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These delightful Christmas Tree Cookies made with hazelnut and cocoa shortbread are a festive treat that will bring joy to your holiday table, whether served as an after-meal dessert, as a snack, or with a cup of tea. These homemade Christmas Cookies, decorated with white chocolate and crushed pistachios, combine taste and creativity, adding an elegant and festive touch to any occasion.
Their Christmas Tree shape makes them perfect for creating a festive atmosphere, ideal for enjoying with company or as Christmas Cookies to Gift to loved ones in pretty packages. Making these Quick and Easy Christmas Treats is a fun activity to share with the whole family, and children will especially enjoy helping with the decoration.
The aroma of cocoa and hazelnuts that will fill your home while baking will completely immerse you in the Christmas spirit, letting you savor the magic of the holidays: we suggest preparing them while decorating your Christmas tree to fill your home with even more Christmas magic.
Ingredients
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Instructions
To prepare the Christmas Tree Cookies, start with hazelnut flour (you can also buy it ready-made) needed for the cookie dough. Shell and toast the hazelnuts (in the oven or air fryer at 180°C (356°F) for about 10 minutes), then let them cool. Once cooled, transfer them to a blender with 30-40g of sugar (taken from the total recipe amount) and grind them. This helps absorb the oil released by the nuts.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or by hand or with a food processor), mix butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add the egg and continue mixing until it’s completely incorporated.
Add the sifted all-purpose flour and hazelnut flour, then continue mixing until you obtain a homogeneous mixture. Finally, add the unsweetened cocoa powder and finish mixing.
If needed, finish kneading the dough by hand. Roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of about 5-8mm and place it directly in the refrigerator to rest for 3-4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) in conventional mode. Using a Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter, cut out the cookies and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the cookies (one tray at a time) in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes, or until well-baked (depending on their size).
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile, roughly chop the white chocolate and melt it in the microwave or using a double boiler. Partially dip the tree-shaped cookies in the melted chocolate and immediately decorate them with plenty of crushed pistachios.
Let the cookies dry on the wire rack and once ready, enjoy your Christmas Tree Cookies!