These Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies are incredible. Everyone loves Forrero Rocher right? Āe mārika - yes indeed! Truffles are filled with creamy hazelnut chocolate, covered in a crispy wafer and toasted hazelnut chocolate. They are too tricky to replicate at home but if we turn those flavours in to a pihikete (biscuit), a magical moment occurs.
These are pihikete (cookies) are such a beautiful treat to make for Kirihimete (Christmas), dinner parties or birthday's. They would also be an amazing gift, wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string! Me tunu pihikete tātou (let's bake cookies)!
More cookie recipes:
Are you craving the gooey goodness of a Cookie Pie? Then dive in to that recipe or try these Chocolate Chip Cookies. These Chocolate and White Raspberry Cookies are also a wonderful choice.
Videography and photography by Sarah Henderson.
Ingredient Tips for these Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies:
- Hazelnuts: Use raw hānati (hazelnuts) in the recipe.
- Butter: I always use salted pata (butter) in my baking but unsalted works too.
- Brown sugar: Huka hāura (brown sugar) creates a softer cookie but huka one (caster sugar) can be used if you need to.
- Flour: High grade or plain flour are both fine in this recipe so use what you have.
- Coconut oil: This helps the cookies to set hard once refrigerated but make sure you use a neutral favoured hinu kokonati (coconut oil).
- Nutella: Use whatever pani hānati (hazelnut spread) you enjoy eating.
- Chocolate: I used a tiakarete hānati (hazelnut chocolate) that has whole hazelnuts in it for the crunch factor but use whatever chocolate you like.
Expert Tips:
Make sure to adjust the oven to a higher temperature after the hānati (hazelnuts) are toasted.
If you are using a tāwhirowhiro (food processor) to grind the hazelnuts, do this by pulsing it and checking regularly so they don't turn in to hazelnut butter! 😧
The cookies are only 3 cm wide so make sure to turn the tray half way through the bake to ensure even baking.
When you are piping the filling, only add a quarter of the mixture in to a piping bag at a time so it doesn't melt too fast as you go. Use a 1A piping tip for the piping. It can also be spooned on to each cookie but a piping bag is much simpler.
Once the filling is added on to the cookies, only refrigerate for around 20 minutes. If they are chilled for too long the melted chocolate will set too fast when they are being dipped, resulting in a super thick chocolate shell.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT COOKIES:
Note: The full recipe card with the full list of ingredients, instructions and step by step video are found at the bottom of this page.
1. Preheat the Oven:
Preheat the oven to 120 °C, bake setting or 110 °C fan bake setting.
2. Toast the Hazelnuts:
Add the hānati (hazelnuts) to a tray and roast for 15 minutes until golden. Remove them from the oven.
3. Adjust the Ovent Temperature:
Turn up the heat to 150 °C bake setting or 140 °C fan bake setting.
4. Remove the Hazelnut Skins:
Place the hānati (hazelnuts) in to the centre of a tea towel. Gather them up and rub the tea towel vigorously to remove the skins.
Reserve 35 of the hānati (hazelnuts) and leave them to the side.
5. Make a Hazelnut Crumb:
Add the remaining hānati (hazelnuts) in to a tāwhirowhiro (food processor) or blender and process them just until a fine-ish crumb forms. Leave them to the side.
6. Whip the Butter and Sugar:
Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), huka hāura (brown sugar) and wanira (vanilla) in to a small bowl. Whip on low with a whisk or hand beater for 2 minutes until light in colour.
Add the kongakonga hānati (hazelnut crumbs) and puehu parāoa (flour). Stir until a dough comes together. Kua rite te pokenga (the dough is ready).
7. Cut out the Cookies:
Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of baking paper until it is 0.5 cm thick.
Pull off the top piece of baking paper, cut out rounds with a 3 cm cutter and then remove the excess dough. Roll it out again and cut out more cookies, making sure to total a minimum of 45 cookies just in case some over bake in the oven. Eat the excess dough as a snack (optional but essential)! 👍
8. Chill the Cookies:
Refrigerate the cookies for 30 minutes.
