If you love the deep, roasty aroma of espresso powder and the buttery crunch of toasted hazelnuts, this Hazelnut Espresso Cookies Recipe is your new house specialty. These cookies bake up with delicate, crackly tops, golden edges, and a center that stays just chewy enough to keep you coming back for another bite. Think cozy coffeehouse vibes—without leaving your kitchen.

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Why You’ll Love These Hazelnut Espresso Cookies Recipe

Bold café flavor: Espresso powder brings roasty depth that pairs naturally with hazelnuts and dark chocolate.
Texture perfection: crisp edges, a faintly wrinkled surface, and a tender-chewy middle.
Mix-and-match versatility: go shortbread-style, make thumbprints, or upgrade with a glossy chocolate drizzle.
Make-ahead friendly: dough balls freeze beautifully; bake from frozen whenever a cookie craving strikes.
Giftable & gorgeous: a few chopped hazelnuts on top and a ribbon of chocolate make these look bakery-made.

What Exactly Are Hazelnut Espresso Cookies?

At their core, these are butter-based cookies infused with instant espresso powder and studded with toasted hazelnuts. While some bakers make a no-egg, crumbly shortbread, I’m giving you a classic drop-cookie formula that leans slightly chewy. The nut oils add aroma and richness; the coffee boosts complexity and makes chocolate taste chocolatier (a phenomenon pros rely on when pairing cocoa and coffee).

Flavor profile, at a glance:

Primary: roasty coffee, toasted-nut warmth
Secondary: butter, vanilla, a whisper of caramel from brown sugar
Optional accents: dark chocolate drizzle or chunks, flaky sea salt, or a pinch of cinnamon

Ingredients for Hazelnut Espresso Cookies Recipe

All-Purpose Flour (AP): Choose a moderate-protein AP flour for balanced structure. Too much flour = cakey cookies; too little = overspread.
Unsalted Butter: Room-temperature butter creams best. For extra depth, use browned butter—just cool it to lukewarm (about 32–35°C / 90–95°F) before creaming so you don’t melt the sugars.
Brown Sugar & White Sugar: A 60/40 split leans chewy while keeping edges crisp. Brown sugar adds moisture and a toffee note.
Instant Espresso Powder: This is not the same as ground espresso beans. Espresso powder dissolves cleanly and delivers concentrated coffee flavor without grit.
Egg + Yolk: The whole egg adds structure; an extra yolk boosts tenderness and enhances chew.
Vanilla Extract: Rounds out the coffee and nut flavors.
Baking Soda + Fine Sea Salt: Baking soda balances acidity and aids spread; salt sharpens flavors.
Toasted Hazelnuts, chopped: Toasting unlocks aroma. Keep pieces varied—some fine for distribution, some larger for crunch.
Optional Chocolate: Dark chocolate chips or chunks, or a dark-chocolate espresso drizzle.
Finishes: Flaky sea salt and extra chopped hazelnuts for the tops.

Hazelnut espresso cookies recipe—dark-chocolate drizzle on rack

How to Toast & Skin Hazelnuts (No-Stress Method)

Preheat the oven to 165–175°C (330–350°F).
Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a dry sheet pan.
Toast 10–14 minutes, shaking once midway. They’re ready when the skins split and the nuts smell fragrant.
Wrap & Rub: Transfer hot nuts to a clean kitchen towel; wrap and rub to loosen skins. Don’t obsess—some skins can remain for rustic character.
Cool completely: Warm nuts smear when chopped. Cool, then chop: half fine, half coarse for best texture.

Tools That Make These Cookies Easy

Digital scale, measuring spoons
Stand mixer or hand mixer
Two sheet pans, parchment or silicone mats
(about 2 Tbsp) cookie scoop
Wire rack
Small heatproof bowl + spoon (for chocolate drizzle)

The Hazelnut Espresso Cookies Recipe (Step-by-Step)

Ingredients

220 g unsalted butter, room temp (or brown it, then cool to 90–95°F)
150 g light brown sugar
100 g granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temp
2–3 tsp instant espresso powder (3 tsp for bold flavor)
2 tsp vanilla extract
300 g all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp fine sea salt
150 g toasted hazelnuts, chopped (reserve 2–3 Tbsp for topping)
Optional: 100–130 g dark chocolate chips/chunks or drizzle (see below)
Optional finish: flaky sea salt

Optional Dark-Chocolate Espresso Drizzle

120 g dark chocolate, chopped
½ tsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp neutral oil (for shine), optional

