These Chewy Chocolate Hazelnut flour cookies feature a fluffy french meringue folded into a base of high quality cocoa, almond flour, hazelnut flour, and powdered sugar for a deliciously chewy and chocolatey sweet treat that is gluten free and dairy free.
These simple gluten free nutella cookies are made using almond flour and hazelnut flour for a distinctly warm and nutty taste. Those nut flours combined with a bit of high quality cocoa powder and french meringue give them their distinctive chewy texture that is as unique as it is delicious. While there is no actual nutella in them, they represent the chocolate and hazelnut flavors beautifully.
How are there cookies different that macarons?
You may see some of the ingredients-- french meringue, powdered sugar, almond flour, and think macarons. And you would be right! I actually set out to make hazelnut macaron shells when I first started this recipe. I realized that these Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue cookies would not work as macaron shells because the fat content in the cocoa powder was too high to produce a macaron shell (macaron shells are finicky). Along with that, the hazelnut flour is not finely milled enough (like almond flour is) to be able to create a macaron shell.
All was not lost though. These cookie ingredients combined produce an absolutely delicious, flourless chocolate hazelnut cookie that is thin and chewy with a subtle and multilayered flavor! They remind me of the flavors of nutella.
If you are looking for a macaron recipe, these smores macarons are unique and delicious.
Ingredients for Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
- egg whites
- almond flour
- hazelnut flour
- powdered sugar
- regular sugar
- cocoa powder
How to Make Gluten Free Hazelnut Cookies
In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients (almond flour, hazelnut flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites at medium speed. When the egg whites begin to look frothy, slowly add in the regular white sugar. Increase the speed to medium high and continue beating until a meringue has formed. The meringue should have stiff peaks and appear glossy.
Fold the meringue into the dry ingredients until well combined. The batter will take some time to incorporate and may feel dry at first. The batter should eventually fall like lava from your spatula (similar to a macaron batter). If it isn't getting there, feel free to add a bit of unwhipped egg whites, a little bit at a time.
Place finished cookie batter into a pastry bag with a large piping tip at the end. Pipe cookies on to a silicone baking mat or wax paper. They will spread out a bit, so make them slightly smaller than you want them to end up.
Bake at 300 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Top tip
Because these gluten free meringue cookies have no butter or shortening in them, these cookies have a tendency to stick to the pan if you don't use some sort of liner. I suggest either a layer of wax paper to cover your baking sheet or a silicone baking mat. Allow the cookies to cool completely and then peel back from the paper or mat to remove.
Where can you find hazelnut flour
Hazelnut flour isn't as readily available as standard all purpose flour or almond flour, however a well stocked grocery store should carry it. The brand I used was Bob's Red Mill Hazelnut Flour and it was great quality. Trader Joe's also stocks hazelnut flour.
How to Make Hazelnut Flour
Like most nut flours, hazelnut flour is made by grinding up raw hazelnuts into a fine powder. This can be done using a food processor. Pulse until the hazelnuts are finely milled and then use a mesh sieve to sift the ground hazelnuts and pull out any large nut pieces.
Hazelnut Flour vs. Hazelnut Meal
What's the difference between hazelnut flour and hazelnut meal? Just the fineness of the grind. Hazelnut flour is more finely ground than hazelnut meal. In this cookie recipe, either would work. I prefer the finer grind of the hazelnut flour for a smoother cookie but making them as hazelnut meal cookies would be great too.
Storage for Cookies
These hazelnut flour cookies are best fresh, but will last a few days in an airtight container kept at room temperature.
Chewy Chocolate and Hazelnut Flour Cookies
These gluten free chewy chocolate hazelnut flour cookies are a delicious treat with almond and hazelnut flours and a bit of cocoa.
Ingredients
- 50 g hazelnut flour (½ cup)
- 100 g almond flour (1 cup less 2 tbsp.)
- 150g powdered sugar (1 ½ cups)
- 50 g white sugar (¼ cup)
- 20 g cocoa powder (3 tbsp.)
- 100 g egg whites (3 large egg whites)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients (almond flour, hazelnut flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites at medium speed. When the egg whites begin to look frothy, slowly add in the regular white sugar. Increase the speed to medium high and continue beating until a meringue has formed. The meringue should have stiff peaks and appear glossy.
- Fold the meringue into the dry ingredients until well combined. The batter will take some time to incorporate and may feel dry at first. The batter should eventually fall like lava from your spatula (similar to a macaron batter). If it isn't getting there, feel free to add in a bit of unwhipped egg whites, a little bit at a time.
- Place finished cookie batter into a pastry bag with a large piping tip at the end. Pipe cookies on to a silicone baking mat or wax paper. They will spread out, so make them slightly smaller than you want them to end up.
- Bake at 300 for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
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