Hazelnut Espresso Shortbread

These Hazelnut Espresso Shortbread combine the flavors of rich espresso and toasty hazelnuts in a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookie! You can enjoy them plain or give them a decadent finish with some chocolate.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Chill Time 25

Total Time 1 10

Servings cookies

Calories 146kcal

Author Amee

Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup hazelnuts, roasted then chopped finely (see note)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons espresso powder (see note)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
4 ounces chocolate for dipping/drizzling, optional
vanilla salt for sprinkling, optional (see Vanilla Salt recipe)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Toasting Hazelnuts

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Place ½ cup hazelnuts on a baking sheet. Toast hazelnuts 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until slightly golden and fragrant.
½ cup hazelnuts, roasted then chopped finely
Fold the warm, toasted hazelnuts inside a kitchen towel and let sit for 5 minutes so the steam will help the skins come off. Rub the hazelnuts in the towel to remove as much of the skins as you can (they don't have to be perfect). Hazelnuts can be toasted/skinned ahead of time and stored in an airtight container after cooling completely.
Once completely cool, pour the toasted hazelnuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped finely, or do your best with a knife. (It's important that the hazelnuts are cool before using the food processor, and they're likely to want to be hazelnut butter if they're still warm!)

Making Shortbread

Line baking sheets with parchment (see note) and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Set aside.
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt
Combine the butter, powdered sugar, and espresso powder (see note) in the bowl of a mixer and beat until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the vanilla bean paste (see note) and mix to combine.
1 cup unsalted butter, softened, ¾ cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons espresso powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Gradually add the flour/salt mixture and mix just until you can't see flour anymore. Mixture won't come completely together into a ball and will be a bit crumbly, which is what you want.
Add the chopped hazelnuts and stir them in by hand to ensure you don't overwork the dough.
Use a bowl scraper (see note) to press the dough together into a ball inside the bowl, or turn the dough out onto your counter and press together with your hands. (I like to use the bowl scraper to keep my hands/counter cleaner.)
(This cookie dough can be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. Then just roll/cut/bake the cookies once the dough has thawed.)
Split the dough into to two discs. Working with one disc at a time, roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick between two sheets of parchment or wax paper.
Once rolled out, transfer the dough (still in the paper) to a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 10 minutes. This step makes the dough easier to handle when you cut out the cookies.
Once the dough has chilled, cut out the desired shapes. I used a 2.75-inch biscuit cutter (see note) for my cookies. You can gather and re-roll the scraps to cut more cookies.
Place the cookies at least an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets and freeze for 15 minutes before baking. The cookies will spread a little, but they keep their shape nicely. If your oven isn't already preheated from toasting the hazelnuts, preheat to 350℉ while the cookies chill.
Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are just barely golden on the bottom. (I typically bake one test cookie and check the bottom once it cools.)
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dip or drizzle the cooled cookies in chocolate, if desired. If you'd like to sprinkle a little finishing salt on top, Vanilla Salt is excellent!
The baked and cooled cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days. For longer storage, place them in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. It's best to freeze them without the chocolate, then add it once they're thawed.
Enjoy!

Notes

Note on hazelnuts: I used a food processor to chop my hazelnuts finely. A small/mini food processor will work. If you have a larger food processor, definitely use the smallest bowl insert that you have. If you don't have or would rather not use a food processor, you can just shop them as finely as you can with a knife.

Note on espresso powder: I use espresso powder instead of actual espresso in this recipe because it gives a lovely espresso flavor without having to add moisture. It's also very fine, so it incorporates into the cookie dough easily. Instant coffee would be a close substitute, though it isn't ground finely.

Note on Vanilla Salt: If you enjoy a sweet-and-salty treat, I recommend sprinkling a little Vanilla Salt over the cookies after they're baked! The salt was a nice balance to the sweet cookie and chocolate.

Note on bowl scraper: I like to use a bowl scraper to press the dough together in the bowl because it's flexible shape makes the job much easier, and it keeps my hands and countertop a bit cleaner.

Note on biscuit cutter: I used a 2.75-inch biscuit cutter for my cookies, which yielded 25 cookies from this recipe. You can use whatever size/shape you like, just know that bigger cookies may take more time to bake, and smaller cookies less time.

Note on lining pans: I like using nonstick parchment on my pans to ensure no sticking and for easier cleanup.

Nutrition