Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you love thick chocolate chip cookies with a crispy exterior and tender interior, you’ll love these hazelnut chocolate chip cookies!
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Is your favorite chocolate chip cookie made with walnuts or hazelnuts? Or maybe you prefer another type of nut, or you don’t like any at all. For me, a chocolate chip cookie is only legit if it has a good amount of nuts. But as much as I love walnuts, I prefer hazelnuts, and I like toasting them to bring out more of their flavor.
As for texture, I generally don’t shut the door on any type when it comes to hazelnut chocolate chip cookies or any other kind, but my favorite is a thick cookie with a crispy exterior and softer interior. As for the tops, I like a craggy surface over a smoother one because I think textured chocolate chip cookies look more appealing — even more so when they’re studded with lots of chocolate chips and nuts.
While attempting to create my ideal hazelnut chocolate chip cookie, I relied on the knowledge that (a) more flour equals a softer cookie, (b) cornstarch also helps achieve a softer chew, (c) brown sugar — a favorite of mine — creates moisture and chewiness, (d) egg yolks add richness, and (e) cold butter helps create a more textured cookie and prevents them from spreading too much (also good for achieving a softer interior).
Armed with the above information, I got to work and happily discovered that it produced the cookie I was searching for: a thicker, tender one with a deluge of chocolate chips and hazelnuts. If you make these cookies, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Let me know in the comments below!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Hazelnuts
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking Soda
- Fine Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Why You’ll Love These Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
They’re thick with a tender center: If you prefer thick, tender cookies over flat, crispy ones, you’ll love these!
They’re easy to make: You don’t even have to soften the butter.
Pro Tips
Leave the butter in the refrigerator until ready to use: Don’t cut it into cubes and let it sit on the counter while you prep the other ingredients. You want the butter as cold as possible.
Consider using your hands to mix the batter after adding the nuts and chocolate chips: The batter will get thick and take some work to incorporate all those delicious nuts and chips. If you find it easier to use your hands, go for it!
Use the spoon and level method to measure your flour: This is explained in the recipe card below and ensures you use the exact amount of flour as tested in this recipe, which is essential!
FAQs
Can I freeze the cookie dough? Yes! Roll it into balls like you would if you were ready to bake them, but place them in a freezer bag instead. Lay the bag flat on the counter, and keep the dough balls separate from one another as you put them in the bag. Lay the bag flat in the freezer. Once the balls are fully frozen, you can move the bag around the freezer however it’s most convenient.
How do I bake these cookies from frozen cookie dough? Just remove however many you want from the freezer bag, and bake them for an additional minute or two than what the recipe states below.
Suggestions for Variations and Substitutions
- Use any nuts you prefer, like walnuts or macadamia.
- Add some cinnamon or shredded coconut for a different flavor profile.
- Use a mix of chocolate chips like semi-sweet, milk, and dark chocolate.
Leftovers
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. You can also freeze them in freezer bags for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature or pop in the microwave in increments of five to ten seconds until warmed through.
Want more chocolate recipes? Try these ultimate brownies!
Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (See Note 1)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large whole egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 and 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Toast the hazelnuts in a small pan on low to medium heat until they turn golden, stirring often, 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool. Pour the hazelnuts into a sturdy ziploc bag, seal them, and break them into small pieces with a mallet (a hammer works too!).
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Place the cubed butter and the sugars in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer until everything creams together, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off the mixer occasionally and press down on the butter with the beaters to help it soften. Turn off the mixer to add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Turn the mixer back on to combine, about 30 seconds.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet, in about three increments, using the mixer to combine. The batter will become increasingly thick. Stir in the hazelnuts and half the chocolate chips when you add in the remaining dry ingredients. Combine again; pour in the remaining chocolate chips, and finish combining all ingredients with the mixer. You can also use a spatula to incorporate the nuts and chips, but the mixer is easier when handling a thick batter.
- Use a 2" diameter cookie scoop to place 8 to 10 cookies onto each sheet. Flatten each one slightly with the palm of your hand. Place the sheets on the oven's middle rack and bake for 10 to 14 minutes until they turn lightly golden around the edges and on top. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store any remaining cookie dough in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake more cookies.