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Hazelnut, Maple & Spelt Biscuits
Updated: Jul 25
A delightful hazelnut shortbread. Light, nutty, with subtle caramel flavours from the maple syrup and dark muscovado sugar.
These biscuits are inspired by Nigel Slaters hazelnut maple biscuits. I changed a few ingredients (using what I had in the cupboard) and made them vegan friendly.
Periodically I sit with a cup of coffee or a glass of red and page through our three Nigel Slater Kitchen Diaries cookbooks to find recipe ideas for the week ahead. I love reading his cookbooks. I love seeing what he suggests for different dates and seasons and the fact that so many of his recipes can be made vegan friendly.
Last week I was paging through one of the books to see what he suggested to cook and found my bookmark on his hazelnut maple biscuits which I had wanted to make last year November but never got to make them. So, I decided to make a small batch.
THESE DELIGHTUL BITES ARE
buttery
crumbly
nutty
caramelly
light
easy to make
TO MAKE THIS YOU WILL NEED
hazelnuts
vegan butter
dark muscovado sugar
maple syrup
spelt flour
a pinch of salt
HOW TO MAKE THIS
The hazelnuts are roasted in the oven until lightly browned. If you are not using skinned hazelnuts, rub the toasted hazelnuts together or place the nuts in a kitchen cloth to rub the skins off. It should come off really easily after roasting. Alternatively you can used skinned hazelnuts.
You could skip roasting the hazelnuts, but I highly recommend roasting them as it enhances and adds a deeper flavour of the hazelnuts.
Once cooled, the nuts are blended into a meal or course consistency. Bigger chunks are good for crunch.
Next, the dough is made by mixing the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. The rest of the ingredients are gradually added and mixed into dough. The dough is then rolled into a thick sausage shape, before letting it rest it in the fridge for an hour. This is a crucial step and should not be skipped.
Once rested, the dough is cut into cookie discs, decorated with more hazelnuts and baked for about 20 min until golden.
HOW TO STORE THEM
To keep them fresh for as long as possible store them in an airtight container. I have not tried freezing them, but if you want to give it a go it is probably be best to freeze the dough before it is cut into individual biscuits.
OTHER OPTIONS
add dark chocolate chips to the cookie mixture
replace the hazelnuts with almonds or macadamia nuts
add a bit of vanilla or orange essence
drizzle or dip the baked biscuits in melted dark chocolate
for real indulgence spread a little bit of vegan Nutella between two cookies to make cookie sandwiches.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
HAZELNUT MAPLE & SPELT BISCUITS
A delightful hazelnut shortbread. Light, nutty, with a subtle caramel flavours.
Makes: about 10 biscuits
Time: 40 min, plus 1 hour resting time
INGREDIENTS
60g hazelnuts
110g vegan butter at room temperature
25g dark muscovado sugar (light will work too)
25ml maple syrup
125g spelt flour
pinch of salt
TO FINISH
more hazelnuts, roughly chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 200C.
On a baking sheet, spread the hazelnuts evenly and roast until lightly starting to brown.
Remove from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.
If you are not using skinned hazelnuts, rub the toasted hazelnuts together or place the nuts in a cloth to rub the skins off. It should come off really easily. Alternatively you can used skinned hazelnuts.
Once cooled transfer the nuts into a food processor and blend/pulse into a course meal consistency (almost like almond meal). A few bigger chunks are fine and will add some extra crunch.
To make the dough, cut the butter into small chunks and transfer them to a standing mixer (or hand held mixture on the lowest setting) Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the maple syrup gradually and mix until smooth and soft.
Remove the bowl from the mixture and gradually add the flour, salt and ground nuts. Gently fold it into the mixture.
Roll the dough into a thick sausage shape (about 3 cm in diameter),
Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest it in the fridge for an hour. Do not skip this step.
Preheat the oven to 160C
Unwrap the dough and cut into about 10 - 12 biscuits.
Transfer them onto a lined or lightly greased baking tray and top each biscuit with a few chopped nuts. Gently press them into the dough.
Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5 - 10 minutes before transferring them with a palette knife onto a wired cooling rack.
Have you tried this recipe?
Let me know if you made this and tag me on Instagram
or leave a comment below.
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