A few months ago, I made a Nutella Cake for my friend Becca’s birthday. I also made her Hazelnut Nutella Sandwich Cookies that I decorated the cake with, and that she could give out to friends to celebrate. I posted the recipe for the cake, but never for the cookies! Very bad blogging behavior. I’ve been getting a few requests for this cookie recipe, and I decided it was about time I responded, just in time for holiday festivity baking. This is a pretty standard shortbread dough, with ground hazelnuts mixed into the batter. You can eat them plain, dip them in dark chocolate, or sandwich them with whatever your favorite spread is – I used a vegan nutella that I had, but any chocolate, vanilla, or even fruit spread would pair well. Enjoy!
Hazelnut Shortbread Ingredients:
2/3 cup Earth Balance, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped or ground*
*I often put my nuts in the food processor, and grind until they are nearly a flour – but not so much that they turn into paste/butter-like consistency.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats.
Combine Earth Balance and sugar in a large bowl. Cream the mixture together until light and fluffy.
Add 2 1/4 cups of the flour and mix until blended. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup flour by the tablespoonful as needed to make a smooth dough.
Stir in the hazelnuts until incorporated.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Pat it into an oblong shape, then roll it out with a floured rolling pin to a thickness of 1/2 inch.
Using a knife, cut the dough into 2 1/2-in squares, or use whatever cookie cutter shape you want!
Using a lightly floured metal spatula, lift the cookies and slide them off onto the prepared pans, placing them at least 1 inch apart.
Bake on the 2 middle racks of the oven for 15 minutes. Rotate the pans and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the cookies are light golden brown.
Let cool completely on the baking sheets, set on wire racks. Store in an airtight container.
Cookies and Candids 
you have been one busy baker!! i wish i had the time/energy to bake these days. my job just sucks up so much of that stuff, plus i already bake there. also i would just end up eating all the goodies myself which would be delicious but not so good in the end.
ANYWAY these are really great!! i love baking with nuts, like mexican wedding cookies or thumbprints. this is a great idea too. i rarely use hazelnuts but of course they pair with chocolate quite nicely. i have never seen a hand cutout, how cute!
I make my own vegan nutella and it would be perfect in these cookies! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Sophie: Thanks, I’m glad you like the cookies 🙂 It’s funny that you mention mexican wedding cookies, because I made those this past weekend! I’ll have to post about them soon.
Mihl: What is your nutella recipe? I was using vegan nutella that my brother bought me in Europe but now I’ve run out and I’d love to know how to make my own! And, if you make these cookies, will you let me know? I’d love to see how they come out in someone else’s kitchen!