Roasted hazelnuts and nutty wholemeal flour combine to make melt-in-the-mouth crumbly buttery hazelnut shortbread. This recipe is really quick and easy to make and with only five ingredients, it’s simple too. Perfect for autumn and Christmas festivities. Eat with friends – or alone.
I’m a bit of a shortbread fiend. It’s my favourite biscuit, whether homemade, discovered at a WI stall or bought in a shop. It’s a simple bake which only needs three basic ingredients. When I make my own, however, I do like to ring the changes.
What’s The Secret To Good Shortbread?
To achieve the perfect melt-in-the-mouth buttery shortbread consistency, use the classic ratio of 1:2:3. This means one part sugar, two parts butter and three parts flour. For traditional shortbread, you need nothing else.
Good Quality Butter
Butter is the key ingredient in shortbread. It gives it both flavour and texture. So try and use the best quality butter you can afford or find. Unsalted butter is the one to go for as it contains less moisture than salted butter. You can always add a pinch of salt to compensate.
Never use margarine unless you need to make vegan shortbread. In this case go for the best vegan “butter” you can find.
Don’t Over Handle
Don’t over handle the dough. Flour contains gluten and the more it’s handled, the tougher it becomes. This is fine for bread, but not for shortbread, which should be crumbly with a melt-in-the-mouth quality.
The method I use for this hazelnut shortbread is to crumble the ingredients together as if making pastry. Then just press the mixture into the baking mould or tin.
Prick With A Fork
Prick the shortbread dough all over with a fork prior to baking. This allows steam to escape which helps to keep the ‘short’ quality.
As you can see from the photos in this post, I didn’t do that because the hazelnuts contribute naturally to the classic crumbly shortbread texture.
Cut Warm
It’s best to cut the shortbread with a sharp knife whilst it’s still warm. Allow it to cool completely before removing from the tin. It should then break away cleanly. If you score the dough where you want to eventually cut it prior to baking, it makes it easier to cut cleanly later on.
How To Make Shortbread Biscuits
As mentioned above, a large round produces a short and crumbly texture. For a more snappy biscuity texture, roll the dough thinly and stamp out into biscuit shapes. Chill the biscuit dough before baking.
Shortbread Recipes
I have quite a collection of shortbread recipes, from individual biscuits to thick rounds similar to this hazelnut shortbread. Fancy clotted cream, white chocolate, lemon, coffee or even chilli shortbread? I have recipes for all of these and more.
Hazelnut Shortbread
For this hazelnut shortbread, I’ve subbed toasted hazelnuts for some of the flour. It gives a gorgeous hazelnutty flavour and a bit of texture too. I sometimes use rye flour which works well. But in this instance I went with my favourite baking flour, wholemeal spelt flour.
I’ve also gone for the no-fuss easy method of shortbread making with this recipe. You can cream the butter and sugar together, then work in the flour. That’s a good way to go if you’re rolling the dough to make individual biscuits. However, if you’re after a traditional round, rubbing the butter into the flour and sugar is an easier and lighter way to go.
Also, as we’re not rolling the shortbread and creating shapes, there’s no need to chill the dough before it goes into the oven.
Freestyle Hazelnut Shortbread
If you want to go freestyle, form the dough into a round with your hands. You won’t need a tin, but you will have to use the creaming method. My method makes the dough too crumbly to roll. You’re looking for a thickness of about one and a half centimetres (a bit over half an inch).
Hazelnut Shortbread Step-by-Step
Shortbread rounds are incredibly easy to make. Even with the addition of hazelnuts and the extra work required, you can make this recipe in four simple steps.
Step 1: Grind Hazelnuts
Toasting or roasting the hazelnuts brings out their distinctive flavour, though you can buy ready-roasted ones instead.
If you haven’t got ready roasted hazelnuts, it’s easy to toast or roast your own. Head over to my dukkah recipe to find out how to do it.
