Olive Oil Spelt flour Cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts. Delicious and fragrant, these cookies are butter-free, egg-free and have no yeast nor baking powder. The olive oil, cocoa, dark chocolate, and hazelnuts give these cookies a rich taste while keeping them light. They have little sugar (raw cane sugar) and spelt flour which provides an additional nuttiness and wholesomeness.
Song of the day: Love - Imagine Dragons
Olive Oil Spelt flour Cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts
If you are looking for cookies that are light and yet do not give up on taste, try this recipe for Olive Oil Spelt flour Cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts. Fragrant and wholesome, they are butter-free, egg-free, and have no leavening. They are delicious, perfect also for those who don't like sweets that are too sweet (me!). They are crumbly, with a beautiful crunch from the hazelnuts and the dark chocolate chunks. Try them at breakfast or with an afternoon tea!
The Ingredients
A good rule in the kitchen is to have all the ingredients ready. To make these cookies you can use a stand mixer or go the old way by hand, as I did. You will need:
- spelt flour (you can use all-purpose flour if you prefer)
- unsweetened cocoa
- raw cane sugar (you could also use honey but you have to reduce the amount by 20%)
- olive oil (I used e.v.o. oil)
- milk (any kind, also plant-based)
- dark chocolate (chips are fine, I prefer to use dark chocolate -fondente in Italian- with at least 72% cocoa that I roughly chop with a knife)
- hazelnuts (I used a food processor to chop the hazelnuts. Don't grind them too fine, it is nice to have the crunch from the bigger pieces of hazelnuts).
Steps of the preparation
- In a large bowl, I added the flour with the cocoa, and the sugar. Gave a quick stir, then added the coarsely chopped hazelnuts.
- After I blended in the hazelnuts, I added the olive oil and gave a quick stir.
- Then, I added the dark chocolate chunks (or chips). I mixed with a wooden spoon until a granular mixture was obtained.
- Slowly I poured the milk in.
- Then I mixed with a wooden spoon until combined.
- Lastly, I finished kneading lightly with my hands until I got the consistency of a short pastry.
- On a lightly floured work surface (my usual wood board), I rolled out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 5 mm. Since Valentine's day is fast approaching I decided to use a heart-shaped cookie cutter, together with a round cutter.
- I cut out shapes with the help of the cookie cutters (you can use any shape you like), re-rolling the scraps of dough until all the dough was finished. TIP: Use a spatula to lift the cookies from the board to the cookie sheet.
- I placed the cookies, spacing them apart, on my new KitchenAid non-stick cookie sheet (you can use any baking sheet lined with parchment paper).
- Lastly, I baked them in the preheated oven (350°F/180°C) for about 15-20 minutes.
What a fragrance!
These Olive Oil Spelt flour Cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts smell so good! It must be the fragrance from the olive oil, the cocoa, the chocolate, and the nuts! I am not used to baking for Valentine's day but I think they look pretty and wouldn't be a bad idea to celebrate love.
The Taste Test
These cookies are delicious! Like many of my desserts, they are perfect for those who don't like sweets that are too sweet. They have a lovely crunch coming from the hazelnuts and the dark chocolate chunks. The olive oil gives a light earthy note and the spelt flour a mild nuttiness. They would also be good with a touch of cinnamon, vanilla, or citrus zest. We had them at breakfast and also with afternoon tea. Equally delicious. As usual, I brought some to work to share with my co-workers, and they were very much appreciated.
For the 'cookie monster'
This time of the year I am always in Rome, back at work, so I cannot spend Valentine's day with my husband. Loreto would have loved these cookies! I can see him pop open our tin cookie box. I would be upstairs sleeping and be woken by the pop of the tin lid. It's our 'cookie monster' (aka Loreto) out for his late night snack. In the morning I would notice a few cookies missing. A few, meaning more than two, and the milk stained glass in the sink. I am smiling because it is so cute; would like to catch him on camera dead in the act with his hand in the cookie tin. That would have been a great way to finish this post!
If you have a cookie monster who lingers late at night near the cookie jar, make some of these Olive Oil Spelt flour Cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts, and get ready with your camera, lol.
Enjoy!