Method

Prep the hazelnuts: Toast, skin, cool, and chop. Reserve a small bowl of neat, medium pieces for topping.
Butter & espresso: If using browned butter, cool to just warm. If using regular butter, ensure it’s soft. Bloom the espresso powder by stirring it into the butter or whisking it with 1 tsp hot water into a paste; set aside.
Cream: In a mixer bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high until light and ribbony, 2–3 minutes.
Eggs & vanilla: Beat in egg, then yolk, then vanilla. Scrape the bowl.
Dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the mixer on low, mixing just until the flour disappears.
Hazelnuts & chocolate: Fold in chopped hazelnuts and chocolate (if using) with a spatula.
Chill (optional but recommended): Cover and refrigerate 20–60 minutes. Chilling curbs spread and sharpens flavor.
Scoop & top: Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line pans. Scoop dough into 2-Tbsp mounds. Press a few hazelnut bits (and a chip or two) on top of each ball.
Bake: 10–12 minutes for a chewy center (edges just golden), or 12–14 minutes for crisper edges. Rotate tray at 7 minutes for even color.
Wrinkle & cool: Rap the tray once on the rack for gentle wrinkles. Cool 2–3 minutes on the pan, then move cookies to a wire rack.
Drizzle (optional): Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water (or in short, low-power microwave bursts). Stir in espresso powder (and oil, if using). Drizzle in zigzags.
Finish: A pinch of flaky sea salt makes flavors pop. Let set before stacking.

Flavor Variations & Mix-Ins

Shortbread-Style: Skip egg and yolk; add 1–2 Tbsp milk as needed to bring dough together. Chill, then slice-and-bake ½-inch rounds.
Nutella Thumbprints: Portion smaller (1½ Tbsp). After baking, press a teaspoon into the center and fill with warm Nutella; sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.
Sandwich Cookies: Bake smaller rounds; spread with espresso-ganache or vanilla-mascarpone filling, then roll edges in finely chopped hazelnuts.
Chocolate-Forward: Swap 20–25 g flour for Dutch-process cocoa; add ½ tsp espresso powder to the dough for a mocha profile.
Cinnamon Hazelnut Latte: Add ¼ tsp cinnamon and a whisper of cardamom to the dry ingredients.

Make-Ahead, Storage & Freezing

Chilled Dough: Keep covered in the fridge up to 48 hours.
Frozen Dough Balls: Portion, then freeze on a tray. Transfer to a bag up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes.
Baked Cookies: Store airtight at room temp for 3–4 days. To re-crisp, warm on a tray at 150°C (300°F) for 3–4 minutes.

Serving & Pairing Ideas

Coffee Pairings: cappuccino, flat white, cold brew, or a shot of espresso on the side
Dessert Pairings: tuck a warm cookie beside an affogato or crumble over vanilla bean ice cream
Crowd Pleaser: a platter with mixed sizes—standard rounds and a few minis—plus a small bowl of extra chopped hazelnuts

Troubleshooting: Quick Fixes

Overspreading: Chill dough longer; ensure butter isn’t warm or greasy; check oven temp with a thermometer; use parchment or silicone mats (not greased pans).
Too Cakey / Dry: You likely added too much flour—use a scale. Next time, reduce flour by 10–15 g or add 1 tsp milk to loosen the dough.
Bitter Coffee Edge: Dial back espresso powder by ½–1 tsp, or increase brown sugar slightly. Blooming espresso in warm butter can smooth harsh notes.
Nut Oils Leaking: Nuts were warm when chopped or dough was too warm. Fully cool nuts; chill dough 20–30 minutes.
Flat Flavor: Toast nuts 1–2 minutes longer next time; don’t skip salt; add a touch more vanilla or a pinch of cinnamon.

FAQs (People Also Ask-Style)

Can I use instant coffee instead of espresso powder?
Yes, but the flavor is milder. Increase the amount by about 25–50% and bloom it for a better aroma.

Do I have to remove hazelnut skins?
Not completely. Skins can add a slight bitter edge; rubbing off most of them creates a cleaner nut flavor, but a few flecks are perfectly fine.

How do I keep cookies from spreading too much?
Chill the dough, use cool sheet pans, and verify your oven is truly at 175°C (350°F). Warm butter and hot pans equal thin cookies.

Can I add chocolate?
Absolutely. Fold in dark chocolate chips or chunks, or finish with a dark-chocolate espresso drizzle once the cookies cool.

What if I only have brewed espresso?
Reduce it gently to a syrup, cool completely, and add sparingly so you don’t loosen the dough.