There’s something unmistakably comforting about Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies. The edges turn perfectly crisp, the centers stay soft and gooey, and that first bite hits you with a warm chocolate-hazelnut aroma that honestly fixes just about any mood. These cookies have become my reliable answer to everything, last-minute guests, bad days, or whenever I want a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
What makes them even better is how simple they are. No special tools, no odd ingredients, just a bowl, a spoon, and a generous scoop of Nutella. They come together fast, with zero chilling and no fussy steps. And once they bake and your kitchen smells like a European chocolate shop, you’ll swear you pulled off something way more impressive than the effort it took.
*Before You Start: You’ll find more explanation here than a basic recipe. That’s intentional, the aim is to educate, not just instruct.
If You Need a Reason to Bake… Here’s a Few
❃ No waiting around: These go straight from bowl to oven, perfect when you need cookies now
❃ Seven ingredients: Probably already sitting in your pantry right this moment
❃ That perfect texture: Crispy edges that crackle, soft centers that melt
❃ Makes everyone happy: From picky kids to your toughest food-critic friends
❃ Freezer-friendly: Double the batch and stash some for emergency cookie situations
❃ Tastes expensive: The toasted hazelnuts make these feel fancy without any extra effort
Grab These Simple Ingredients and Let’s Build the Flavor
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spoon it in, don’t pack it)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (leave it out for about 45 minutes)
• ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• ½ cup Nutella (or any chocolate-hazelnut spread you love)
• 1 cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
A few notes to will make it easier:
Hazelnuts: Grab a bag of raw whole hazelnuts. While the oven heats, spread them on a baking sheet and toast at 350°F for 8–10 minutes, you’ll smell when they’re ready. Let them cool a bit, then rub them in a kitchen towel to loosen the skins. Don’t stress about getting every speck off. Chop them into chunky, chocolate-chip-sized pieces.
Nutella: Any creamy, non-separating chocolate hazelnut spread works—store brand or fancy, it’s all the same. Just skip the “natural” kinds that separate.
Butter: The butter should be soft enough to press a fingerprint into but still hold its shape. If it melts, chill it for 10 minutes. Melted butter = flat, greasy cookies.
Flour: Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Scooping straight from the bag packs in too much and leads to dry, cakey cookies.
Follow This Flow and Your Cookies Won’t Miss
1 Get everything ready
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Toss those hazelnuts on one of the sheets and let them toast while the oven comes to temperature, about 8-10 minutes. Give the pan a shake halfway through so they brown evenly. When they smell nutty and amazing and the skins start cracking, they’re done. Let them cool for a few minutes, rub off the skins, and chop them up. Doing this first means you’re not standing around waiting later.
2 Mix your dry stuff
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. This takes maybe 30 seconds but makes sure everything’s evenly distributed so you don’t get weird salty or soda-y bites in your cookies. Set it aside.
3 Cream the butter and sugar
Here’s where the magic starts. In a large bowl (or your stand mixer), beat that softened butter and brown sugar together for 2-3 minutes on medium speed. At first, it’ll look like wet sand, but keep going until it’s fluffy, lighter in color, and almost mousse-like. This step incorporates air into your dough, which is what creates those irresistible crispy edges. Rush it, and your cookies will be dense. Take your time here, it’s worth it.
4 Add the good stuff
Beat in your egg until it’s completely mixed in, then add the Nutella. Mix on low speed until everything looks smooth and glossy, about 30 seconds. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl because butter loves to hide down there.
5 Bring it all together
Add your flour mixture to the bowl and mix on low speed just until you don’t see any white streaks anymore, maybe 15-20 seconds. Stop as soon as it comes together. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes tough cookies, and after all this work, you don’t want tough cookies.
6 Fold in the chocolate and hazelnuts
Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula and gently fold in those beautiful toasted hazelnuts and chocolate chips. Mix just until they’re evenly distributed. The dough will be thick and chunky and smell absolutely incredible.
7 Shape and bake
Use a cookie scoop (the 2-tablespoon size is perfect) or roll about 2 tablespoons of dough between your hands into balls. Place them on your prepared baking sheets with about 3 inches between each one, these Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies spread quite a bit as they bake. Pop them in the oven for 11-13 minutes. You’re looking for edges that are set and golden brown, but centers that still look slightly soft and underdone. Trust me on this, they look too soft, but they’re not.
8 The hardest part: waiting
When you pull them out, let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a full 5 minutes. This is crucial. They’re finishing their baking on the hot pan, and this is when they develop that signature crispy edge. Try to move them too soon and they’ll fall apart. After 5 minutes, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely (or eat one warm because you’re only human).
