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These mushy and chewy Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies are studded with toasted hazelnuts and have decadent chocolate hazelnut butter facilities. A chocolate lover’s dream! Vegan, Gluten-Free and Nut-Free Choice.
These Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies are simply like a Ferrero Rocher – however in cookie type. Similar to the elegant chocolate treats, these cookies are wealthy and chocolatey, loaded with crunchy toasted hazelnuts, and have a molten chocolate hazelnut heart topped with an entire hazelnut. They’re simply plain heavenly!
Desk of Contents
A Chocolate and Hazelnut Lover’s Dream
I’ve been Ferrero Rocher’s no 1 fan ever since I used to be somewhat child. Each Christmas, I’d anticipate finding them in my stocking! Now, as a vegan grownup, I’m patiently ready for them to launch a dairy-free model so I can expertise that magic as soon as once more (no information but 😢).
Fortunately, these Vegan Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies fill the void! For those who love chocolate and hazelnut collectively as a lot as I do, then you have to add these cookies to your vacation baking checklist ASAP.
Similar to my Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Pie and Chocolate Hazelnut Granola, these thumbprint cookies are loaded with decadent chocolate flavors and studded with wealthy hazelnuts. The nutty crunch contrasts the chewy cookies completely, whereas the chocolate hazelnut unfold within the center takes them excessive. Actually, in case you’re like me, you’ll neglect all about Ferrero Rocher’s after only one cookie.
What You Want for Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
These candy, nutty, and chocolatey cookies are simple to make with lower than 10 components:
- Flax Egg: I take advantage of this simple egg replacer in a ton of my cookie recipes. It binds the cookies collectively completely, and all you want is floor flaxseed and water to make one! For those who don’t have flaxseed, you need to use floor chia seeds in its place.
- Salted Vegan Butter: keep in mind to take the butter out of the fridge a minimum of half-hour earlier than making this recipe so it has an opportunity to melt.
- Cornstarch: only a pinch of cornstarch softens and tenderizes the cookie dough to make the baked cookies delightfully chewy.
- Cocoa Powder: pure unsweetened cocoa powder is greatest for these cookies.
- Hazelnuts: Ferrero Rocher’s are well-known for his or her hazelnutty crunch, which clearly means we’d like a bunch for this cookie recipe. I want to purchase pre-toasted hazelnuts to save lots of me from having to toast them myself, however untoasted hazelnuts work, too. Simply toast them on the range or within the oven, then rub off the skins earlier than including them to the cookie dough.
- Chocolate Hazelnut Butter: use your favourite vegan-friendly chocolate hazelnut unfold to fill the thumbprints. There are often a couple of manufacturers to select from within the pure meals part at most grocery shops, in well being meals shops, or on-line.
How you can Make Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies
- Combine the flax seed and water collectively and set apart to thicken.
- Cream the butter and sugar till it’s gentle and fluffy. Add the flax egg and vanilla, then cream collectively once more.
- Place a sieve over the bowl and add the flour, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Whisk collectively, then sift them into the bowl. Mix the dry and moist components till you’ve a thick dough. Fold in a number of the chopped hazelnuts.
- Kind items of the cookie dough into 24 cookie dough balls. Place them on ready baking sheets.
- Press a teaspoon measuring spoon into every ball to make the “thumbprint”. Fastidiously coat the tops and sides of the cookie balls with the remaining chopped hazelnuts.
- Bake the cookies till the underside edges are set, then set them apart to chill.
- Pour somewhat chocolate hazelnut butter into every cookie’s thumbprint, then prime with an entire hazelnut. Take pleasure in!
Caitlin’s Cooking Suggestions
- Toasted hazelnuts > uncooked hazelnuts: Are you utilizing uncooked, untoasted hazelnuts on this recipe? Then your first step can be to toast them within the oven to deliver out their pure oils (that is what makes them style so good). Lay the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them in a 350ºF oven for 10 to 12 minutes or till golden. As soon as they’re cool, lay the nuts on a clear kitchen towel and rub them to take away the skins earlier than chopping.
- To make the right thumbprint: I discovered {that a} 1 teaspoon measuring spoon made the right indent in cookie dough balls comprised of 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. If the spoon is sticking to the dough, dip it in somewhat water in between every cookie.
Serving Ideas
As quickly as they’re stuffed with hazelnut butter and topped with an additional hazelnut, you’re free to dig into as many chocolate thumbprint cookies as you’d like! I like mine with a glass of chilly nut milk on the aspect, however they’re additionally scrumptious with a heat mug of vegan scorching chocolate, tea, or espresso.
You’ll be able to get pleasure from a vegan thumbprint cookie year-round, however similar to a basic Ferrero Rocher, Christmas may be the very best time to indulge. Embrace them on the cookie tray on the vacation occasion or present some to your loved ones, associates, coworkers, and lecturers. They’re an enormous hit with vegans and non-vegans alike!
For those who’re in search of extra wealthy and chocolatey vegan cookies, you’ll additionally love these Final Vegan Chocolate Cookies, these Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies, these Sizzling Cocoa Cookies, and these Chocolate Chai Shortbread Cookies!
How you can Retailer Hazelnut Cookies
Retailer any leftover cookies in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 3 days. Don’t fill the cookies with hazelnut butter in case you don’t plan on consuming them instantly, or else they’ll stick collectively within the container or cookie tin.
