These oatmeal hazelnut cookies are crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside, and oh-so-flavourful. With chocolate chips (or chunks!) and lots of buttery flavour from the roasted hazelnuts, they’re the perfect vegan cookie.
Our favourite when hazelnuts are in season, chocolate hazelnut is always a winning combination. Coconut sugar adds a nice caramel note here without being overwhelming, and it’s a good tie-in with the nuts, spelt, and dark chocolate.
For a kind of similar gluten-free version of this recipe, try my gluten free peanut butter oatmeal cookies. Sub hazelnut butter to get a similar flavour.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
While this is a slightly more time consuming recipe than regular chocolate chip cookies, with the added step of roasting the hazelnuts, it’s well worth it for the absolute best taste.
- It’s made in one bowl: less dishes, less work – everything is mixed in one bowl, and no need for an electric mixer.
- They freeze well: these are almost as good straight from the freezer and can be frozen for months, so make some to have on hand. The dough can also be frozen.
- They taste great: with a rich flavour and buttery texture, these are some of the best cookies featured on OE. I’m biased towards hazelnuts, though.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Hazelnuts: substitute a lesser amount of hazelnut meal (120 g) for the ground hazelnuts. Because store-bought hazelnut flour is more finely ground, you use less. There will be a less pronounced hazelnut flavour if subbing this.
- Spelt flour: as usual, plain white flour can be subbed for the light spelt. I haven’t tried this recipe with a GF blend.
- Chocolate: use dark chocolate for the best taste, either chips, chunks, or a roughly chopped bar as pictured.
- Coconut sugar: this recipe hasn’t been tested with any other types of sugar. Another darker type (maple, brown, etc.) might work but can’t be guaranteed.
- Rolled oats: quick cook can be used but will cause a slight textural change. Steel cut oats or other flakes like quinoa can’t be used (spelt flakes are fine).
- Coconut oil: an oil that’s solid at room temperature is necessary here. You can probably use some kind of butter if you can’t have coconut oil.
Step by Step
1. Roast the hazelnuts until golden, about ten minutes.
2. Grind the hazelnuts into meal using a food processor.
3. Mix the coconut oil, water, vanilla, and coconut sugar.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix into a stiff dough.
5. Mix in the chocolate, using your hands if needed.
6. Scoop equal balls of cookie dough onto the baking sheet. You can also use your hands to form balls.
7. Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.
8. Bake for about ten minutes, or until lightly golden.
If you can’t see the recipe video, please watch it here on YouTube instead.
Recipe Notes
This recipe does have a fairly high ratio of sugar to flour, and while you can reduce it, the resulting cookies won’t spread as much and will resemble hockey pucks more than good chewy cookies.
Unfortunately, some kind of food processor or blender is required for this recipe to grind the hazelnuts. You could probably use a large mortar and pestle but chopping by hand probably won’t work.
Spelt flour cookies will always have a slightly different texture due to less gluten (a little crumblier), and you have to be a bit more careful about not over mixing. Mix too long and you’ll have tough cookies.
Be sure to get raw, unsalted hazelnuts for the best results. Blanched is fine.
How to Store
Storage: keep the cookies in a sealed container in a cool place for up to five days. For longer storage I recommend freezing them.
Freezing: place cooled cookies in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. The cookie dough can also be scooped as outlined onto a parchment-lined sheet, then frozen and placed into an airtight container. Bake from frozen and add two minutes on to the time listed.
Expert Tips
- Follow the recipe order: it’s key that the sugar is mixed with the oil and water first. Mixing it in with the dry ingredients results in a completely different cookie texture.
- Cool the nuts: if the hazelnut meal is still hot when mixed with the dough, it can cause the chocolate to melt before baking.
- Use baking chocolate: while a chocolate bar might have the best taste as is, it has a higher chance of burning when baked and adding an unpleasant element to the cookies.
More Vegan Cookie Recipes
Ultimate Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Almond Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
Coconut Sugar Cookies
Chocolate Tahini Thumbprint Cookies
If you make these Hazelnut Oatmeal Cookies or any other dairy-free cookie recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Hazelnut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 150 grams hazelnuts raw
- 80 grams coconut oil softened
- 2 tablespoons water or non-dairy milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 150 grams coconut sugar
- 100 grams rolled oats
- 150 grams light spelt flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 100 grams dark chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the hazelnuts on the baking sheet and roast for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant. Cool slightly before grinding into meal with a food processor. Keep the oven on and use the same baking sheet for the cookies.150 grams hazelnuts
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, water, and vanilla. It won't combine, that's normal.80 grams coconut oil, 2 tablespoons water or non-dairy milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the coconut sugar and whisk to combine. It will form a thick paste.150 grams coconut sugar
- Add the hazelnut meal, oats, flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined – a few streaks of flour are fine.100 grams rolled oats, 150 grams light spelt flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Add the chocolate and fold in to evenly incorporate.100 grams dark chocolate, chopped
- Use a spoon or cookie scoop to drop 16 even scoops of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each slightly using the palm of your hand.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden in colour. Cool on the sheet for ten minutes before removing and cooling fully on a wire rack. Store in a sealed container for up to five days, or freeze up to three months.
Video
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Linnéa Jasmine says
Hello, just discovered your blog and am so happy about it! Do you think I could omid the spelt flour with oat flour/buckwheat other gluten free flour? Thank you in advance
Alexandra Daum says
Hello! I would recommend making these GF trail mix cookies instead, but subbing in hazelnuts for the nuts/seeds and leaving out the dried fruit. I haven’t tested the hazelnut cookies with oat or buckwheat flour and while it might work, this is more certain!
OLO says
These are amazing. I used half ground and half chopped hazelnuts, tripled the choc chips and added a chia egg. Really really delicious and not that different from non-vegan. The ground hazelnut does give a buttery texture. Thanks for a lovely recipe!
OLO says
These are amazing. I used half ground and half chopped hazelnuts, tripled the choc chips and added a chia egg. Really really delicious and not that different from non-vegan. The ground hazelnut does give a buttery texture. Thanks for a lovely recipe!
Coco Cake Land says
Yum!! I love this recipe.
Janice says
These look like they'd make a great hearty breakfast-on-the-go cookie (or a "just because I need a cookie with my tea" cookie). Either way, I want to try them. I happen to be allergic to hazelnuts, sadly, so I might try them with almonds or something…. pesky allergies! And I used to love hazelnuts too!
Bahee Van de Bor says
These look gorgeous! Fantastic photos!
Alexandra Daum says
Thank you, Traci!! Hahaha but you have to come to Canada for a timbit, remember? Manitoba's pretty far from you though. It was so great to get this teaching job, and kind of a lucky break, too. Thanks! I always try to sneak in a little extra fat that isn't from oil – it really makes everything that little bit tastier without sacrificing nutrition. It does that same thing with adding water (imitating butter) like you mentioned the other day. Hazelnuts are my fave. You're so sweet! :):):)
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
Hooray and congratulations to you Alexandra! That is *SUCH* exciting news!! I'd love to come to a class… but oh my that's quite a ways to travel! I'm so excited for you my dear! All your hard work is paying off! These cookies are spectacular too. I would have never thought to use the fat from coconut milk… smarty pants! Love IT! I know these are divine because I know hazelnuts do something magical to cookies… and takes their texture over the top! Well done my dear and I can't wait to see/hear about your upcoming projects! xo