This post contains affiliate links
These caramel hazelnut linzer cookies are sandwich cookie-style with pulsed hazelnuts in the dough and a homemade caramel filling!
Flavor: Enjoy nutty cinnamon-spiced cookies with sweet and slightly salty caramel. The cookies themselves aren’t overly sugary, so there’s plenty of room for a spoonful of caramel. Interestingly, a few taste testers noted the flavor of butterscotch. With brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and caramel, it’s easy to understand why!
Texture: Right out of the oven, these hazelnut cookies are soft with slightly crisp edges. After sandwiching with caramel, they soften even more. The magic happens on day 2 when the caramel settles into the cookies making the whole sandwich tender and deliciously crumbly. Without question—and this isn’t the case with most desserts—these cookies taste BEST when made ahead of time.
Ease: This is an intermediate baking recipe because there are several steps and precise shaping involved. I recommend trying these caramel hazelnut linzer cookies if you’re looking for a fun baking project or an elevated addition to your lineup of Christmas cookies that goes beyond the traditional sugar cookie.
Time: Like most shaped/cookie cutter recipes, this buttery cookie dough requires refrigeration. The dough is soft and sticky after it comes together, so divide it in half, wrap up tightly, and chill for at least 3 hours before you break out the rolling pin. If you want to save time, consider whipping up a batch of dough up to 4 days in advance or freezing the dough for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
Cookies
2/3 cup (65g) hazelnuts (raw, roasted, chopped, or whole)*
2/3 cup (135g) packed light or dark brown sugar, divided
2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for rolling
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
optional for dusting: 2 Tablespoons (16g) confectioners’ sugar
Caramel
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (make sure it’s labeled “pure cane”)*
6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, room temperature cut up into 6 pieces
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
-Mimi ❤️
This post is sponsored by:
(50% off Desserts during December)
Retros 🍾
Sprezzatura 🛍️