Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread Hearts
Instead of the traditional triangle or square shapes, this easy shortbread dough is rolled and cut into heart shapes and then dipped in chocolate and nuts.
How to Make It
Step 1
Process 1/2 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts and next 4 ingredients in a food processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter, vanilla, and egg yolk; pulse until butter is cut in evenly and mixture starts to come together, scraping down sides of machine once or twice. (Dough will be very crumbly and may not come together fully until kneaded.)
Step 2
Remove dough from processor, and knead lightly 2 or 3 times. Flatten into a disc, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Remove from refrigerator 10 minutes prior to rolling.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 350°. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut heart shapes with a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Gather and reroll dough scraps, and cut again.
Step 4
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until edges turn light golden brown. Remove from oven, transfer cookies to a wire rack, and cool completely.
Step 5
Melt chocolate in a double boiler over low heat, stirring often, or in a microwave at HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Cool slightly. Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts, if desired, and chill about 15 minutes or just until chocolate sets. Remove from refrigerator, and store in a single layer in an airtight container up to 2 days.
Step 6
*To peel hazelnuts, roast at 350° for 6 to 8 minutes, and rub in a towel while warm to remove skins.
Step 7
**For testing purposes, we used Scharffen Berger chocolate.
Chef's Notes
You can make the dough ahead, wrap it well with plastic wrap, and freeze up to four months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before cutting and baking.
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BarbaraJean0719's Review
Made these for Valentines day and they turned out beautiful. Made a test cookie to determine the thickness when cutting out and opted for a slightly thicker cookie to keep from breaking when applying chocolate. I spread the chocolate over the half cookie so I didn't overload with chocolate on the underside. Substituted pecans in the recipe and sprinkling on top. Do not over bake. Crisp cookie but perfect center if not over baked. I use a "pecan sandy" type cookie as a pie crust crumbled and I think I could use this recipe instead of purchasing the store bought cookies. Just bake in the pie shell and fill with pie of your choice.
shelbycrawford's Review
These were great. I followed the recipe exactly and they came out perfect. Be gentle when dipping them in chocolate as they break fairly easily. I gave these to co-workers at christmas and everyone loved them. One of my favorite new cookie recipes! Thanks!
Loves2rock23's Review
I made these for my boyfriend and me (V Day Yay!!)
The dough was difficult at the start but I added about a tea spoon of water and it came out perfect. Also I used Walnuts instead of hazelnuts because I like hazelnuts.
JadeNature's Review
These were pretty easy and looked impressive. They were good, though the chocolate stayed pretty sticky.
nolegatormom's Review
I made these for Valentine's Day, substituting almonds for the hazlenuts, as that is what I had. They were divine. I made extra dough which I rolled into a 2
deebi547580's Review
Looks like a simple cookie exchange recipe, mine are being rolled with crushed peppermint sticks instead of the hazelnuts. Sounds good..Huh?
KaylaD's Review