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hand holding a hazelnut shortbread cookie
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Hazelnut Cookies

Enjoy these German Christmas hazelnut cookies this holiday season – they are soft and slightly crumbly without being chewy and packed with a nutty flavor. Plus, this recipe uses just 7 ingredients, is egg-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, and ready in 20 minutes!
Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine German
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 16 cookies

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup (100 g) hazelnuts ground + 16 whole hazelnuts
  • 2/3 cup (80 g) flour I used rice flour
  • 1/2 slightly heaped cup (70 g) powdered sugar (I used Erythritol)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) vegan butter (*see notes)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tsp orange juice
  • 1 tsp orange zest (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams on a kitchen scale for this recipe. Also, watch the video in the post for easy visual instructions.
  • If using whole hazelnuts, process them in a food processor/blender into a coarse powder Then add flour, sugar, and baking powder. Blend again for about 20 seconds.
  • Add vegan butter, orange juice, and vanilla extract and blend until you have a soft dough. If the dough is too dry, add a little more vegan butter.
  • Use a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to portion the dough. Use your hands to shape the dough into balls and place them on the lined baking sheet. Flatten them slightly and press a whole hazelnut into the middle of each cookie.
  • Bake the cookies in the oven for about 15-16 minutes. They will be still quite soft when you take them out. Let them cool completely and enjoy!

Notes

Video Of The Recipe

 
  • Flour: I made the recipe gluten-free by using 80 grams of rice flour, but you can use regular flour or spelt flour. I do not recommend coconut flour in this recipe because it's too absorbing.
  • Sugar: I used powdered Erythritol for sugar-free cookies, but you can use icing sugar if you like. The cookies are less sweet with powdered Erythritol.
  • Vegan butter: I used vegan margarine but any vegan butter should work fine. Coconut oil (softened) should work fine as well.
  • Baking time: If you flatten the cookies more, they will be done a few minutes earlier. I left mine quite chubby, and therefore, baked them for about 16 minutes.
  • Check the step-by-step photos in the blog post above.
  • Nutrition facts calculated with icing sugar. If using powdered Erythritol, 1 cookie will have about 76 calories and 5 grams of carbs.
Nutrition Facts
Hazelnut Cookies
Serving Size
 
1 cookie
Amount per Serving
Calories
93
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
10
g
3
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
5
g
6
%
Protein
 
1
g
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.