These Apricot Orange Hazelnut Cookies combine sweet dried apricots, fresh orange zest, and chopped hazelnuts in a soft, balanced cookie that is full of flavor without being overly sweet. The apricots add chewy pockets of fruit, the orange brightens the dough, and the hazelnuts bring a warm nutty crunch.
If you enjoy baking with hazelnuts, you might also like my Hazelnut Espresso Shortbread Cookies. And if citrus is your favorite flavor to work with, my Chocolate Orange Hazelnut Cookies are another bright option that pairs beautifully with a cup of coffee.
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A Quick Look: Apricot Orange Hazelnut Cookies
Recipe Name: Apricot Orange Hazelnut Cookies
Ready In: about 3 hours and 42 minutes, including chill time
Yield: 35 cookies
Texture: crispy around the edges and tender in the middle
Flavor Profile: warm, nutty, and fruity, not overly sweet
Difficulty: easy to make
Get to Know This Cookie
Use the buttons below to get a quick overview or ask questions before you bake.
Why You'll Love This Cookie
You will love these cookies for their balance of flavor and texture. The dried apricots bring little bursts of fruit sweetness, while the orange zest keeps everything bright and fresh. The mascarpone makes the cookie soft and tender just like my Raspberry Hazelnut Mascarpone Cookies. The hazelnuts add just enough crunch to make each bite interesting.
These cookies are not overly sweet, which makes them perfect for an afternoon treat with coffee or tea. If you enjoy fruit and nut combinations that feel a little special but are still easy to make, this recipe checks all the boxes.
Key Ingredients
- Chopped Hazelnuts - I like buying hazelnuts already skinned and chopped to save time. It keeps prep simple and avoids the extra step of rubbing off the skins. A rough chop is perfectly fine if you are starting with whole nuts.
- Mascarpone - Mascarpone adds moisture and tenderness to the dough. It creates a soft cookie without making it dense or heavy.
- Dried Apricots - Cut the apricots into small pieces so they distribute evenly throughout the dough. Smaller pieces help ensure balanced bites in every cookie.
How to Make Apricot Orange Hazelnut Cookies!
Prep
Step 1: Weigh or measure the white and light brown sugar into a bowl and set it aside. In another bowl weigh or measure the flour. Add to the bowl the allspice, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, and salt, running a whisk through to blend.
- Step 2: Using a sharp knife and a cutting board cut the dried apricot into about the same size pieces as the chopped hazelnuts.
- Step 3: Next, I zest and juice the orange. Try not to zest down to the white layer it can be bitter.
Mix the Dough
- Step 4: Cube the butter into a mixer bowl. This will also help to bring the butter to room temperature a little faster.
- Step 5: Cream the butter on a medium mixer speed for about a minute.
- Step 6: Add the sugars and mix for 3 minutes. Because there is more sugar than butter, you want to incorporate it as much as possible.
- Step 7: Add the mascarpone, orange zest and juice, along with the vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Step 8: Before adding the first egg I break the egg into a small bowl to check for eggshells. Mix the first egg into the dough before repeating with the second egg.
- Step 9: Add the hazelnuts and dried apricot pieces and just mix for 5 seconds.
- Step 10: Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the flour mixture by hand using a spatula. Mixing by hand helps keep the dough tender and prevents overworking the mascarpone.
- Step 11: You want to check to make sure all the flour has been mixed in and the apricot and hazelnuts are distributed evenly. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
Scoop and Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I use a medium cookie scooper to get consistent size cookies for even baking.
👩🏻🍳Baking Tip!
Do not overbake these cookies. They will puff slightly and look set around the edges before the centers are fully firm. The cookies will continue to set as they cool, so pulling them out at the right moment keeps them soft and tender.
- Step 12: Add 12 scoops of cookie dough to one of the prepared cookie sheet pans and bake for 12-14 minutes. Pull them out of the oven when the edges are lightly browned and the tops look set. Let them rest on the pan for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack.
Enjoy!
🫙🍪Storage
Store the cookies in a container with a lid that seals. The cookies will last for 5 - 7 days before the edges start to get crispy.
Apricot Orange Hazelnut Cookies FAQs
Yes, orange and apricot pair beautifully. Apricots have a natural tart-sweet flavor, and orange zest adds brightness without overpowering the fruit. Together, they create a balanced flavor that feels fresh but not overly sweet. I also use this pairing in my Apricot Pinwheel Cookies with Orange Glaze, where the orange flavor comes through in the glaze for a slightly sweeter citrus finish.
Yes, cream cheese can be used, but it changes the flavor slightly and makes the texture a bit firmer than mascarpone.
Yes. Chopped almonds and walnuts are good substitutes. Just keep the pieces small so the texture stays balanced.
Dried apricots work best in this recipe because they provide concentrated flavor and do not add excess moisture. Fresh apricots would change the texture of the dough and may cause the cookies to spread more.
❄️ Can I Freeze This Cookie?
I do not typically freeze cookie dough when testing my recipes, so the instructions above reflect how this cookie was baked and stored. If you'd like to explore general freezing options for this cookie, the AI tool below can provide additional information.
More Apricot Cookies
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Recipe
Apricot Orange Hazelnut Cookies
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) Light brown sugar
- 8 ounces Mascarpone room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- 2 Tablespoon Orange juice
- 1 Tablespoon Orange zest
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Dried apricot cut up
- ½ cup Hazelnuts chopped
Instructions
- Weigh or measure the white and light brown sugars and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, and ginger until well blended. Cut the dried apricots into small pieces and set aside. Zest the orange into a small bowl, then cut it in half and juice it into another bowl.
- In a mixer bowl, cube the butter and cream it on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the sugars and mix for 3 minutes, until well incorporated. Add the mascarpone, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Mix until fully blended.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds. Add the chopped apricots and hazelnuts and mix just until combined. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer.
- Using a solid spatula, fold the flour mixture into the dough just until combined. Be sure to scrape along the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the flour. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 12 to 14 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned and the tops look set. Let the cookies rest on the pan for about 1 minute before transferring them to a cooling rack.
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Notes
• Fold the flour in by hand to avoid overmixing the mascarpone.
• When zesting, avoid the white pith to prevent bitterness.
• Do not overbake. The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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