Chocolate Hazelnut Spiced Cookies

Decadent chocolate cookies made with toasted hazelnuts and warm spices, finished with a chocolate-hazelnut liqueur icing. These sophisticated cookies combine the rich flavors of cocoa, orange zest, and Frangelico with aromatic cinnamon and cloves.

24 servings
1 hr 40 min

Ingredients

  • cups hazelnuts
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon hazelnut-flavored liqueur
  • ½ cup confectioners sugar
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon hazelnut-flavored liqueur

Cooking Instructions

  1. 1.

    Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle. Butter a large baking sheet.

    5 min

  2. 2.

    Pulse hazelnuts, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped, then add butter and zest and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Add juice and liqueur and pulse until dough comes together into a ball but is still crumbly. Form level tablespoons of dough into balls and flatten to about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, arranging 1 inch apart on baking sheet.

    15 min

  3. 3.

    Bake cookies until puffed and slightly cracked, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

    15 min

  4. 4.

    Whisk together all icing ingredients until smooth.

    5 min

  5. 5.

    Dip tops of cooled cookies into icing and transfer to a wax-paper-lined baking sheet. Let stand until icing is set, about 1 hour.

    60 min

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