Print
Olive Oil Spelt flour Cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts
Olive Oil Spelt flour Cookies with Chocolate and Hazelnuts. Delicious and fragrant, these cookies are butter-free, egg-free and have no yeast nor baking powder. The olive oil, cocoa, dark chocolate, and hazelnuts give these cookies a rich taste while keeping them light.
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 35 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 300 g light spelt flour
- 100 g cane sugar
- 100 g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
- 80 g extra virgin olive oil (or a light olive oil)
- 40 g unsweetened cocoa
- 80 g dark chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
- 135-140 ml milk (any kind)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180°C).
- In a large bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa, add the sugar and the coarsely chopped hazelnuts.
- Add the olive oil and dark chocolate chunks (or chips), stirring until a granular mixture is obtained.
- Slowly pour the milk in, mixing until you get the consistency of a short pastry.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 5 mm.
- Cut out shapes with the help of a heart shaped cookie cutter or any shape you like, re-rolling the scraps until all dough is finished.
- Place the cookies, spacing them apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them for about 15-20 minutes.
Notes
If you use a plant-based milk these cookies are also vegan.
You can add some flavoring, like vanilla, or cinnamon, perfect compliment to both the cocoa and hazelnuts.
Stored in a tightly closed box, the cookies will remain crumbly for about a week.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: extra virgin olive oil, cocoa, dark chocolate, hazelnuts, milk, cookies, tea time, breakfast, wholesome
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Alexa says
Cookie Monster ????
★★★★★
He's active especially at night 😉 .
LaKita says
I've never given spelt flour a try but this recipe definitely makes me want to try using it to make a batch of these for breakfast!
★★★★★
Hi Lakita, thank you! Spelt flour is amazing in baked goods and so much more digestible than regular flour. Hope you give these cookies a try!
Pam Greer says
I bought some spelt flour for a banana bread recipe and didn't know what to do with the rest of it!! Now, I can't wait to make these cookies!! Perfect!
★★★★★
Ohhh I love spelt flour banana bread! Hope you try, it's pretty good to make cookies.
Tatiana says
This came just in time for my weekend! I'm going to a small party and had no idea what to bring - those cookies will be a sensation, I just know it!
★★★★★
Thank you! These cookies would be so nice to bring to party!
Amanda says
I've never made cookies with spelt flour, but they came out so delicious! The olive oil adds such a nice richness. Love them!
★★★★★
Thank you so much! They are rich and decadent while being wholesome and light.
Marisa F. Stewart says
I've never used spelt flour in desserts, I've always used it in breads. We like the taste so now I'm going to give these cookies a try. I also like the use of olive oil in the dough. Can't wait to taste them, from the looks and description I know they'll be out of this world good.
★★★★★
Spelt flour is amazing! I make cookies, cakes, bread, pasta, brioche, etc. Hope you try, you are going to love it! Thank you!
Danielle says
Ah, these are so cute. I really like how they look and I am excited to make a big batch of these some time next week!
★★★★★
Thanks! They are cute and tasty.A great option for a wholesome cookie.
Debbie says
I have never tried spelt flour but I want to give it a try with these adorable cookies. These sound perfect with afternoon coffee, I can not wait.
★★★★★
They go so well with tea and coffee! thank you!
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
I've made spelt bread before but never spelt cookies. I'm definitely going to have to give this a try. The chocolate/hazelnut combo sounds heavenly!
I make spelt cakes, cookies, pasta, bread, loaves, everything. It's truly amazing. Hope you try!
Marvin Thomas says
Will give these cookies a try but I will substitute the hazelnuts for cacoa nibs as I can't eat nuts.
I am excited to hear how it goes with the substitution! I have and love cocoa nibs, and I think it will be a good swap. Thank you for wanting to try the recipe!
Prew says
These turned out great! Definitely an 'adult cookie' - being less sweet than the usual choc-nut versions. I rolled mine slightly thinner (my rolling pin has a 4mm option) and cut them a bit smaller too so I got 60 out of the batch! They are perfect with a cuppa. Thank you for the recipe!
Does the spelt flour make them gluten-free?
★★★★★
Thank you for the feedback! Happy to hear they were enjoyed. No, spelt flour is not a gluten free flour.