These chocolate hazelnut cookies are packed with fillings and topped off with raspberry compote, hazelnut praliné spread, and flaky sea salt. They’re absolutely extravagant and are inspired by cookies you’d find in a Parisian bakery!

One thing that stood out to me when living in Paris was the difference in chocolate chip cookie styles. You might think, a chocolate chip cookie is a chocolate chip cookie no matter where in the world it originates. But French cookies have a distinct and extravagant style that I wanted to bring into this recipe.

What is a French style chocolate chip cookie?

During my time in Paris, I noticed that Parisian bakeries would sell very decadent and extravagant chocolate chip cookies. Rather than just baking a cookie dough filled with chocolate and other add ins, they would further decorate the cookies with compotes, spreads, and creams. It felt very French patisserie-inspired. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Cedric Grolet.

The cookies are also often baked in tart rings, which gives them a distinctive round shape with smooth sides. In America, I feel like it’s much more common to find cookies that are free-baked on a tray without any sort of mold.

How to make loaded cookie dough

The cookie dough starts with a classic creaming method with butter and sugar. You then add an egg, your dry ingredients, and your add-ins. Chilling the dough gives it a crispy exterior and soft interior after baking.

Ingredients for chocolate hazelnut cookies

Butter – butter adds richness and creates a soft texture. Since these are French-inspired, I like to use European butter which has at least 80% butter fat.

Cassonade – cassonade is an unrefined sugar with larger grains than white sugar. It adds sweetness and helps retain moisture

Muscovado sugar – Muscovado sugar is a moist, unrefined sugar that is similar to brown sugar. I find that it has a stronger caramel flavor than brown sugar, and I love using it in cookies. It helps makes the cookies very soft

All purpose flour – all purpose flour acts as the base for this recipe

Baking powder – baking powder leavens the cookies

Salt – salt balance outs the sweetness and

Egg – egg helps bind the cookie dough together

Dark chocolate – I like to use chopped dark chocolate bars with at least 70% cacao

Milk chocolate – I like using small chunks of milk chocolate as well, to add bursts of sweetness among the dark chocolate and hazelnuts

Roasted hazelnuts – Hazelnuts add a wonderful crunchy texture. Make sure they’re roasted before adding in. I like to cut them in half for big chunks and a nice aesthetic.

Substitutions for cassonade and muscovado sugar

Cassonade is a coarse grained, brown sugar that is common in France. It is similar to turbinado sugar, demerera sugar, or granulated brown sugar.

Muscovado sugar is a moist, unrefined sugar with a strong caramel flavor. You can replace it with either light or dark brown sugar. The main difference is that brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added back in, while muscovado sugar retains the original molasses.

How to bake perfectly round cookies

I was a little skeptical of perfectly round cookies at first – after all, isn’t the organic shape part of the appeal? But the look has grown on me, and this style also gives you very straight, crispy edges and a soft, moist center.

To get perfectly round cookies, you’ll bake in bottomless tart rings or some other round oven-safe round mold. I use 8cm (3inch) molds.

It also helps to weigh the cookie dough balls when dividing, so that each one is consistent and fills out the mold appropriately. My cookie dough balls are around 60g each

What if you don’t have a tart mold?

Instead of using a tart mold, you can use a glass to get a similar round effect. After taking the cookies from the oven, cover with a round glass and spin the cookie around the glass until the edges reform and become round.

It won’t turn out with the same straight edges, but you will get a nice, consistent look.

How to make raspberry compote for cookies

These cookies are topped with a tart raspberry compote for extra flavor. I find that it balances the flavor well.

The compote is easy to make – simply cook your raspberries and sugar on the stove until thickened. Then, strain out the seeds for a smooth texture.

How to insert compote into cookies

Place the compote into a piping bag and cut off a small tip.

While the cookies are still warm and soft, use the piping bag to create small holes in the cookies, and fill with raspberry compote. I like to do 3 injection sites for each cookie.

How to make chocolate hazelnut praliné spread

The final component of these cookies is a sweet and crunchy chocolate hazelnut praliné spread.

Start by making a praliné by caramelizing sugar on the stove and mixing with roasted hazelnuts. Once cooled, crush into small, very fine pieces.

Then mix the pieces into your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread. I like to use Bonne Maman’s hazelnut chocolate spread.

Tips for making praliné

The trickiest thing about making praliné is the caramel. For this recipe, we’re doing a dry caramel where you pour sugar directly into the pan. Once the sugar starts melting, don’t stir it too much as it can cause the caramel to crystallize. You may notice that certain parts of the pan are warmer than others, causing the sugar to melt unevenly. Gently move any unmelted pieces of sugar to those areas to help even out the cooking.

Once the caramel is golden brown, it’s ready to remove from heat. Remember that it will keep cooking into you pour it out of the pan.

To grind the praliné, it’s best to use a food processor to get the finest texture. However, if you don’t have a food processor you can place the caramelized nuts into a plastic bag and beat it with a rolling pin.

Other cookie recipes to try

• Thin and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
• Matcha sesame cookies
• White rabbit chocolate cookies
• Super chunky chocolate chip cookies