The unbaked cookie dough can be made prematurely and saved within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Cowl the ball of dough in a good layer of plastic wrap and retailer it within the fridge.
Earlier than baking, place the dough on the counter for half-hour to permit it to melt and are available right down to room temperature.
Substitutions and Variations
- Gluten-Free Choice: Whereas I’ve solely examined this recipe with all-purpose flour, I feel it’ll work effectively with a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix. Almond flour, oat flour, or coconut flour is not going to work.
- Salted Butter Substitute: You need to use softened refined coconut oil or unsalted vegan butter as an alternative, however add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to the dry components.
- Hazelnut Substitute: Use toasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans as an alternative of hazelnuts.
- Nut-Free Choice: Simply omit the hazelnuts and use a decadent nut-free sauce within the heart, like chocolate sauce, vegan ganache, or sunflower butter.
Recipe FAQs
Thumbprint cookies are comprised of basic sugar cookie components and have a attribute “thumbprint” indent within the heart that’s often stuffed with fruit jam, like in my Almond Flour Thumbprint Cookies.
It isn’t a required step for this recipe except your kitchen may be very heat or the dough is sticky. In that case, there’s no hurt in chilling the dough within the fridge for about half-hour to assist it agency up.
Be light when urgent the teaspoon into the cookies and clean out any cracks together with your finger earlier than baking.
No, common Nutella accommodates skim milk powder.
Take pleasure in! For those who make this recipe and determine to share it on Fb or Instagram, don’t neglect to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I’d additionally adore it in case you might go away a remark beneath with a recipe score! Thanks for the help 😊
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 tablespoon floor flax seed
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 cups all goal flour spooned and leveled
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup dry toasted and unsalted hazelnuts* roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup further however optionally available dry toasted and unsalted hazelnuts*, roughly chopped; for sprinkling on the cookies
- 1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut butter*
- 12-15 hazelnuts reduce in half (optionally available)
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Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the bottom flax seed with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl; put aside to let thicken for a minimum of 5 minutes. Line 2 baking sheets (or re-use the identical one) with parchment paper and put aside.
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Cream the Butter: Add the softened butter and sugar to a big bowl and use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream them collectively till gentle and fluffy, about 2 to three minutes. Scrape down the edges of the bowl, then add the thickened flax egg and vanilla extract. Cream collectively once more till integrated, then scrape down the edges of the bowl another time.
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Dry Substances: Place a positive sieve over the bowl and add within the flour, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Use a spatula to combine the dry components collectively as you sift them over the butter (they don’t have to combine completely).
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Combine: Use a spatula to mix the dry components; the dough will look very shaggy and dry at first, however ought to mix right into a thick and never very sticky dough. Fold just one/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts into the dough. (See the recipe notes if you’re making this dough forward of time)
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Kind the Cookies: Use a 1 1/2 sized tablespoon to scoop out 24 even balls of cookie dough. Use your palms to roll every dough ball right into a clean circle, then place the cookie dough balls evenly on a baking sheet (12 per sheet).
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Make the Thumbprint: Fill a small bowl with water. Use a rounded 1 teaspoon measuring spoon to type a “thumbprint” within the heart of every cookie, urgent the cookie dough down right into a barely bigger circle. I prefer to evenly dip the measuring spoon in water in between every cookie to stop sticking.
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Coat in Hazelnuts (Non-compulsory): Unfold the remaining 1/4 cup of chopped hazelnuts throughout a big plate, so there’s a little area between the items. Fastidiously decide up every cookie and evenly press the highest of the cookie into the hazelnuts so that they follow the outer fringe of the cookie. Return to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining cookies.
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Bake: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, till the underside edges of the cookies have set however usually are not darkened. Place all the cookie sheet on a wire rack; the cookies could have overvalued some within the oven, so use the identical rounded teaspoon to press down on the facilities once more.
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Cool: Let the cookies relaxation on the baking sheet for 10 minutes to agency up. Add about 1 teaspoon of chocolate hazelnut butter to every cookie, then place half of a hazelnut within the heart of the butter.
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Serve & Retailer: Take pleasure in instantly, or let cool fully earlier than transferring to an hermetic container and storing at room temperature for as much as 3 days. I’d advocate solely filling the cookies with hazelnut butter that you just plan to eat instantly, as they are going to stick collectively in case you stack them on prime of one another.
- Hazelnuts: I want to purchase my hazelnuts pre-toasted. If in case you have uncooked hazelnuts, place them on a medium baking sheet and roast in a 350F oven for 10 to 12 minutes till golden. Let the nuts cool to a snug temperature earlier than chopping.
- Gluten-Free: I’ve solely examined this recipe will all-purpose flour, however suppose it ought to work effectively with a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour mix as effectively Butter: If you’re utilizing unsalted butter (or refined coconut oil) add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to the dry components after you sift them into the bowl in step 3.
- Make-Forward: You’ll be able to put together the cookie dough as much as 3 days prematurely earlier than baking. Proceed with the recipe as much as step 4, then cowl the dough tightly with plastic wrap. Retailer within the fridge till you’re prepared to make use of; let the dough sit on the counter for round half-hour to melt earlier than you type the cookies and proceed with the recipe.
Energy: 181kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 3gFats: 13gSaturated Fats: 5gPolyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated Fats: 5gTrans Fats: 0.3gLdl cholesterol: 20mgSodium: 62mgPotassium: 86mgFiber: 1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 237IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg
