I’ve been on a huge chocolate hazelnut kick lately (for my whole life really…), and these little choc butter cookies might just be my fav cookie I’ve made this year. They’re based on my classic chocolate thumbprint cookie recipe, that I’ve transformed many times over – chocolate peppermint thumbprint cookies, Halloween cookies, and holiday chocolate butter cookie gems. This time though, they’re rolled in crushed nuts before baking and filled with chocolate hazelnut spread after baking, for a beautiful blend of crunchy and smooth texture. Think of them as the cookie equivalent of a Ferrero Rocher!
They’re also incredibly easy to make. Very few ingredients, no chilling, no complicated steps… Just mix, roll, press, bake, and fill. The perfect cookie to add to a busy holiday baking schedule!
How to Make Them (quick overview)
- Mix the dough: butter, sugar, egg yolk, hazelnut extract, then flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
- Roll into balls and coat in crushed hazelnuts.
- Press the indentation with your thumb or the back of a ½ teaspoon.
- Bake for 9 minutes.
- Re-press the indent while warm.
- Fill with chocolate hazelnut spread.
That’s it! They’re genuinely that simple.
Tips & Common Mistakes
Press the thumbprint deep enough.
The cookies don’t spread much, so the print needs to be nice and deep to hold the filling.
Don’t skip re-pressing after baking.
This makes the well perfect for filling and gives a cleaner look.
Use finely crushed hazelnuts.
If they’re too chunky, they won’t stick well.
If the dough feels dry, keep mixing.
Just like the peppermint version, it starts out crumbly but comes together if you keep mixing!
Video and Recipe
Here’s a short video showing the steps:
Happy baking!
Hazelnut Chocolate Butter Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 170 g butter softened (¾ cup)
- 100 g sugar ½ cup
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp hazelnut extract
- 190 g flour 1½ cups
- 25 g cocoa powder ¼ cup
- ½ tsp salt
- 50 g crushed hazelnuts for rolling (approx. ½ cup)
Filling
- Chocolate hazelnut spread Nutella or similar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or silicone mats.
- Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolk and hazelnut extract; mix until smooth.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until the dough comes together — it will look crumbly at first, then clump.
- Form 1” balls. Roll each ball in crushed hazelnuts and place on the baking sheets.
- Use your thumb or a ½ teaspoon to press an indent into each cookie.
- Bake for 9 minutes.
- While still warm, gently re-press the indent to make room for the filling.
- Spoon or pipe about 1 teaspoon of chocolate hazelnut spread into each indentation.
- Let cookies rest for 30 minutes so the centres can set before storing.
