Eggless Hazelnut Cookies Recipe

Cookies are the most sort after baked product. They are easy to experiment with and take less time to bake. Everyone loves to eat freshly baked warm cookies.

I love trying out new recipes for cookies and today I bring one such recipe for you all. It’s hazelnut and chocolate sandwich cookies.

These cookie sandwiches are like cookies you never had before. Made from hazelnut flour and truffle ganache, it’s unique and one of my favorites now.

Eggless Hazelnut Cookies Recipe Video Tutorial

Taste and texture of the cookies

The butter cookies are crisp made especially using hazelnut flour. The filling is a decadent dark chocolate ganache. The combination of hazelnut and chocolate is the best.

Let’s check out the ingredients going into these delicious cookies

Key ingredients used for the recipe and their relevance

All purpose flour and Hazelnut flour-I have used the combination of all purpose flour along with hazelnut flour to provide appropriate texture and structure needed. For the hazelnut flavour to stand out, I have put roasted hazelnut flour.

Unsalted Butter-using soft unsalted butter helps to whip it better. The temperature of butter is important in cookie making as it affects the final outcome.

Brown sugar – with brown sugar, the color, texture and taste of the cookie- all are affected. It helps give caramelized flavour, moisture or softness and a little brown color to the cookies.

Salt-since I have used unsalted butter, salt can be added as per the taste I would like.

Dark chocolate – for making the ganache filling, I have used dark couverture chocolate ( 46.5% dark). I love the flavor Belgian chocolate provides so I try to incorporate it in as many recipes as I can. If you wish to use compound chocolate then you can or even milk chocolate to play with flavors.

All Ingredient List for Making Hazelnut Cookies

Ingredients for cookie dough

Ingredients for Cookies Quantity
All-purpose flour
105 g
Hazelnut flour
45 g
Unsalted Butter (softened)
60 g
Brown Sugar
37 g
Salt
1/8 tsp
Vanilla Essence
1/2 tsp

Ingredients for chocolate ganache

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache Quantity
Dark Couverture Chocolate
100 g
Fresh Cream
50 g

For Garnish:

Ingredients for Garnishing Quantity
Dark coverture (tempered)
As required
Crushed Hazelnuts
As required

All equipment needed for the recipe

  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Digital kitchen weighing scale
  • Bowls and spoons
  • Spatula
  • Sieve
  • Baking tray
  • Perforated mat
  • Flower cutter
  • Rolling pin
  • Butter paper
  • Oven/OTG
  • Microwave 
  • Piping bags
  • Scale

 

Steps to prepare eggless hazelnut sandwich cookies

For Cookies:

  1. Pre heat the oven at 170C (OTG mode:upper rod+lower rod+fan). Line a baking tray with perforated mat.
  2. In a bowl, mix softened butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Do not cream the mixture.
  3. Now add both the flours along with salt.
  4. Mix this until a dough starts to form.
  5. Once the dough is ready, roll it out 5mm thick on a butter paper.
  6. Cut out the cookies using a 4cm flower cookie cutter.
  7. Place them on lined tray and bake at 180c (OTG mode:upper rod+lower rod+fan) for 15 minutes.

Method for Chocolate Ganache:

  1. Warm the cream and melt chocolate in a microwave
  2. Mix the two to form homogeneous ganache.
  3. Transfer it in a piping bag.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Take one cookie and turn it upside down and pipe ganache in the centre.
  2. Now place another cookie over it and press so that ganache spreads inside.
  3. Drizzle melted chocolate on one side of the cookie and garnish with crushed hazelnuts.
  4. Repeat the process for remaining cookies.

Chef's Tip And Key Points

  1. You can use simple round cutter in case you don’t have a flower shaped cutter.
  2. Do not roll the cookie dough too thin or to thick. Make sure its thickness is appropriate.
  3. Use truffle ganache ratio only. Adding more cream will make the ganache thin and unstable for sandwich filling.
  4. Use silicone mat if perforated mat is not available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What makes a cookie chewy or crispy?

Ans. There are many factors that decide the texture of a cookie. Main ingredients like fat and type of sugar have a major role to play in a cookies’ final texture. For simple understanding, castor sugar makes cookie crisp yet soft at centre. Icing sugar makes more crispy ones that have a snap. Brown sugar makes the cookie more chewy and soft as the molasses in it attracts moisture.

Q2. Can I replace brown sugar with castor sugar?

Ans.  Yes, you can replace the brown sugar in the recipe with castor sugar in same quantity. However, the color, texture and flavor will change as well. 

Q3. Can I add hazelnut essence in the cookies?

Ans. If you like hazelnut flavor then yes you can add a few drops of hazelnut essence too. Be careful not to add too much of it as that will not taste good.

Q4. What can I do if I don’t have hazelnut flour?

Ans. You can either fine grind hazelnuts and use that powder. If that is also not possible then you can replace it with all purpose flour and add hazelnut essence to it.

Q5. What else can I use for inside filling?

Ans. You can use Nutella as filling. You can also add some flavor in the ganache like coffee which goes very well with hazelnut and chocolate.

Q6. Can I use shortening or oil in place of butter?

Ans. Although, my recommendation would be to use butter for authentic flavor. But you can use shortening if you want. Use 80% of the butter quantity as shortening is pure 100% fat.

I wouldn’t suggest to use oil as the butter we are using is in solid(softened) form. Oil is liquid and replacing soft butter with oil will alter the dough and cookie.

Q7. Can I eat these cookies without making a sandwich?

Ans. Yes, you can! Simply bake and serve them as you like.

Q8. Can I replace hazelnut flour with almond flour?

Ans. To make a different cookie altogether, toh can replace the hazelnut flour with almond flour in same quantity.

Q9. Can I bake and store these cookies?

Ans. You can store the cookies in an airtight box for 2 weeks. Make sandwich when you wish to eat them.

Q10. Can the cookie dough be made earlier and stored for later use?

Ans. The cookie can be stored in refrigerator for a month and in freezer for upto 2 months. Make sure to cling wrap the dough and then keep in airtight box.

Q11. What is the shelf life of sandwiched cookies?

Ans. You can store the sandwich cookies for 3-4 days.