Grind the hazelnuts in a spice grinder or food processor to a rough powder. Be careful not to over grind or it will start to turn oily. Don’t worry if there are still a few pieces of nut, it all lends to the delicious hazelnutty experience.
Step 2: Crumble Ingredients
In a large open bowl, stir together the flour, hazelnuts, sugar and salt. Cube the butter, then add it to the bowl.
Rub the butter into the flour mixture lightly with your fingertips until you have a rough breadcrumb type consistency. It doesn’t matter if there are little lumps of butter, just not big ones.
Top Tips
Don’t take the butter out of the fridge until you’re ready to use it. If it’s soft it will start to melt and you’ll get a rubbery tough shortbread rather than a crumbly one.
Use unsalted butter. Salted butter tends to contain more moisture than unsalted and you don’t want too much moisture in shortbread.
Step 3. Press Into Baking Pan
Tip the mixture into a 20 cm (8 inch) round shallow flan tin. There’s no need to grease it first as shortbread doesn’t tend to stick. Something to do with all that butter perhaps.
As you can see, I use a silicone pan. Tin will ensure you don’t get a soggy bottom, but I find I don’t get one using silicone either.
Press the mixture flat with the back of a spoon, making sure it goes right up to the edges.
Top Tips
Use a fluted tin to get a prettier and crisper edge.
Score the top with a sharp knife into eight triangles. This will make it easier to cut later on.
Step 4: Bake Hazelnut Shortbread
Place the shortbread in the oven on the middle shelf. You don’t want it overly close to the top or it might darken too much or even burn. Either that or the insides won’t be cooked.
It only needs to bake for about twenty five to thirty minutes. The top should be crisp and lightly golden.
Place on a wire rack then immediately dust with caster sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into eight slices whilst the shortbread is still warm. However, leave in the pan to cool completely before removing.
How Long Does Homemade Shortbread Keep?
Shortbread keeps better than most biscuits and cookies as it contains relatively little moisture.
Store in an air tight container and it will still taste good in two weeks time. It can keep for up to four weeks, but mine has never made it that far.
Other Hazelnut Recipe You Might Like
- Chocolate hazelnut crinkle cookies
- Hazelnut meringue with blackberries
- Raspberry chocolate hazelnut cookies
- Roasted hazelnut bliss balls
- Roasted squash with sage and hazelnuts in brown butter
- Toffee apple hazelnut cake
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this delicious hazelnut shortbread, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more shortbread recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Hazelnut Shortbread. PIN IT.
Hazelnut Shortbread – The Recipe
Hazelnut Shortbread
Ingredients
- 60 g skinned hazelnuts toasted or roasted
- 180 g wholemeal spelt flour can swap for flour of choice
- 80 g golden caster sugar + extra for dusting
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 160 g unsalted butter fridge cold & cubed
Instructions
- If your hazelnuts are not already roasted, then toast or roast them for ten minutes or until golden and fragrant. See my dukkah recipe for instructions. If they have skins on, rub these off with a clean tea towel. Allow to cool a little.
- Preheat the oven to 170℃ (150℃ fan, 338℉, Gas 3).
- Grind the hazelnuts in a spice grinder or food processor to a rough powder. Be careful not to over grind or it will start to turn oily. Don't worry if there are still a few pieces of nut, it all lends to the delicious hazelnutty experience.
- Combine the ground nuts, flour, sugar and salt, then work the butter in with your fingertips until you have a rough crumble like consistency.
- Press the mixture into a 20 cm (8 inch) fluted flan tin or silicone mould with the back of a spoon. Make sure the mixture is distributed evenly and goes right up to the edges.
- Bake on the middle shelf for twenty five to thirty minutes or until the top is crisp and just starting to turn golden.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Scatter some golden caster sugar over the top and leave to cool for fifteen minutes.
- Cut into eight slices whilst still warm, but leave in the tin until cold before removing.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this simple recipe for hazelnut shortbread with We Made This Vegan for #CookBlogShare.
