Raspberry Hazelnut Cookies

Raspberry hazelnut cookies are a naturally gluten free amaretti-like cookie recipe; made with hazelnuts and freeze dried raspberries.

Raspberry and hazelnut make a beautiful pair and they marry together nicely in this humble little cookie! The slightly crisp exterior lends way to a soft and chewy hazelnut center with a pop of raspberry. Perfect for anytime, but they would look beautiful for the holidays; I'm especially thinking Christmas and Valentine's Day!

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The idea for this cookie came from Mr. two sugar bugs. One evening, over a glass of wine after the girls were in bed, we were brainstorming ideas for recipes. He mentioned that he really loves hazelnut and raspberry together. Instantly, my mind went to my amaretti cookie recipe and this European-inspired dessert cookie came to life.

ingredients for raspberry hazelnut cookies

You need six ingredients to make this cookie recipe ~

• Superfine sugar ~ {also known as baker's or caster sugar} gives the cookies their sweetness.
• Eggs ~ we will use large eggs and you will separate them. The yolks get mixed with the superfine sugar to start and the whites get whipped and added to the cookie batter.
• Hazelnuts ~ the hazelnuts will be ground to a fine consistency. You will want to remove the skins if you are using whole hazelnuts. Trader Joe's also sells a dry roasted and unsalted version that has already done the work for you!
• Vanilla extract ~ helps to enhance the flavor of the cookies.
• Freeze dried raspberries ~ using the freeze dried version adds wonderful flavor to the cookies without adding moisture {not shown above}.

how do you remove the skins on whole hazelnuts?

Removing the skin of hazelnuts isn't hard, but does take a little extra work. Place the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in a 375°F oven for about 10-15 minutes. The nuts should smell fragrant, will be lightly toasted and the skins may begin to split. Pour into clean kitchen towel {one you don't care about because it can get stained} and rub vigorously to remove skins. Let cool. Don't worry about the skins that don't come off.

You can also use a boil method to remove the skins from hazelnuts, but for the best results with this recipe, use the roasting method. {or buy already roasted and skinned nuts!}

why remove the skins from whole hazelnuts?

The skins of the hazelnuts have a bitter taste, so you want to remove them before baking with them.

how do you use the freeze dried raspberries?

A food processor is needed for this recipe, I've had this version of a Cuisinart for 20+ years now and it's still going strong!

Place the freeze dried raspberries in the bowl of a food processor and process until the berries are a powdery consistency. Then place the powder in a fine mesh sieve and separate the berry powder from the raspberry seeds; discard the seeds. Set aside a generous teaspoon {just eye-ball it} for using to roll the cookies in before baking. The remainder of the raspberry powder will get mixed in with the cookie batter.

let's make raspberry hazelnut cookies!

Once the skins are removed from the hazelnuts, add them to the bowl of a food processor and process until a fine consistency is reached. Be careful not to turn them into nut butter! Add the raspberry powder to the hazelnuts and mix to combine.

Next, separate the egg yolks and whites. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then slowly whisk in the superfine sugar.

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Slowly add the ground hazelnuts and raspberries, mixing until just combined. The mixture will hit a point where it is so thick that it won’t accept more hazelnut raspberry mixture.

In a clean bowl, with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until they are at a soft peak. Be careful not to over whip them.

Fold about ⅓ of the egg whites into the sugar/hazelnut batter and add your vanilla extract. This should loosen the batter and allow you to finish adding the hazelnut mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites and mix until combined.

Now, cover and chill the cookie batter for a minimum of one hour and up to 24 hours. This batter is very sticky and benefits from chilling. If you only chill for an hour the cookies will be very sticky to work with and will spread a bit more, but it does not affect the taste of the cookies.

prepare the cookie dough for the oven

Once the dough has chilled, roll the cookies into approximately 1.5 tablespoons {I use this cookie scoop} and then roll the cookie into a powdered sugar/raspberry mixture and place on a prepared baking sheet. You can also choose to grind more freeze dried raspberries and omit the powdered sugar. Both taste wonderful, but the raspberry flavor is even more distinct in the cookies rolled in freeze dried raspberries {although I like the look of the raspberry powdered sugar mixture better!}

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Bake the cookies in a preheated 325°F oven for 20-30 minutes, until lightly browned {it’s about 22-23 minutes in my oven}. Allow the baked cookies to sit on the baking pan for 1-2 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Then take a bite and enjoy the delicious combination of raspberries and hazelnuts! Do you think you'll add this gluten free cookie to your cookie baking list?

Remember to snap a picture and tag me @twosugarbugs on Instagram if you make these raspberry hazelnut cookies. It warms my heart to see you bring these recipes to life! Thank you for being here and happy baking!

more gluten free cookies to bake!

• Almond Flour Skillet Cookie
• Soft Amaretti Cookies
• Flourless Monster Cookies

If you make this recipe {or any recipe!} from two sugar bugs please come back and leave a review and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating.  I read every comment, and I LOVE hearing from you!