Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Slice and Bake Cookies
Buttery shortbread meets bold espresso and rich chocolate in these chocolate-hazelnut espresso slice-and-bake cookies! Buttery and crisp, these cookies combine the irresistible pairing of chocolate and hazelnut with aromatic espresso in a classic shortbread dough. Logs of chilled dough are sliced and baked, making prep short and easy. These slice-and-bake cookies pair perfectly with coffee and are a great addition to a holiday cookie box!
If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll adore these shortbread cookies! They have just the right touch of espresso flavor, perfectly balanced with rich chocolate and hazelnuts.
I have a few other shortbread recipes on the blog that are great for the holidays, like these Cinnamon Pecan Shortbread Cookies, Spiced Shortbread Cookies, Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies, and Toasted Coconut Shortbread Cookies. But these shortbread cookies in particular are like biting into a chocolate mocha with hazelnuts.
This is a simple holiday slice-and-bake cookie recipe, which makes it ideal for the busy holiday season when we already have so much on our plates. The dough comes together in no time.
After making the dough, shape it into logs and chill until firm, because this makes slicing a breeze. Just before baking, roll the chilled logs in chopped hazelnuts for extra flavor and that stunning, eye-catching finish that makes these cookies a star.
I also love how versatile this recipe is. If you don’t have hazelnuts on hand or don’t like them, you can easily swap the nuts for something else, like walnuts. Walnuts pair really well with chocolate and espresso, as well as with pecans and almonds.
These cookies are perfect for adding to your annual holiday cookie boxes. If you need a guide on how to put one together, I share tips for how to make the best holiday cookie box. Not only are you guided on how to make these boxes, but I also share my best cookies to add to them.
The holidays are such a special time of year. I hope you enjoy making these chocolate slice-and-bake cookies and some memories!
Ingredients
- whole roasted hazelnuts
- unsalted butter, softened
- granulated sugar
- a large egg
- vanilla extract
- some all-purpose flour
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- espresso powder
- sea salt
How to Make Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Slice and Bake Cookies
Roughly chop half of the hazelnuts and set them aside in a small bowl. Place the remaining half cup of hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped to make the hazelnut coating on the edges of the cookies. Or, finely chop by hand. Set aside for now.
Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium for a minute until creamy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the sugar.
Beat on medium until fluffy, for about two minutes.
Separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Reserve the egg white in a small bowl, then place it in the fridge for later.
Add the egg yolk to the butter and sugar mixture along with the vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt into a medium bowl, then whisk to combine.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Once they’ve all been added, add the roughly chopped hazelnuts and pulse until fully incorporated. The dough should be thick and start to form a ball around the paddle.
Turn the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper. The dough should be easy to handle without being sticky. If the dough does feel sticky, lightly dust your hands and the parchment with flour.
Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Shape and roll each piece of dough into a log that is about 8 inches long.
Wrap each dough log in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to chill for a few hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a few large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the finely chopped hazelnuts on a tray or large plate. Remove the reserved egg white from the fridge.
Unwrap the first log of dough. Brush the egg white on the outside of the dough, then roll it in the finely chopped hazelnuts.
Repeat with the second log. Trim off the very ends of each log and discard.
Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into half-inch-thick cookies. Place the cookies at least one to half an inch apart on the lined baking sheet. Depending on the size of your baking sheet, you may need a second sheet in order to have enough room for all of the cookies.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 14-18 minutes until the tops look more matte than shiny and the cookies are fully set.
Cool the cookies on the sheet for 10-15 minutes before moving them to a rack to cool completely.
How to Store
Since these are made with a shortbread-style dough, they will last up to a week, though I find the flavor best when enjoyed within 5 days. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Spiced Hazelnut Linzer Cookies
- Spice Drop Cookies
- Chocolate Orange Cookies
- Double Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Brown Butter Sugar Cookies
What do you think of this amazing chocolate shortbread cookie recipe? What would you serve with these cookies? Let me know in the comment section below.
If you share across social media, make sure to tag #aclassictwist, so I can see your beautiful creation come to life!
Happy holiday baking, friends!
Chocolate Hazelnut Slice and Bake Cookie Recipe
Chocolate Hazelnut Espresso Slice and Bake Cookies
Buttery shortbread meets bold espresso and rich chocolate in these chocolate-hazelnut espresso slice-and-bake cookies! Buttery and crisp, these cookies combine the irresistible pairing of chocolate and hazelnut with aromatic espresso in a classic shortbread dough.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole roasted hazelnuts
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for handling the dough as needed
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 heaped tablespoon espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Roughly chop ½ cup of the hazelnuts and set them aside in a small bowl. Place the remaining half cup of hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Or, finely chop by hand. Set aside for now.
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium for 1 minute until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add the sugar. Beat on medium until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Reserve the egg white in a small bowl then place it in the fridge for later. Add the egg yolk to the butter and sugar mixture along with the vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt into a medium bowl then whisk to combine. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Once they’ve all been added, add the roughly chopped hazelnuts and pulse until fully incorporated. The dough should be thick and start to form a ball around the paddle.
- Turn the dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper. The dough should be
easy to handle without being sticky. If the dough does feel sticky, lightly dust your hands and the parchment with flour. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Shape and roll each piece of dough into a log that is about 8 inches long. Wrap each dough log in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for 3-4 hours or overnight. - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 1-2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the finely chopped hazelnuts on a tray or large plate. Remove the reserved egg white from the fridge. Unwrap the first log of dough. Brush the egg white on the outside of the dough then roll in the finely chopped hazelnuts. Repeat with the second log. Trim off the very ends of each log and discard. Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into ½-inch thick cookies. Place the cookies at least 1 ½ inches apart on the lined baking sheet. Depending on the size of your baking sheet, you may need a second sheet in order to have enough room for all of the cookies.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 14-18 minutes until the tops look more matte than shiny and the cookies are fully set. Cool the cookies on the sheet for 10-15 minutes before moving them to a rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container and enjoy within 5-7 days.
Notes
- If you want to freeze the dough for baking later, chill the shaped and wrapped logs for 2 hours in the fridge until solid, then double-wrap them and place them in the freezer
- If you want to freeze the dough for baking later, chill the shaped and wrapped logs for 2 hours in the fridge until solid, then double-wrap them and place them in the freezer. Freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight, then proceed with the recipe.
- Whole raw hazelnuts can be used instead of roasted ones, though I prefer the roasted ones since most of the outer skin has been removed.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the cookies. Rather than sawing back and forth, make a quick cut from top to bottom. This ensures the dough stays intact without breaking and yields beautiful, even slices.
- The dough needs to be chilled for a minimum of 3 hours in order to allow the flour to hydrate and for the butter to solidify. It can be chilled for up to 2 days before sliced and baked.
- Though you can use either Dutch process cocoa or natural cocoa here, I prefer the flavor of Dutch process cocoa in these cookies. It has a smoother flavor that pairs well with the espresso and hazelnuts.
- These cookies lend themselves well to packing in tins and boxes for the holidays!
FAQs
Can I make these with different nuts? Yes, you can use different nuts. Walnuts pair really well with the chocolate and espresso flavors along with pecans and almonds.
How long will these cookies last once baked? Since these are made with a shortbread style dough, they will last up to a week though I find the flavor best when enjoyed within 5 days. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.
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