 to sprinkle on top.
Place softened butter and sugar in a stand mixer and beat on medium high until pale and fluffy (a hand mixer works, too).
Then add the egg yolk and mix again.
Be sure to scrape down the sides a few times so everything gets mixed together well and you don’t end up with clumps of butter.
Sift the flour and salt into the cookie batter.
Then mix on low until just combined.
Add 3/4of the chopped hazelnuts (reserve the other 1/4 for sprinkling on the top of the cookies) and mix on low until just combined.
Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form the dough into 18 balls and place on a prepared cookie sheet (I always use a Silpat mat).
Note – if you want larger cookies, just make the dough balls larger. You may need to bake them longer.
Using a fork, press down on the cookie a couple times (horizontally and vertically) to flatten it out.
These cookies don’t spread so you don’t need a lot of space between them.
Lastly, sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on the tops of the cookies. You may want to lightly press the hazelnuts into the cookie dough.
Bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes. Check them at 12 minutes and bake longer from there.
The cookies are ready when the edges are golden brown.
I enjoyed these cookies right out of the oven but I thought they were even better once completely cooled the next day!
?Looking For More German Christmas Recipes?
- Easy German Lebkuchen Cookies
- Quarkbällchen
- Gebrannte Mandeln (Cinnamon Sugar Almonds)
- Best Advent Calendars
- German Stollen Bread
- No-bake German Rum Balls
- Aldi Christmas Food Finds
German Hazelnut Cookies
Delightfully light, buttery cookies packed with flavorful chopped hazelnuts.
Ingredients
- 1 cup [142g] whole hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup [50g] sugar
- 1/2 cup [113g] butter
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup [128g] all purpose flour, sifted
- 1/4 tsp of salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325F/162C.
- Chop the hazelnuts in a food processor. I pulsed mine about 10 times. Reserve 1/4 of the chopped hazelnuts to sprinkle on top of the cookies.
- Place softened butter, sugar, and vanilla in a stand mixer and beat on medium high until pale and fluffy (a hand mixer works, too).
- Add egg yolk and mix again. Be sure to scrape down the sides a few times so everything gets mixed together well and you don't end up with clumps of butter.
- Sift flour and salt into the cookie batter. Mix on low until just combined.
- Add 3/4 of the chopped hazelnuts and mix on low until just combined.
- Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form the dough into 18 balls and place on a prepared cookie sheet. Using a fork, press down on the cookie a couple times (horizontally and vertically) to flatten it out.
- Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts on the tops of the cookies. You may want to lightly press the hazelnuts into the cookie dough.
- Bake the cookies for about 12-15 minutes. Check them at 12 minutes and bake longer from there. The cookies are ready when the edges are golden brown.
- I enjoyed these cookies right out of the oven but I thought they were even better the next day! Store in an airtight container.
I didn’t see when you add the vanilla extract. I just assume to add it with the egg. I plan on trying these as soon I get some hazelnuts at the store. They are hard to find at times.
Thanks for letting me know about that, I just fixed it. 🙂 I add the vanilla when I cream the butter and sugar or when I add the eggs. I’m not sure where you live but if it’s in the US, try Trader Joe’s (if you have one near you). I buy all of kinds of nuts there and they always have hazelnuts. I hope you enjoy the cookies – they are seriously delicious!
Roasted or raw hazelnuts?
I used raw since they bake/toast in and on the cookies but you could use either (though the ones on top might be a little too toasted).
This sounds yummy. Hazelnuts are my fav! Have you ever tested this with any no-calorie sweeteners like Swerve?
I haven’t. If the sweetner can be used in baking, I imagine it would work in these cookies. If you try it, let me know how it works!
it says ground hazelnuts in the ingredients but then asks you to chop a cup of them in the instructions. Are you using 1 cup of ground ( like flour consistency) hazelnuts then adding additional chopped hazelnuts for texture?
I use whole hazelnuts and then chop/grind them in a small food processor (I just pulse it about 10 times). I’ll edit the recipe to make that clearer!
Can these cookies be made and frozen for another day?
That should work fine!
This recipe does not have baking powder nor baking soda. Cookies turn good but small they did not raise at all. Not sure if it was an oversight. Also at 300 degrees it took about 20 min to get brown underneath.
Nope, no baking soda or baking powder! The dough is very thick and they don’t rise. You can always make them bigger if you’d like (my husband also said “these cookies are small” ha!). Thanks for the note about the baking time, I’ll add a note to the recipe. You could also try bumping the temp up to 325F, I’m going to try that out next time I make them.
Does this recipe only make 18 cookies?
I made 18 cookies with this recipe. You could make them a little smaller if you want more.
Do you remove the skins of Hazelnuts first? How many cookies does this yield?
I didn’t remove the skins before chopping them. I made 18 cookies.
@Can I use blanched Hazelnuts?, International Desserts Blog,
Yep, you can. Just make sure to add enough on top so that they toast while baking – that gives the cookies a good flavor. If you don’t want to sprinkle them on top, roast the hazelnuts before adding them to the cookie dough.
Hi, thanks for posting this recipe … I misplaced mine which was given to me many years ago (it’s here somewhere ..!). It appears to be identical but contained hazelnut meal rather than chopped nuts. My recipe stated to decorate by tossing them once after baking while still hot in icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar in US), then again when cold. It forms a yummy Chrismassy coating on the outside. Absolutely delicious. Mmmmm …
You could use hazelnut meal – and tossing them in icing sugar sounds good, too!
But, the hazelnut skin is bitter, don’t you have to remove it 1st prior to baking with them?? that would be the tedious part?
I take off as much as I can but it’s nearly impossible to get all of the skin off! Once chopped up you don’t notice a little bit that’s left on. I usually put the hazelnuts in a jar and shake it several times and/or put the nuts in a clean tea towel and rub the skins off. Both methods get quite a bit of the skin off.
@Kim, I didn’t remove it and just ninja’d them. I cannot taste any bitterness at all.
I made these this morning and this recipe is a 100% keeper. They turned out extremely well using the exact recipe and with a 20 minute bake time. My scooper produced 21 cookies, and I didn’t push them super flat. So, mine look smaller but taller. Wish I could post a picture!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Email me a photo of your cookies 🙂
@Cate, International Desserts Blog,
These are great! Looks exactly like photo and made exactly 18 cookies. Simple and delicious!
Thanks,
Katykaboom
I’m glad you liked them!