9. Bake the Hazelnut Cookies:
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Turn the tray half way through baking to ensure even baking.
Remove from the oven and add a hānati (that you reserved at the start) on to each pihikete. Leave aside.
10. Make the Chocolate Hazelnut Filling:
Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), hinu kokonati (coconut oil), kōkō (cocoa), puehu huka (icing sugar) and wanira (vanilla) to a medium bowl and whip on high for 3-4 minutes.
Add the pani hānati (nutella) and whip for 30 seconds.
11. Pipe on the Filling:
Add a quarter of the mixture in to a piping bag at a time so it doesn't melt too fast as you go. Pipe the cooled cookies using a 1A piping tip.
You can also spoon on the mixture but the piping bag gives much more control.
12. Chill the Cookies:
Chill the tray of cookies for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Don't chill them too much longer than this because the chocolate will set too fast when you are dipping them.
12. Melt the Chocolate:
Process the tiakarete hānati (hazelnut chocolate) in the tāwhirowhiro (food processor) until crumbly or chop it finely with a knife.
If you are using a chocolate that does not have whole hazelnuts in it, skip this step.
Add the tiakarete hānati kua tapahia (chopped hazelnut chocolate) to a medium sized bowl with the hinu kokonati (coconut oil).
Melt it gently in a heat-proof bowl that is sitting over a pot of barely simmering water (around 3cm deep). Make sure the base of the bowl is not touching the water.
You can also do this in 15 second bursts in the microwave, stir gently after each 15 seconds.
13. Dip the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies:
Line a large tray with baking paper.
Remove the chilled pihikete (cookie) from the fridge.
Use a fork and a spoon. Keep the pihikete (cookie) on the fork the whole time, holding it upright.
Place a pihikete (cookie) on to the fork, dip the base of it in to the tiakarete (chocolate) and scoop it up. Now use the spoon to drizzle the chocolate liberally over the top.
Give the pihikete (biscuit) a good shake and then remove the excess from the bottom of the biscuit with the spoon.
Then place them on baking paper to set on the bench with a little bit of space between each one so they don't stick to each other.
Repeat the process with each one.
14. Decorate the Cookies:
Chop any remaining hānati (hazelnuts) in to a fine crumb and sprinkle them over the chocolate covered cookies.
15. Chill the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies:
When they are set add some rau koura (gold leaf) to each one for a touch of pizazz.
It is simple to do, just add some on your matimati (finger) and press it on top of the cookie.
Set in the fridge for an hour until everything has set and then they are ready to share and enjoy!
Chill the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies:
Keep these pihikete (biscuits) stored in a sealed container in the fridge. I serve them straight from the fridge.
They will keep for a good week if they are stored this way.
If you are travelling these anywhere, place them in the freezer for an hour before hand so everything holds well.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies - Pihikete Hānati Me Te Tiakarete
Ingredients
Hazelnut Biscuits - Pihikete Hānati
- 100 g hānati (hazelnuts, whole and raw)
- 80 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- ⅓ C (65 g) C huka hāura (brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) wanira (vanilla)
- ¼ teaspoon tote (salt, fine)
- ⅔ C (100 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
Chocolate Hazelnut Cream - Te Kirīmi Tiakarete Hānati
- 90 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
- ⅓ C (75 g) hinu kokonati (coconut oil, make sure it is soft but not runny)
- 3 tablespoon (20 g) kōkō (cocoa)
- 2 tablespoon (20 g) puehu huka (icing sugar)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) wanira (vanilla)
- 1 ¼ C (350 g) pani hānati (nutella)
The Hazelnut Chocolate - The Tiakarete Hānati
- 220 g tiakarete hānati (hazelnut chocolate). Choose what chocolate you like.
- 1 tablespoon (15 g) hinu kokonati (coconut oil)
- Rau kōura (gold leaf, optional)
Instructions
Preheat the Oven:
- Preheat the oven to 120 °C, bake setting or 110 °C fan bake setting.
Toast the Hazelnuts:
- Add the hānati (hazelnuts) to a tray and roast for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven.
