Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies from Emma's Cake Studio

Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies - made dough August 1, 2025 from Emma's Cake Studio 

1 1/2 cups (190 grams) hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons (15 grams) cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Coating

8 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil or shortening, optional, for smoother coating

1/2 cup (60 grams) toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool then roughly chop. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add egg and vanilla extract; beat until smooth and combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in toasted hazelnuts.
6. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Portion dough into golf-ball-size dough balls then gently flatten to thick discs.  Evenly space on baking sheets.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are set. Remove from oven, let rest on baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
8. Coat the cookies: in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chopped chocolate and coconut oil in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until completely melted and smooth.
9. Dip each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate, fully coating. Place the dipped cookie on a wire rack or parchment paper.
10. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle each cookie with the reserved hazelnut bits. Let chocolate set at room temperature or place in refrigerator for faster setting.

If you want slightly fancy cookies, these are a good choice. Mine didn't spread thin exactly but they definitely weren't as rounded as the ones shown from the original blog, Emma's Cake Studio. Still, they baked into fairly thickly uniform discs.

I used good quality chocolate bars for the coating but in hindsight, I think I should've used chocolate chips so the coating would set more firmly. As it was, they were a little soft and I had to refrigerate the coated cookies to get the chocolate to set, especially in the summer heat.

Although these had hazelnuts in the cookie itself as well as garnished on top, surprisingly I liked the hazelnuts inside the cookie as well as on the outside. They added a nice crunch to the cookie. Usually my objection to nuts in cookies is they steam and soften during baking and I don't like their texture inside a cookie. But the hazelnuts retained their crunch aspect plus the cookie texture itself was more crisp (but not hard) rather than soft-chewy so that paired well. Be warned though that these are a little sweet. Add more hazelnuts to cut the sweetness.