Hazelnut Cookies

This recipe uses lard, which gives the cookies extra flakiness and that melt-in-the-mouth effect. If you're not comfortable using lard, feel free to use butter, but bear in mind that the cookie will have a slightly different texture. Make sure the butter is at room temperature, and be careful when adding flour. Add just enough to form the dough into a ball. It is also crucial that you let the dough chill for a couple of hours, preferably overnight, especially if you used lard. You could also use a combination of lard and butter. The cookies are nutty and not very sweet, which is why dulce de leche works magically as a filling. Nutella works great, too. If you want to fill them with jam, choose sweeter flavors or dust the cookies heavily with powdered sugar.

Category: Cookies

Recipe in PDF format (print friendly)

• Yields 80-100 cookies
• Prep time: 2h 20min + dough chilling time
• Cook time: 10min
• Total time: 2h 30min
• Difficulty: Basic

For the hazelnut cookies:

Ingredients

• 200g lard (or butter), at room temperature
• 130g sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 40g sour cream
• 130g ground hazelnuts
• 400-420g all-purpose flour

Directions

In the bowl of your standing mixer, cream together lard, sugar, and vanilla sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg and egg yolk one at a time and mix until well incorporated. Stir in sour cream and hazelnuts. Gradually add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon, until you get a dough that can be shaped into a ball. You may need to use a bit less or more flour, depending on the lard or the type of fat you decide to use. Try not to overmix the dough. It will be soft, and that's fine. Try not to add too much flour. Once the dough has enough time to chill, it will be fine. Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface and divide it in half. Shape each half into a flattened disk and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for 3 hours, preferably overnight. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a well-floured surface, roll the dough until it's 3-5 mm thick. Cut desired shapes with cookie cutters. Carefully transfer to prepared baking sheets. Re-roll scraps and cut out shapes. Repeat with the remaining dough. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from the oven as soon as they start to get color on the edges. They should stay light in color and only get a slight light-brown color on the bottom. While hot, the cookies are still a bit soft, but once they cool down, they firm up. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling. Plain cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.

For the filling:

Ingredients

• dulce de leche
• Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread
• raspberry jam (or any other flavor you like)
• melted dark chocolate (to decorate the cookies)

Directions

To assemble the cookies, spread about a teaspoon of your desired filling on the bottom side of one cookie and top with another cookie. Sandwich the cookies together and transfer them to an airtight container. You can also dip some of the cookies into melted dark chocolate. Place the chocolate-covered cookies onto a piece of baking paper until the chocolate sets, and then transfer the cookies into an airtight container. The sandwiched cookies can be kept for 2 weeks.

Additional images