Adjust the Ovent Temperature:
- Turn up the heat to 150 °C bake setting or 140 °C fan bake setting.
Remove the Hazelnut Skins:
- Place the hānati (hazelnuts) in to the centre of a tea towel. Gather them up and rub the tea towel vigorously to remove the skins.
- Reserve 35 of the hānati (hazelnuts) and leave them to the side.
Make a Hazelnut Crumb:
- Add the remaining hānati (hazelnuts) in to a tāwhirowhiro (food processor) or blender and process them just until a fine-ish crumb forms. Leave them to the side.
Whip the Butter and Sugar:
- Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), huka hāura (brown sugar) and wanira (vanilla) in to a small bowl. Whisk for a couple of minutes or until light in colour.
- Add the kongakonga hānati (hazelnut crumbs) and puehu parāoa (flour). Stir until a dough comes together. Kua rite te pokenga - the dough is ready.
Cut out the Cookies:
- Roll out the dough between 2 pieces of baking paper until it is 0.5 cm thick.
- Pull off the top piece of baking paper, cut out rounds with a 3 cm cutter and remove the excess dough. Roll it out again and cut out more cookies, making sure to total a minimum of 45 cookies just in case some over bake in the oven.
- Eat the excess dough as a snack (optional but essential)! 👍
Chill the Cookies:
- Refrigerate the cookies on the trays for 30 minutes.
Bake the Hazelnut Cookies:
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes.Turn the tray half way through baking to ensure even baking.
- Remove from the oven and add a hānati (that you reserved at the start) on to each pihikete. Leave aside to cool.
Make the Chocolate Hazelnut Filling:
- Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), hinu kokonati (coconut oil), kōkō (cocoa), puehu huka (icing sugar) and wanira (vanilla) to a medium bowl and whip on high for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the pani hānati (nutella) and whip for 30 seconds.
Pipe on the Filling:
- Add a quarter of the mixture in to a piping bag at a time so it doesn't melt too fast as you go. Pipe the cooled cookies using a 1A piping tip.
- You can also spoon on the mixture but the piping bag gives much more control.
Chill the Cookies:
- Chill the tray of cookies for 20 minutes in the refrigerator. Don't chill them too much longer than this because the chocolate will set too fast when you are dipping them.
Melt the Chocolate:
- Process the tiakarete hānati (hazelnut chocolate) in the tāwhirowhiro (food processor) until crumbly or chop it finely with a knife.If you are using a chocolate that does not have whole hazelnuts in it, skip this step.
- Add the tiakarete hānati (hazelnut chocolate) to a medium sized bowl with the hinu kokonati (coconut oil).
- Melt it gently in a heat-proof bowl that is sitting over a pot of barely simmering water (around 3cm deep). Make sure the base of the bowl is not touching the water.You can also do this in 15 second bursts in the microwave, stir gently after each 15 seconds.
Dip the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies:
- Line a large tray with baking paper.
- Remove the chilled pihikete (cookie) from the fridge.
- Use a fork and a spoon. Keep the pihikete (cookie) on the fork the whole time, holding it upright.
- Place a pihikete (cookie) on to the fork, dip the base of it in to the tiakarete (chocolate) and scoop it up. Now use the spoon to drizzle the chocolate liberally over the top.
- Give the pihikete (biscuit) a good shake and then remove the excess from the bottom of the biscuit with the spoon.
- Then place them on baking paper to set on the bench with a little bit of space between each one so they don't stick to each other. Repeat the process with each one.
Decorate the Cookies:
- Chop any remaining hānati (hazelnuts) in to a fine crumb and sprinkle them over the chocolate covered cookies.
Chill the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies:
- Set in the fridge for an hour.
- When they are set add some rau koura (gold leaf) to each one for a touch of pizazz. It is simple to do, just add some on your matimati (finger) and press it on top of the cookie.
Chill the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies:
- Keep these pihikete (biscuits) stored in a sealed container in the fridge. I serve them straight from the fridge. They will keep for a good week if they are stored this way.
- If you are travelling these anywhere, place them in the freezer for an hour before hand.
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