These Small Tweaks Make a Big Difference
❃ Don’t skip toasting those hazelnuts: Raw hazelnuts are honestly kind of boring and slightly bitter. But toasted? They become sweet, rich, and deeply nutty. This one step transforms these from “nice cookies” to “oh my goodness, where did you get these?” cookies. It’s 10 minutes that completely changes everything.
❃ Underbake rather than overbake: When you pull them out, the centers should still look a tiny bit undone. They’re going to keep cooking on that hot pan, and this is what gives you that perfect chewy middle. Overbake them and you’ll have crunchy cookies instead of the crispy-chewy combo we’re after.
❃ Parchment paper is your friend: Sure, you could grease your pans, but parchment creates more even browning and keeps the bottoms from getting too dark. It also makes cleanup about 100 times easier, which matters when you’re making cookies on a weeknight.
❃ Temperature matters more than you think: Cold ingredients don’t mix together properly. Your butter and eggs need to be at room temperature so they can create a smooth, emulsified dough. Cold eggs especially will make your butter seize up into little chunks. Plan ahead, or set your eggs in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes.
❃ Freeze for later happiness: Scoop all the dough into balls, freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then toss them in a freezer bag. When you need fresh cookies (and you will), bake them straight from frozen, just add 2-3 extra minutes to the baking time. It’s like having a bakery in your freezer.
Nutrition (per cookie, makes about 24 cookies)
• Calories: 145
• Carbohydrates: 16g
• Protein: 2g
• Fat: 8g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 10g
• Sodium: 55mg
❃ Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on specific brands and portion sizes.
If Something Confuses You, It’s Probably Right Here
➲ Can you make these with almond butter instead of Nutella?
Honestly? It’s not quite the same cookie anymore. Almond butter doesn’t have the chocolate or sugar that makes Nutella so perfect for baking, so your cookies will be denser and less sweet. If you want to try it, add 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and an extra ¼ cup of brown sugar to compensate. But fair warning, you’ll lose that signature chocolate-hazelnut flavor that makes these cookies so special.
➲ How should you store these?
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The crispy edges will soften a bit after day two, but if you want to bring back that crunch, just warm them in a 300°F oven for 3-4 minutes. For longer storage, freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Let them come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
➲ Why did the cookies spread too much and turn flat?
Three usual suspects: your butter was too soft (or accidentally melted), the dough was warm when it hit the oven, or you packed too much flour into your measuring cups. Make sure your butter is soft but still holds its shape, and if your kitchen is really warm, pop the scooped dough balls in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
➲ Can you double this recipe?
Absolutely! Double everything and you’re good to go. If your mixer is on the smaller side, you might want to make it in two separate batches so you don’t overwork your machine. The dough behaves exactly the same whether you’re making one batch or five.
That’s It. Nothing Left But Warm Cookies Ahead.
These Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies have honestly become one of those recipes that just makes life better. They’re the cookies that bring to book club, that show up at bake sales and sell out first, that make your teenagers actually want to hang out in the kitchen with you. The combination of crispy edges, that soft chewy center, and all that chocolate-hazelnut goodness just works.
And here’s what really gets me: they’re so straightforward. No complicated steps, no obscure ingredients, no waiting around for dough to chill. Just good, honest baking that delivers every single time. That’s the kind of recipe worth keeping.
If you’re loving these Cookies you will also love my:
❃ The Best Gluten Free Vegan Pistachio Cookies (5 Ingredients!)
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❃ Soft & Easy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies (15 Min Prep!)
❃ Cool Whip Cookies: The Easiest Cookie Recipe Ever (Ready in 15 Min!)
Tell me how yours turn out, whether you overloaded the chocolate chips, boosted the hazelnuts, or tried something completely different. Your feedback and rating help other bakers know what’s worth making. And if you want to keep this recipe on your radar, save it on Pinterest so it’s easy to find later.
Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Cookies (Crispy + Chewy!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ cup Nutella or chocolate-hazelnut spread
- 1 cup hazelnuts toasted and roughly chopped
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Toast hazelnuts on one sheet for 8-10 minutes until fragrant. Cool slightly, rub off skins, and chop roughly.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Beat softened butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and beat until combined, then mix in Nutella on low speed until smooth and glossy, about 30 seconds.
- Add flour mixture and mix on low just until no white streaks remain, about 15-20 seconds. Don’t overmix.
- Fold in toasted hazelnuts and chocolate chips with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- Scoop 2-tablespoon portions of dough and place 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 11-13 minutes until edges are golden but centers look slightly underdone. Let cool on pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
