These Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies are easy, healthy, 3-ingredient cookies made from roasted hazelnuts. They are chewy and taste like Nutella spread, but made with natural ingredients, no eggs, no dairy, no gluten.

While the whole recipe is just below, don’t miss all my tips further down, including ingredient swaps, my cooking tips, and step-by-step shots!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 12

Total Time: 22

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 9 cookies

Calories: 144.7 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

▢ 1 cup Roasted Hazelnuts - Unsalted (note 1)
▢ ⅓ cup Maple Syrup - (note 2)
▢ 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Optional

▢ 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract - (note 3)
▢ 3 tablespoons Chocolate Chips
▢ 1 pinch Sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the hazelnuts on it.
Roast on the medium rack for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and cool down completely – it takes about 20 minutes.
Rub the hazelnuts between your hands to peel off the skin. You want all or most of the hazelnut skins to be removed.
Add the hazelnuts to a high-speed blender, and blend them for 20 seconds, stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and repeat 2-3 times until it forms hazelnut flour. Don't blend for too long in one go, or it turns the nuts into hazelnut butter. It's okay if you have a few larger pieces of nuts, but not too many, as the batter wouldn't stick together and would remain loose.
Pour the ground hazelnuts into a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients: maple syrup and unsweetened cocoa powder.
Stir with a silicone spatula until it forms a sticky batter – it will look quite runny.
Fold in salt and chocolate chips if used. Stir to evenly incorporate.
Drop 9 dollops of batter on a large baking sheet, lined with lightly oiled parchment paper. Leave an inch of space between each. They won't expand much in the oven.
Bake the cookies for 14 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until the top is dry. They will be soft to the touch, that's normal. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool down on the baking sheet at room temperature. Do not touch them for at least 20 minutes.
The cookies firm up and become chewy after they cool down on the baking sheet.

Notes

Note 1: You can use unroasted hazelnuts as well but the cookies are way better with roasted hazelnuts. I don’t recommend using salted hazelnuts as the cookies would be way too salty.

Note 2: Other liquid sweeteners like agave syrup or coconut nectar also work.

Note 3: Or 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract for a different flavor. Or skip for plain hazelnut cookies.

Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the fridge or freeze them for later.

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Nutrition

Ingredients and Substitutions

This paragraph gives you all my tips about picking the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post!Go to Full Recipe

You need only 3 ingredients to make these cookies (and a couple of optional ones you can add). Here’s how to pick them!

Ingredients for Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Roasted Hazelnuts – These form the base of the cookies, bringing a nutty flavor and texture. You can also use pre-ground hazelnut flour if that’s easier to find.
Maple Syrup – This acts as a natural sweetener and helps bind the ingredients together. Agave syrup or coconut nectar also work well.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – This brings a rich chocolate flavor to the cookies. You can also use cacao powder.
Vanilla Extract – This optional ingredient enhances the overall flavor profile. Almond extract also works for a different taste.
Chocolate Chips – These add extra chocolatey chunks, if you want to.

How to Make Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

These cookies are really simple to whip up. Here’s how in a few pictures.

Roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roll them to remove their skin.

Place the hazelnuts in a high-speed blender.

Blend the nuts on high speed until it makes a meal – if you get hazelnut butter, you blended too much!

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie ingredients in a bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients, including any of the optional ones.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie batter in a mixing bowl.

Stir the batter until it makes a smooth dough and place 9 dollops on a baking sheet.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies ready to bake on a baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 14 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).

Carine’s Baking Tips

Let me share a few more tips for perfect cookies.

Use Ground Hazelnuts – For a quicker preparation, use 1 cup of ready-made ground hazelnuts instead of whole ones.
Enhance the Flavor – Feel free to add chocolate chips, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to the batter for extra flavor dimensions.
Expect Runny Batter – The cookie batter will appear quite liquid; this is normal. Bake small dollops and avoid touching them after baking.
Cool for Chewy Texture – Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet at room temperature. This cooling time is crucial for them to firm up and develop a chewy texture.