In my family, it is not uncommon for most of the Christmas baking to take place…after Christmas. Before Christmas, various members of the family are often busy shopping, decorating, travelling, taking final exams and writing papers, getting over colds caught at Thanksgiving gatherings, etc. This year was no exception. My brother and sister-in-law didn’t even arrive until the day after Christmas, owing to mechanical problems on their flight!
I love how dainty these cookies are – they’re tiny enough that it’s totally socially acceptable to pop them in your mouth whole, plus you can eat a bunch without feeling gluttonous. There’s nothing particularly holiday-ish about this recipe, but they’re a great dessert option to have around in case you want something sweet to end a meal, but are already too full from the main course to eat the heartier, more traditional holiday fruitcakes, pies, and the like. I baked these cookies to take over to a friend’s house for dessert, and they were a nice accompaniment to her fantastic chocolate ganache bundt cake. You can also easily customize the recipe – use walnuts or pecans in place of hazelnuts, fill them with jam or lemon curd – the possibilities are pretty much endless!
- 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- about 1/2 cup Nutella
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 10 minutes, or until slightly golden. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool.
- Beat butter, coconut, and sugars until smooth and well-mixed. Add flour and salt and mix until combined.
- On a clean surface, roll out dough into 3-4 logs about 1 inch in diameter. Cover logs with parchment paper and place in an air-tight plastic bag or a container. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
- Once dough is properly chilled, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Place hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 7-10 minutes. Be careful not to let them burn! Set hazelnuts aside to cool before chopping finely.
- Using a sharp knife, cut logs into slices between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch in width. If necessary, smooth rough edges by pressing them lightly with your fingers. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. These cookies do not expand while baking, so you need not place them very far apart on the sheets.
- Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts over cookies and press down gently to keep hazelnuts in place.
- Bake 20 minutes or until slightly golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Once cookies are cooled, spread a marble-sized amount of nutella on the bottoms of half of the cookies. Place a second cookie on top of each such that the bottoms are facing inward.
- Makes about 60 sandwich cookies (120 individual cookies).
- Although I often substitute dairy-free margarine for butter in my recipes, for this recipe, I do prefer to use butter, since the flavor comes through quite prominently.
I totally relate to baking during, not before, the holidays begin! My parents were teachers, and I am married to one, so things don’t slow down enough until school’s out.
Also, the cookies look incredible! Nice photography! And recipe!
Thank you! I hope you had a relaxing holiday once school finished for the term.
Christmas baking? What Christmas baking? I’m so far behind I feel like I’m still stuck at Thanksgiving haha! Guess I’ll have to make some shortbread cookies to catch up! These look great :). I bet they’d be amazing with one half dipped in chocolate.
I know what you mean – there were cookies I meant to bake for Halloween that I never got around to! And yes, I bet these would be even better dipped in chocolate (as most things would be).
Yum – buttery!
Indeed! Definitely worth using butter rather than margarine here.
Soooo cute! Perfect for tea
Thanks! Tea and shortbread…how exquisite 🙂
These shortbread cookies look so delicious. Pinning for later!
Thanks, I’m glad they caught your eye!
Yum these cookies look amazing! I could eat every single one in a sitting I’m pretty sure…
Thank you! And yes, it’s certainly tempting to eat them all in one go…