Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies

This is my first blog recipe using the delicious Heavenly Hazel from Nourishing Bites! If you read my recipes you will know that I have always had a weakness for Nutella (named my blog after it). I used to finish a jar in a few days at that time of the month because I loved it so much! Even after I changed my diet, Nutella was one of the last things to go (I only gave up on it after I read an article about all the chemicals they put in Nutella, cleverly disguised in the labeling). I’m pleased to say that I have found a healthy refined sugar free and vegan Nutella that I love even more than the real thing. Yes I eat this one mostly straight out of the jar with a spoon as well, but I can’t eat quite as much because it’s very high in hazelnuts (65%) so is a little more filling. The jar of goodness comes from a local healthy treats company from my old home in Townsville North Queensland. I’m so happy they are now shipping Hazel nationally because I don’t think I could live without it! I’m just trying to do my best to spread the word about Heavenly Hazel because I have tried lots and lots of healthy Nutella alternatives and I genuinely didn’t like any of them very much at all!

I know I have my own recipe for Nutella on this blog but honestly, this one is much much better and keeps a lot longer too. You don’t absolutely need this product for this recipe as I have only used it to dollop on top but I will say that you do need something to dollop on top because the cookies (although delicious ) are not overly sweet. The addition of Heavenly Hazel takes these cookies to the next level. If you don’t have this or it’s not available in your area I would suggest a homemade Nutella to dollop on top or homemade date caramel. You can also use your favourite chocolate spread etc.

I originally set out to make these look like very defined thumbprint cookies but the cookies spread so much in the oven that they just sort of looked like normal cookies. If you do make these cookies make sure you give yourself plenty of room on the cookie tray so the cookies don’t blend into one another. I absolutely love the texture of these cookies though (soft and chewy cookies are my favourite) so I made them work even if they’re not typical looking thumbprint cookies. They use wholesome buckwheat flour so are completely gluten-free and are also vegan. They use hazelnut butter as the main ingredient. I hate making hazelnut butter because my food processor struggles, so I buy hazelnut butter even if it costs me the earth. If you want to make your own you can roast a large batch of hazelnuts in the oven for 10 minutes or so then rub the hazelnuts together between your hands or with a tea towel until most of the skins have fallen off. You then add them to a food processor and blend them until they form a butter. There are plenty of examples online or on YouTube to show you how to make hazelnut butter. Hazelnut butter is quite dry so it rarely comes out as smooth and runny as peanut butter or other butters but it’s so delicious! I have also recently found pre-roasted hazelnuts that have already had their skins removed. If you find hazelnuts like that you can just add them straight to the food processor to save time but I haven’t seen them around too often.

I’m not sure what else to say about these cookies other than the fact that they were so good our family (me, my husband and our toddler) ate a batch in one day! I’m pretty sure my husband had 8 in a row which is a little scary! Thankfully they are wholesome, full of great ingredients and completely refined sugar-free. Enjoy!