Chocolate Hazelnut Shortbread Squares Recipes

HAZELNUT-CARAMEL BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides; butter parchment. In a large bowl, using a mixer, beat 1 stick butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar on medium-high until light, 1 to 2 minutes. Add flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt and beat on low until combined. Increase speed to medium and beat until clumps form. Press dough evenly into pan. Bake until golden and dry, about 20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees.
• In a medium saucepan, combine corn syrup, cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining stick butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Stir in nuts, then pour over crust.
• Bake until bubbling in center, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate, if desired. Let cool 1 hour. Using parchment, lift out of pan and refrigerate until set, 1 hour. Cut into 24 pieces. (Store in an airtight container, up to 2 days.)

HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add syrup and vanilla. Beat in flour just until combined; fold in nuts. Shape into two 1-1/2-in. rolls; wrap tightly in waxed paper. Chill for 2 hours or until firm. , Cut into 1/4-in. slices and place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 14-16 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. , In separate microwave-safe bowls, melt candy coating disks; stir until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. Let stand until set.

TOASTED HAZELNUT SLICE 'N' BAKE COOKIES WITH MILK CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla extract on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed, and continue to beat until fully combined.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, and salt together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be thick and slightly sticky. Switch to high speed and beat in 3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and, with floured hands, divide into two. Shape each half into an 8-inch log, about 2.5 inches in diameter. The measurements don't have to be exact. Tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 5 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I always chill mine overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
• Remove logs from the refrigerator and roll into coarse sugar, if desired. It's really only for added crunch and a little sparkle! Slice each log into 12 equally thick cookies and place cookies on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until brown around the edges. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
• Melt the chopped milk chocolate in a double boiler or (carefully!) use the microwave. For the microwave, place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Dip each completely cooled cookie halfway into the chocolate and place onto a parchment or silicone baking mat-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining chopped hazelnuts. Place the baking sheet into the refrigerator to help the chocolate set. Once set, enjoy!

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Chop the hazelnuts and the chocolate and set aside. I use the toasted hazelnuts from Trader Joe's. If you are using raw hazelnuts, toast the nuts at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes until lightly browned.
• Place the butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer, scrape down the bowl and add all the flour at once. Turn the mixer to low speed and mix until all the flour is just combined. The dough will be crumbly at this point. Increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until the dough has completely come together. Add the hazelnuts and the chopped chocolate and mix on low speed until they are well combined into the dough.
• Turn the cookie dough out onto a lightly floured surface. You can turn it out onto a large piece of parchment paper or Silpat. Use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangle and lightly flour the top of the dough. Do not use too much flour, just enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking.
• Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thick. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out the cookies. Place the cookies on parchment lined cookie sheet about 1-inch apart. Prick each cookie in the center with a fork. Pricking the cookies will ensure they bake in the center.
• Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Chilling the dough will help the cookies hold their shape when baking.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Sprinkle each cookie with flaky sea salt. Bake the cookies for 25-30 minutes. The bottom of the cookies will be lightly golden brown.
• Take the cookies out of the oven and allow them to cool for about 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before moving them to a cookie rack to completely cool.
• The cookies can be stored in a container for about 1 week.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter, Nutella and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg. In another bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Add hazelnuts; mix well., Divide dough in half; shape each into a disk. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/4-in. scalloped round cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until bottoms are light brown, 8-10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD SQUARES

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan. Line bottom and 2 sides with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Butter parchment.
• With a mixer on medium speed, beat butter with brown sugar, vanilla, and salt until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour until combined and a soft dough forms.
• Spread dough in prepared pan, pressing evenly with the bottom of a dry-measure cup. Prick all over with a fork. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
• Truffle: In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat; whisk in chocolate until melted and combined. Add liqueur and salt, whisking until blended, then stir in nuts. Let cool slightly.
• Pour chocolate mixture evenly over cooled crust. Refrigerate, uncovered, until cold and set, about 2 hours.
• Remove shortbread from pan using parchment; place on a cutting board. Dust top completely with cocoa powder. Cut into 48 squares, dipping knife in hot water and wiping clean before each slice. Refrigerate in a single layer until ready to serve, up to 1 week.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla.
• Reduce mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour and salt, and mix just until combined. Stir in the hazelnuts. The dough will be crumbly but should hold together when pinched.
• Gather the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
• Roll out the dough into a disc about 1/4-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or a sharp knife to cut out the cookies.** If necessary, gather and re-roll the dough once. Carefully transfer the cut cookies onto the prepared pans.
• Bake, one pan at a time, for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Cool on the pans for about 10 minutes. Then, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave at half power in 30-second increments until the chocolate melts when stirred.
• Dip the cookies partially into chocolate or drizzle the chocolate over the cookies. Place the cookies on parchment paper or waxed paper, and allow the chocolate to set completely.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl whisk together flour and salt. Start with 2 ¼ cups of flour, once the dough is combined if needed add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
• In a the mixing bowl cream the butter, then slowly add sugar and vanilla and beat, slowly add the whisked flour and continue to beat, stir in the ground hazelnuts. Refrigerate for approximately 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat oven to 325F (160C). Line 1-2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and form into golf ball size balls, place on the prepared cookie sheets, lightly flatten (not too thin) with the bottom of a glass (lightly floured so dough doesn't stick)**.
• Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool 5 minutes on the cookie sheets, then move to wire racks to cool completely before dipping or drizzling with melted chocolate.
• Melt the chocolate either bain marie or with the microwave, either dip half of the cookie or spread half of cookie with chocolate (I spread the top half of the cookie), or drizzle with the chocolate if you prefer, sprinkle the ground hazelnuts on top of the chocolate. If you prefer plain then you could also sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Enjoy!
• **Make balls a little larger and flatten to a thicker size, if you want thicker cookies.

HAZELNUT & CARDAMOM SHORTBREAD COOKIES WITH DARK CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Process flour, hazelnuts, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor until hazelnuts are finely ground, about 40 seconds, stopping to stir halfway through.
• Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, add cardamom and vanilla and mix to combine.
• Add flour-hazelnut mixture and beat on medium until dough resembles damp sand and holds together when pressed between fingers, 3-4 minutes. (Make sure to mix for at least 3 minutes for best results.)
• Turn dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and firmly press together to form a 7×3-inch rectangle. Tightly wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 3 days.
• Preheat oven to 325° and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Slice chilled dough into ¼-inch thick slices and transfer to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake 18-20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until edges begin to brown. Cool cookies on sheet pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
• In a glass bowl, melt chocolate chips in microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until completely melted.
• Dip cookies in chocolate, transfer to wire racks, and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Once chocolate has set, store cookies in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer.