Like a baci di dama, there’s nothing quite like a hazelnut shortbread cookie — except for maybe two of them sandwiched between a ring of the creamiest coffee mascarpone cream. And if that’s not enough to convince you, there’s also a heaping spoonful of chocolate hazelnut cream in the center that takes it to the next level. With every bite, these flavors meld into a wonderful balance between sweetness, richness, and nuttiness.
Ingredients You’ll Need & Why It Works:
Hazelnut Shortbread —
Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter plays several roles in these hazelnut shortbread cookies. For one, the fat lipids found in butter help to reduce the elongation of gluten strands by interfering with gluten formation. As a result, the butter’s high fat and low moisture content contribute to these cookies’ flaky and crumbly texture. Additionally, butter imparts tenderness and improves the flavor of these cookies.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar typically contains around 3% cornstarch or tapioca starch. The conventional variety has cornstarch, while the organic variety has tapioca. These starches are added to absorb moisture and prevent clumping in the powdered sugar. Thanks to the thickening abilities of cornstarch and tapioca, their inclusion in the shortbread dough not only sweetens but also gives these cookies a thicker consistency.
Vanilla Extract: One advantage of using vanilla extract is its consistency in flavor and higher quality, ensuring consistent results each time. Additionally, vanilla extract helps to balance and enhance the other flavor nuances in these cookies.
All Purpose Flour: The protein content in all-purpose flour is ideal for providing adequate structure in these hazelnut shortbread cookies. It not only helps to absorb liquids in the shortbread dough but also aids in binding all of the other ingredients together. Precise flour measurement is especially important as it provides these cookies with structural integrity.
Table Salt: Incorporating a hint of salt into your shortbread dough can effectively counterbalance the sweetness and accentuate the inherent flavors of the other ingredients.
Roasted Piemonte Hazelnuts: These are the finest hazelnuts in the market. Grown in Piemonte, Italy, they have a robust, earthy flavor and subtle sweetness. Once toasted, they impart an intense flavor and are very aromatic. For this reason, using these hazelnuts in this cookie recipe enhanced the flavor profile, resulting in delicious and aromatic cookies. They can be pricey, so opting for a more affordable variety of hazelnuts is always an option.
Coffee Mascarpone Cream —
Mascarpone: Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese that is smoother in texture and has a milder taste. For this reason, it complements well with bold flavors, such as coffee. When sourcing for a mascarpone, opt for a thick and creamy variety with brands such as Galbani and BelGioioso, which are ideal for whipping into a thick cream.
Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy cream’s high-fat content makes it excellent for whipping and aerating into a luxuriously thick cream that adds extra creaminess and volume to the mascarpone cream.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is used to add sweetness and help thicken the cream.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract helps to balance and enhance the other flavor nuances in this mascarpone cream.
Espresso Powder: Espresso powder is essentially finely ground espresso beans that have undergone a drying and brewing process. Adding one teaspoon of espresso powder to this mascarpone cream imparts a delightful coffee flavor.
Table Salt: Salt can improve the taste of this coffee mascarpone cream by bringing balance to its sweetness and other flavor components. I decided to test the effectiveness of salt by whipping up two test batches. I didn’t add salt to the first batch, which yielded a cream that tasted overly cloying and one-dimensional. However, the second batch, in which I added salt, tasted noticeably better. The espresso flavors were more prominent and bold, and the cream was much more enjoyable overall.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cream —
Chocolate Hazelnut Cream: Feel free to use your favorite chocolate hazelnut cream. My personal favorite is from Marco Colanzi. This chocolate hazelnut cream is made with Piemonte hazelnuts; every bite is pure heaven.
Tips for Making Chocolate Piemonte Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies:
Chilling Dough — Be sure to chill the shortbread dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour prior to rolling and cutting. This will make the process easier, allowing you to stamp out cookies with a more pronounced imprint of the cookie’s design.
Cookie Stamp Issues — Should you encounter difficulties when imprinting the snoopy design, dip the stamper into a small bowl of flour and shake off any excess. This method effectively prevents the cookie dough from adhering to the stamp upon lifting. Additionally, using a small offset spatula will make it easier to transfer the cookie cutouts onto a baking tray.
Freeze Cookies Cutouts — Once you’ve stamped and cut out all your cookies, pop them into the freezer for 20 minutes. This step is key to preserving the cookie’s design while baking, so make sure not to skip it.
Cooling Cookies — Allow cookies to cool completely before beginning the assembling process. This is necessary as it prevents the coffee mascarpone and chocolate hazelnut cream from melting and oozing out of the cookies.
Freeze Cookies — To ensure the cookie fillings are set, freeze the cookie sandwiches for 30 minutes after assembly.
Step-By-Step Instructions — Assembling Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies:
1. Arrange the cookies in sets of two, placing them side by side. Turn the cookies over; the right cookie will be the bottom cookies (photo 1).
2. Pipe a ring of coffee mascarpone cream onto the bottom cookies. This will act as the outer barrier for the chocolate hazelnut cream centers (photo 2).
3. Take half a heaping tablespoon of chocolate hazelnut cream and fill the centers (photo 3).
4. Sandwich on the top cookie and press lightly. Repeat the process with the rest of the cookies until all are filled and topped. Place the cookies back onto a tray and freeze for 30 minutes; this helps to set the cream centers (photo 4).
Storing & Freezing Information for Chocolate Piemonte Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies:
Storage Instructions — Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When you’re ready to eat them, remove them from the refrigerator and allow them to sit for about 2-5 minutes before consuming them.
Freezing Instruction — For optimal freshness, you can freeze these cookies for up to 3 months. Store the sandwich cookies in a freezer-safe container. Be sure to label the container with the cookie’s name and the date for future reference. When you’re ready to savor them, transfer the cookies to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Follow storing instructions before consuming.
Chocolate Piemonte Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- 2 sheet pans
- Mixing bowl
- Rolling pin with thickness rings
- Snoopy cookie stamps or 3" round cookie cutter
Ingredients
Piemonte Hazelnut Shortbread:
- 160 g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter room temperature
- 65 g powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 200 g all purpose flour
- 80 g roasted Piemonte hazelnuts roasted and grounded
- ½ tsp table salt
Coffee Mascarpone Cream:
- 120 g mascarpone cold
- 75 ml (1/3 cup) heavy whipping cream cold
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- ⅛ tsp table salt
Hazelnut Cream:
- 100 g chocolate hazelnut cream
Instructions
Hazelnut Flour:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spread the Piemonte hazelnuts evenly on the tray. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Once the the hazelnuts are done baking, remove the tray from the oven and allow them to cool. Using a food processor, ground hazelnuts into fine flour. Transfer to a bowl. Set aside.
Piemonte Hazelnut Shortbread:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Next, add all-purpose flour, hazelnut flour, and salt. Continue to beat at medium speed until combined. Remember to scrape the bowl a few times to ensure it's well-mixed. Cover the shortbread dough and chill for 1 hour.
- Lightly dust a work space with flour. Roll the cookie dough to a thickness of ¼ inch between two sheets of parchment paper. Stamp and cut out the cookies, carefully transferring the cutouts onto a baking sheet, ensuring they are 1 inch apart. Freeze the cookie cutouts for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies until the edges turn a light golden brown, about 13-15 minutes. After baking, allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Coffee Mascarpone Cream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat mascarpone and heavy whipping cream at medium speed until smooth and slightly double in volume, about 1 – 2 minutes.
- Next, add powdered sugar, espresso powder, salt, and vanilla extract. Continue to beat at medium speed for approximately 2-3 minutes until thick and creamy. Be careful not to over-whisk, or the cream will curdle. Transfer the cream to a piping bag with the piping tip of your choice. Chill the cream in the fridge until ready to use.
Cookie Assembly:
- Arrange the cookies in sets of two, placing them side by side. Turn the cookies over; the right cookies will be the bottom ones. Pipe a ring of coffee mascarpone cream onto the bottom cookies. This will act as the outer barrier for the chocolate hazelnut cream centers. Refer to the step-by-step instructions if needed.
- Take half a heaping tablespoon of chocolate hazelnut cream and fill the centers. Sandwich the top cookie on top and press lightly. Repeat the process with the rest of the cookies until all are filled and topped. Place the cookies back onto a tray and freeze for 30 minutes; this helps to set the cream centers.
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