It's no secret that chocolate and hazelnut go well together, it's one of those classic combinations that never gets old. Earthy, toasted hazelnut paired with rich chocolate gives that whole "Nutella" vibe, but in fact, these cookies are so much better than that.
Probably one of the easiest cookie recipes I've made, these vegan chocolate hazelnut cookies don't use any flour, and they are gluten-free too! Instead of containing vegan butter or oil, the main fat content of these cookies comes in the form of pure hazelnut butter, which gives them an intense irresistible nutty flavor.
Perfect with a cold glass of homemade hazelnut milk.
These vegan chocolate hazelnut cookies are:
- Soft and flavorsome
- Made using hazelnut butter in place of oil/butter
- Taste like Nutella!
- Vegan
- Egg-free/Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Flourless
- Easy to make, and come together in one bowl
Ingredients to make flourless Nutella cookies
Vegan dark chocolate: make sure you choose good quality chocolate, look for one with a cacao content of 70% or higher with no added dairy in the ingredients. You can also use a vegan "milk" chocolate if you prefer.
Hazelnuts: If you can get your hands on them, I'd recommend using skinless (or blanched) hazelnuts, however hazelnuts with the skins on them will work just fine if you don't mind using them.
Hazelnut butter: as mentioned above, hazelnut butter is used in place of vegan butter/oil which is generally found in cookie recipes. I'd recommend using a nut butter that's 100% nuts without any added oils or sugars. You can also make your own hazelnut butter at home if you'd prefer.
Coconut sugar: the cookie dough is sweetened with coconut sugar, however, you can also use soft brown sugar in its place.
Milled flaxseed: the vegan egg substitute for this cookie recipe is a “flax egg“. When soaked in water, flaxseeds form a gel that works as a binding agent that replaces eggs used in traditional baking. To prepare the flax egg, simply add one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds to a small bowl with 2.5 tbsp of water. Stir and allow it to soak for 5 minutes.
Cacao powder: this recipe calls for raw cacao powder, not Dutch-processed cacao which will give you a different result.
Vanilla extract: vanilla is added to balance out the flavors of the dessert as well as intensify the sweetness. Make sure you opt for a brand that is vegan-friendly such as Neilsen Massey pure vanilla extract and Taylor and Colledge vanilla bean extract.
Baking soda: this is the leavening agent for this recipe, as it releases carbon dioxide when baked creating a soft cookie.
How to make this recipe
(Full recipe and instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post)
Make your own hazelnut butter
If you're making your own hazelnut butter, simply add 300g blanched hazelnuts to a lined baking tray and bake at 180°C (356°F) for 10 minutes. Add the toasted hazelnuts to your food processor or high-speed blender and blitz for several minutes until they form a smooth, runny nut butter consistency.
Make the cookie dough
To prepare, get your oven preheated and line a cookie sheet/baking tray with some parchment paper, and set it aside. To prepare the flax egg, simply add one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds to a small bowl with 2.5 tbsp of water. Stir and allow it to soak for 5 minutes.
Roughly chop the dark chocolate and hazelnuts and set them aside. I like to leave the chunks quite big as they are delicious to sink your teeth into!
First, cream together the hazelnut butter and coconut sugar in a large bowl and beat together using an electric whisk (or regular whisk if you don't have one). Add in the remaining ingredients (cacao powder, vanilla extract, baking soda, and flax egg) and beat again for 30 seconds or so until the ingredients have combined.
Add the three-fourths of the chopped dark chocolate and hazelnuts to the bowl and fold them through the cookie dough using a spatula - you're holding aside the remaining one-fourth of chocolate to top the cookies with before going into the oven. Roll the cookie dough into golf ball-sized balls and sit them on the baking tray, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie. This recipe will make about 6-7 large cookies, or 8 if you make them slightly smaller. Use the back of a large spoon to slightly flatten the cookies down into discs. Stud the cookies with the remaining chocolate chips.
Bake and cool
Bake the cookies for between 10-12 minutes until they have spread and are slightly browned. In order to get a nice clean round edge on the cookies, you can use a large cookie cutter to shape them while they're still hot. Simply use circular motions around the outside of the cookie in order to round them with the cookie cutter.
Allow the cookies to sit on the baking tray to cool for about 5 minutes. Next, carefully slide the sheet of parchment paper with the cookies off of the tray and onto a cooling rack. Once they have cooled for another 15-20 minutes until room temperature.
More vegan cookie recipes
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Description
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) milled flaxseed
- 2.8 oz (80 g) vegan dark chocolate
- ¼ cup (30 g) hazelnuts, preferably skinless
- 1 cup (230 g) hazelnut butter
- ½ cup (80 g) coconut sugar
- ½ cup (45 g) cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda
- Maldon flakes or sea salt, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F) and line the base of a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper.
- Make a "flax egg" by adding the ground flaxseeds to a bowl with 2.5 tablespoons of water. Stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Roughly chop the dark chocolate and hazelnuts and set them aside.
- Add the hazelnut butter and coconut sugar to a large bowl and beat together using a whisk (electric if possible). Add the cacao powder, vanilla extract, baking soda, and flax egg and beat again for 30 seconds or so until the ingredients have combined.
- Add the three-fourths of the chopped dark chocolate and hazelnuts to the bowl and fold them through the cookie dough using a spatula.
- Separate the cookie dough into 10 parts, roll them into balls, and set them on the baking tray, leaving at least 2 inches between each cookie. Use the back of a large spoon to slightly flatten the cookies down into discs. Stud the cookies with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for between 10-12 minutes until the cookies have spread and slightly browned. Remove the tray from the oven and while hot, use a large round cookie-cutter and go in circular motions around each cookie to create a clean edge.
- Allow the cookies to sit on the baking tray to cool for about 5 minutes. Next, carefully slide the sheet of parchment paper with the cookies off of the tray and on a cooling rack. Cool for another 15-20 minutes until they reach room temperature.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature and consume within 3-4 days.
Nutrition
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