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    Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies Recipe

    Published: Dec 22, 2013 / 71 Comments

    26.0K shares
    • Facebook266
    Recipe Print

    Hazelnut shortbread cookies recipe - perfect for the Holidays! These Christmas cookies have a perfect texture - crumbly and buttery, they just melt in your mouth.

    Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies on a plate

    This recipe is ridiculously easy: only 5 ingredients. The hazelnut cookies are phenomenal! You'd be thinking you're eating a very special cookie, and not something that you just whipped up in 20 minutes. Of course, in a large part, we have to thank hazelnuts for the deliciousness of this recipe - they really make these shortbread cookies so ... what's the word? ... hazelnutty. Dusted with powdered sugar they become perfection.

    Your Christmas cookie tray is not complete without these hazelnut cookies.  It is also not complete without pecan shortbread cookies, or amaretto shortbread cookies, or cranberry noels.

    Christmas hazelnut shortbread cookies on a plate

    The cookies have the consistency of crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread, with a distinctive hazelnut flavor. Perfect to serve as a little dessert alongside a cup of coffee, tea, or a glass of milk. It's a highly unassuming cookie, very easy to make - just make sure to chill the dough before baking, and you should be all set. Also, the cookie dough wrapped in plastic wrap can be kept frozen up to a month.

    hazelnut shortbread cookies
    4.84 from 65 votes

    Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies Recipe

    These hazelnut shortbread cookies are perfect for your Christmas cookie box.  The cookies have the consistency of crumbly, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread, with a distinctive hazelnut flavor.  
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 30 cookies
    Calories per serving 63 kcal

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup hazelnuts (2 oz)
    • ¼ cup white sugar
    • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 4 oz unsalted butter , cold, cut into small pieces
    • ¼ cup powdered sugar , for dusting

    Instructions 

    • Toast raw hazelnuts at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-7 minutes until fragrant. Cool the nuts to room temperature, then husk them by rubbing a handful of hazelnuts between your hands. This should do a pretty good job of getting rid of most of the skins. Some will remain – that’s OK.
    • To make finely ground nuts, place toasted and husked hazelnuts and ¼ cup sugar into food processor and process until finely ground.
    • Add ¾ cup and 2 tablespoons of flour and a pinch of salt to the food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and process until dough forms, scraping the sides of the food processor bowl with spatula if necessary. The dough will be soft.
    • On a flour-dusted surface, roll dough into 2 logs, each about 1 inch wide. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and place wrapped cookie dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, then in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
    • Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit. 
    • After cookie dough has been in the freezer and in the refrigerator, unwrap plastic and slice each log into thin cookie slices. 
    • Place cookie slices on a parchment-lined ungreased baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart. 
    • Bake for about 12-15 minutes, don’t let the cookies get brown. 
    • Cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes, after that transfer cookies to wire rack to continue cooling. Using sifter, sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar.
    • Store cookies in airtight container – they can last about 2 weeks.

    Notes

    The recipe is adapted from Epicurious

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Hazelnut Shortbread Cookies Recipe
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    4
    g
    6
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    2
    g
    13
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    8
    mg
    3
    %
    Potassium
     
    16
    mg
    0
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    5
    g
    2
    %
    Sugar
     
    2
    g
    2
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    95
    IU
    2
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    0.2
    mg
    0
    %
    Calcium
     
    4
    mg
    0
    %
    Iron
     
    0.3
    mg
    2
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

    Keyword hazelnut cookies, holiday shortbread cookies, shortbread cookies
    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
    « Low-Fat Banana Oat Chocolate Cookies
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    • Facebook266

    Please share your comment and Star Rating in the comments section below.

    I appreciate your feedback!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Larry

      February 25, 2023 at 3:42 pm

      “They can last for a week.”
      Are you kidding?
      In my house these last a day at the most.
      Thank you for the great recipe.

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 18, 2023 at 8:32 pm

        Ha-ha-ha! Larry, you made me laugh really hard!

        Reply
    2. Martine

      December 22, 2022 at 3:09 pm

      These were easy to make and they were delicious.
      Merci beaucoup Julia

      Reply
      • Julia

        December 23, 2022 at 1:52 pm

        Martine, so glad you loved these cookies! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Kat

      November 17, 2022 at 2:12 pm

      Hi, could I use spelt flour instead of all-purpose?

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 18, 2022 at 2:54 pm

        Kat, yes you can - without changing quantities!

        Reply
        • Kat

          November 20, 2022 at 2:51 pm

          Great, thank you!

          Reply
          • Julia

            November 20, 2022 at 4:20 pm

            Enjoy!

            Reply
    4. Ian

      February 12, 2022 at 11:41 pm

      Made in Vitamix and froze dough for 20 minutes. Whipped these up for a late night craving. Super good. Will make again.

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 18, 2022 at 5:45 pm

        Ian, I am so glad the recipe was success!

        Reply
        • Christie Hume

          April 15, 2022 at 6:38 pm

          Hi,
          I purchased hazelnut meal instead. Can this be used measuring 2oz of meal and no other adjustments? This recipe looks so yummy.

          Reply
          • Julia

            April 24, 2022 at 7:25 pm

            Christie, I think that should work!

            Reply
    5. Michelle

      December 28, 2021 at 4:36 pm

      These did not work for me. I've made a lot of shortbread and worked with tricky doughs, but this was a disaster. No matter how cold the dough was, it crumbled while cutting.

      Reply
    6. Trish

      October 18, 2021 at 7:27 pm

      Will love to make this recipe …
      I was wondering what’s the amount of butter in cups? Please HELP ME !

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 23, 2021 at 2:23 pm

        4 oz of butter is 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons or 1 stick of butter. Hope this helps and enjoy the recipe, it's delicious!

        Reply
      • Holly

        February 24, 2023 at 9:00 pm

        I made these and found out that one stick of butter is 4 ounces

        Reply
    7. Emily

      September 28, 2021 at 11:33 am

      Hi! Could I use a blender instead of a food processor for this recipe? It looks delicious!

      Reply
      • Amy T

        November 04, 2021 at 6:19 pm

        I used a blender. Didn’t work great bc it sticks in the bottom and hard to scrape up bc it’s a stiff dough. I ended up transferring it to finish in my stand mixer. lol. The food processor is the smartest fastest option.

        Reply
        • Julia

          November 05, 2021 at 4:21 pm

          Amy, great feedback! Thank you!

          Reply
          • Jan Scott

            December 15, 2021 at 9:21 pm

            Fantastic recipe, have made it lots of times, just keep logs in the freezer until ready to cook!

            Reply
            • Julia

              December 17, 2021 at 6:12 pm

              Jan, thank you so much for such a generous comment! Glad you've enjoyed this recipe! 🙂

    8. Nancy Raisanen

      April 24, 2021 at 10:45 am

      One of the best shortbread I've ever made. Now in my recipe box.

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 21, 2022 at 5:10 am

        Hi all

        Anyone have any ideas as to why my biscuit Dough is hard to cut and the biscuit spreads a lot? I am using very chilled dough

        Reply
    9. Jan Scott

      January 20, 2021 at 10:01 pm

      Hi, made these and they were so light and buttery and disappeared very quickly. I have a family member who can’t tolerate gluten, could I make using GF flour?

      Reply
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