Craving for super delicious cookies that are easy and quick to prepare but most importantly without butter?
Try these delightful and fragrant hazelnut cookies, perfect for an energetic breakfast, a snack, or as a dessert to munch on at the end of a meal.
The recipe I’m proposing today is an easy version, quick and accessible to everyone, ideal even for those who are not very familiar in the kitchen!
The oil-based shortcrust indeed doesn’t require complicated steps, just a quick preparation that can even be done in a bowl without even taking out the pastry board!
The beauty of the butterless shortcrust is that the dough, once formed, doesn’t need to rest in the fridge so you can immediately shape the cookies and proceed with baking!
I chose to fill my cookies with a delicious hazelnut cream, but you can also leave them unfilled, or choose jams and preserves of various flavors.
They are beautifully presentable and also perfect for gifting, for example during the Christmas holidays, given their typical star shape!
If you love homemade cookies, take a look at this Collection of Unmissable Christmas Cookies!
👉 I advise you to read the article to the end: you’ll find many useful answers, storage tips, the tastiest variations, and the perfect wine to pair with them 🍪✨
But first, let yourself be pampered by these other delicious proposals!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 egg (medium whole)
- 90 g Sugar (granulated or powdered)
- 90 g vegetable oil (or olive oil as long as it's light)
- 110 g Hazelnut flour
- 160 g All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- Ground cinnamon
- Hazelnut spread (for filling; lactose-free for intolerants)
Tools
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Pastry board
- Cookie cutters
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
Preparation
Take a large bowl, break the whole egg, add the sugar, and immediately beat vigorously with a fork or kitchen whisk.
Then add the oil, a bit of ground cinnamon, and beat again with a fork to mix the ingredients well.
Now incorporate, a little at a time, the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and hazelnut flour (those who want can buy already shelled hazelnuts and blend them to the point of obtaining a flour).
Mix with the help of a fork until the liquid ingredients are completely absorbed. Pour the mixture onto a pastry board and work it for a few minutes until you obtain a homogeneous dough.
You might need to add a bit of flour to better work the dough on the pastry board, adjust as you go based on the consistency.
Create your cookies using the cutters you prefer, without needing to let the dough rest.
You should obtain a pair of cookies, apply a hole in the center of one of the two with a straw or a smaller cutter, so that you can overlap them after filling.
Place the cookies on parchment paper and bake for about 15 minutes at 320°F in static mode (the cooking time varies depending on the oven used, as soon as they start to color, take them out).
Once ready, let them cool and then fill with the hazelnut cream.
And voilà, your butterless hazelnut cookies are ready to be enjoyed! They are a real temptation!
If you liked these cookies, leave a comment below, let me know how you customized them and…
come back to the blog soon to discover new recipes! 💛🍪✨Article protected by copyright © – Gabriella Geroni © All Rights Reserved
Notes
Storage and useful tips:
Store them in an airtight container for 7–10 days.
For crumblier cookies, use part powdered sugar.
For an even more intense flavor, lightly toast the hazelnuts before grinding.
For crumblier cookies, use part powdered sugar.
For an even more intense flavor, lightly toast the hazelnuts before grinding.
The hazelnuts do not replace the flour, but are used in addition to make tastier cookies.
This intensifies the aroma and makes the shortcrust more crumbly and buttery. You can’t make it 100% hazelnut flour because it wouldn’t bind.
Can I replace sugar with erythritol?
The taste remains good, but the cookies will be less golden and drier since erythritol doesn’t caramelize.
Can I freeze the raw dough already portioned?
Yes, you can prepare these cookies in advance, cut them with the molds, and freeze them raw.
When you want to bake them, put them in the oven still frozen and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes longer.Can I use only chopped hazelnuts without flour?
Better not, they would crumble. You can grind the hazelnuts in the mixer to obtain a flour, and if you really can’t use it for other reasons, replace it with all-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour mix.
Can I bake them in an air fryer?
Yes! If you prefer a quicker bake or want to avoid turning on the oven, hazelnut cookies can also be made excellently in an air fryer.
Temperature: 320°F
Time: 8–10 minutes approximately
Place the cookies in the basket on parchment paper, leaving a little space between them (they grow a little, but should not touch).
Always do a first test bake with 2–3 cookies, as each air fryer heats slightly differently.
When the edges start to lightly brown, you can already remove them. Inside they will continue to firm up as they cool.Can lactose intolerant people eat these cookies?
Of course, the shortcrust is butter-free and hence naturally lactose-free. As for the hazelnut cream I used to fill them, you can find vegan lactose-free versions on the market, or you can choose to use other types of creams or jams/preserves. So you can enjoy them without worries.