Gill says
Wow! This looks lovely, definitely going to try baking this.
Choclette says
Shortbread is so good in its own right, but adding hazelnuts makes it a bit more special.
Rebecca - Glutarama says
What an amazing idea to make your own hazelnut flour. I love this idea…gutted we cut our hazelnut tree down in the summer to make way for block paving now!
Choclette says
Making hazelnut flour with your very own hazelnuts sounds even more amazing. Maybe you could plant another one to replace it.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Oooh yes please! Love the idea of combining spelt flour and hazelnuts 😀
Choclette says
It’s a most delicious combination, but then I do love hazelnuts.
Nickki says
What delicious looking shortbread. I love the addition of hazelnuts. I could eat a slice or two right now!
Choclette says
Thanks Nickki. Shortbread is already so delicious. Add hazelnuts and well … wow!
Sandhya Hariharan says
Shortbread is one of our family favorites!! And I make them occasionally as they get over in a jiffy ….Going to try your wholemeal version with hazelnut next time – as they look just too delicious.
Choclette says
Shortbread never lasts long around here either, which is ironic as it keeps better than most things. Enjoy the hazelnut shortbread.
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
They look perfectly crumbly and delicious!
Choclette says
Thanks Kat. It’s such an easy bake to make too.
Anaiah says
This hazelnut shortbread is so delicious and just melts in your mouth! Love the simplicity of this dessert and how easy it is to make. It satisfies my sweet tooth without being overly indulgent!
Choclette says
Shortbread is a really good one for sweet cravings as the sugar content is heaps less than in most sweet bakes. Add hazelnuts and you’re in for even more of a treat.
sherry says
i love hazelnuts and i love your idea of just pressing the dough into the tin. i must try this when my rib is healed!
Choclette says
Oh no Sherry. Have you had a fall? Hope you make a quick recovery AND some delicious shortbread.
Andrea White says
Looks like the perfect treat! How yummy!
Choclette says
Shortbread is the yummiest of them all, especially when it contains hazelnuts.
NATALIA says
This hazelnut shortbread looks completely decadent and very easy to make! If I made it for the holidays, how long do you think I could store it?
Choclette says
If you think you can stop yourself from eating it all in the first couple of days, it will keep well in an air tight container for two weeks.
Kayla DiMaggio says
I love hazelnuts but I rarely work with them! This shortbread was divine and I can’t get enough of it!
Choclette says
So pleased you like it. For some reason hazelnuts aren’t an obvious choice when it comes to baking.
Emily says
I can’t wait to make this buttery shortbread for the holidays! I love that you used roasted hazelnuts which make this shortbread even more delicious!
Choclette says
Roasting hazelnuts really brings out their flavour. An absolute must for this recipe I reckon.
Marita says
This sounds delicious. I am a big fan of shortbread and anything hazelnut but I never tried these together before. THanks for the recipe I will try it.
Choclette says
Do try it Marita and let me know how it goes.
Ali says
This recipe sounds delicious! I love shortbread but never thought to add hazelnuts, I am definitely going to try this.
Choclette says
Hazelnuts make a lovely addition. Just make sure you roast them or toast them first to bring out the flavour.
angiesrecipes says
My favourite too! This looks seriously good with hazelnuts.
Choclette says
It’s the best Angie. And there are so many variations you can make. This one with roasted hazelnuts is particularly good.
Lesley says
I love shortbread and your combination of nutty spelt flour with hazelnuts, which are something I adore to eat. Great recipe and I love that it’s not high is sugar either.
Choclette says
Thank you Lesley and yes, I agree. Shortbread is really good for not being overly sweet. Though perhaps the butter aspect can be ignored.
Corina Blum says
Shortbread biscuits are one of my favourites and these sound lovely with the hazelnuts in! Perfect for snacking on.
Choclette says
Trouble is, they’re a bit too perfect for snacking on Corina – hahaha!