Soft, creamy, crunchy Ferrero Rocher-inspired chocolate hazelnut cookies are as deliciously decadent as they are easy to make!
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I'll be honest with you: there are very few things that I miss since going vegan 20+ years ago. I've found vegan meat and cheese substitutes that I love, I have an overflowing stash of vegan gummy candy. But one candy that I do miss is Ferrero Rocher.
If you're not familiar with this candy that comes in a gold wrapper, it's a ball of rich, chocolate-hazelnut fudge dipped in a chocolate shell with crunchy hazelnuts all over the outside.
These chocolate hazelnut cookies satisfy that craving for crunchy, creamy, hazelnut-and-chocolate without having to make candy from scratch. If you love Fererro Rocher or Nutella, you have GOT to make these cookies!!
Chocolate chip hazelnut cookies with creamy chocolate drizzle and crunchy hazelnuts both inside and out give you the flavors and textures of Ferrero Rocher in cookie form. And it has three kinds of chocolate: chocolate cookie dough, chocolate chips, and a chocolate drizzle on top.
And they are MUCH easier to make than you think!
PS: If you love double chocolate goodness, definitely check out my double chocolate muffins! They are also super easy and packed with maximum chocolate goodness!
💖 Why You'll Love this Recipe
- double chocolate chip cookies with crunchy hazelnuts
- creamy chocolate and hazelnut topping
- easy to make with simple ingredients
- naturally soy-free, easy to make gluten-free
✓ Ingredients and Substitutions
- flour - You can use 1:1 gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour, if needed.
- cocoa powder - Makes the cookie dough chocolatey.
- baking powder, baking soda, and salt - To condition the dough.
- sugars - A mix of brown and white sugars gives these cookies the perfect sweetness and texture.
- oil - Use sunflower oil or other neutral oil or the same amount of melted vegan butter.
- vanilla extract - For flavor in the dough.
- flax egg - Adding flax meal and water to the wet ingredients makes a flax egg, which acts as a binder.
- chocolate chips and hazelnuts - We are putting chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts into the cookie dough and drizzling on melted chocolate and sprinkling more chopped hazelnuts on top of each cookie! You can skip the drizzle/sprinkle, if you don't want to do the extra work, but it really does put these cookies over the top!
🔪 How to Make Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
Preheat the oven to 375° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well. In a smaller bowl, mix wet ingredients, until the sugars dissolve.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and mix well. Fold in ¼ cup of the chocolate chips and ¼ cup of the chopped hazelnuts. You should have a cohesive dough that you can form into balls at this point.
Form the dough into 12 1" balls and arrange them on a lined baking sheet, leaving about 2" of space between the cookies. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes before moving them off of the baking sheet.
While the cookies cool, add the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips to a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate chips mix up smooth and creamy. You can melt in a double boiler, if you prefer.
Drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cookies, then sprinkle lightly with the remaining ¼ cup of chopped hazelnuts. The chocolate drizzle will help the hazelnuts stick. Stick the cookies into the freezer to cool for 15 minutes, and once the chocolate drizzle hardens, your chocolate hazelnut cookies are ready to eat!
💡 Helpful Tips
- You want a dough that you can form into balls, and it shouldn't be too sticky. Different brands of flour can act differently, so add more flour by the teaspoon, if the dough is too thin or sticking all over your hands. Or, thin it out with water by the teaspoon, if it's crumbly or too thick to work with.
- Sometimes not all of the chocolate chips and hazelnuts will want to stay in the dough. If you have leftover nuts and/or chocolate chips in the bowl, stick them on top of any cookies that look like they could use some extra!
🫙 Storage Directions
Chocolate hazelnut cookies will keep for two to three days in a closed container on the kitchen counter or up to a week in the fridge.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
You can use store-bought egg replacer and follow the package directions to replace 1 egg. For these vegan chocolate chip cookies, though, we are using flax meal and water as the egg replacer. It works perfectly!
Some can, but these taste absolutely incredible!
📖 Recipe
Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ⅓ cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup sunflower oil or other light oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon flax meal
To Add Later
- ¾ cup vegan chocolate chips divided. Use soy-free, if needed.
- ½ cup chopped roasted hazelnuts divided
Instructions
Make the chocolate hazelnut cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 375° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well. In a smaller bowl, mix wet ingredients, until the sugars dissolve. Pour the wet mixture into the dry, and mix well. Fold in ¼ cup of the chocolate chips and ¼ cup of the chopped hazelnuts. You should have a cohesive dough that you can form into balls at this point.
- Form the dough into 12 1" balls and arrange them on a lined baking sheet, leaving about 2" of space between the cookies. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, then cool for 5 minutes before moving them off of the baking sheet.
Prepare the topping.
- While the cookies cool add the remaining ½ cup chocolate chips to a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, until the chocolate chips mix up smooth and creamy. You can melt in a double boiler, if you prefer.
- Drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cookies, then sprinkle lightly with the remaining ¼ cup of chopped hazelnuts. The chocolate drizzle will help the hazelnuts stick. Stick the cookies into the freezer to cool for 15 minutes, and once the chocolate drizzle hardens, your chocolate hazelnut cookies are ready to eat!
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