Pears don't always get the spotlight in cookie baking, but paired with hazelnuts, they shine in the most delicious way. These pear and hazelnut cookies are creamy, lightly spiced, and just sweet enough to let the fruit and nuts do the talking. With their rustic texture and warm, nutty flavor, they feel like something you'd discover in a little European bakery, elegant enough for holidays, yet simple enough for an everyday treat.
Why You'll Love Them: Soft, nutty, and lightly spiced - a unique pear and hazelnut cookie that's perfect for fall or holiday baking.
Ingredients You Will Need
- Butter unsalted
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground nutmeg
- Chopped hazelnuts
- Diced dried pears
- Pear Juice for Infusing Dried Pears
Pear Juice Tip!
- Heavy Syrup - The liquid is thicker and contains the most sugar and sometimes corn syrup. These can contain up to 40% sugars in the liquid.
- Light Syrup - This is a thinner liquid and does not contain as much sugar as the heavy syrup with only 10-20%.
- From Concentrate - The water is removed and a thick concentrate is created. Then water is added back in to create a thin liquid and only the natural fruit juices are calculated.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Weigh or measure the white and light brown sugars into a bowl and set it aside. In another bowl weigh or measure the flour. Add the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the flour, then run a whisk through to blend.
I purchased chopped hazelnuts made by Fisher, but if all you can find are whole hazelnuts with the skins on here is a YouTube for skinning hazelnuts by Dadatouille.
Prepping the Dried Pears
I found dried pears at Wegmans here in Lancaster PA, but Amazon has quite a collection of dried pears. Different manufacturers will have different textures from semi-hard to very soft. Wegmans brand had soft flesh but some of the rims were a little stiff so I did soak them for about 20 minutes to soften the outside of the slices.
I also used the concentrated juice from a can of Wegmans sliced pears. This brand did not have any added sugar. There are many brands, but you do not want the juice from a can that uses heavy syrup.
1. I weighed out 9 dried pear slices which came out just a little over the 180g. I added the dried pears to a bowl and covered them with the pear juice.
2. After 20-30 minutes I laid the pears between paper towels to absorb the excess juices. Cut the pear into pieces and set them aside.
Mixing the Dough
3. In a mixer bowl, cube the butter and divide the cream cheese into blocks.
4. On a medium mixer speed cream the butter and cream cheese together for about 2 minutes.
5. Next, add the sugars and mix on a medium mixer speed for 3 minutes.
6. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and one of the eggs. I break mine into a small dish before adding to the cookie dough to make sure there are no egg shells. Once incorporated add the second egg.
7. The cookie dough will look very soft and smooth at this point. I scrape down the sides and bottom and turn the mixer on for about 10 seconds to finish blending the dough.
8. Turn the mixer to a low speed and add the flour mixture about a third at a time. This only takes about a minute. Try not to overmix you can always finish incorporating any loose flour with a spatula.
9. Finally add the cut up dried pears and chopped hazelnuts. I mix for about 10 seconds.
10. I take a spatula and mix it around to make sure the pears and hazelnuts are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Scoop and Bake
I almost always use a cookie scooper. It really helps ensure your cookies are consistent in size and taste. I got twelve mounds to a baking sheet using a medium-size cookie scooper.
Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 12-14 minutes. I let them sit for about a minute on the pan before moving them to a cooling rack.
Enjoy!
FAQs
I love using dried fruit in my cookies. It gives them a slightly chewy texture and no excess juice. On the other hand, fresh pears contain juice like most fruit does. When baked with cream cheese it can produce a soggy cookie in a few days.
Oh my yes! Both of these will go very well with pears.
For this cookie I added equal amounts of the fruit and the nuts. I always consider how strong the flavors are. For example pears have a mild taste and hazelnuts do not have a strong taste so equal amounts.
The cream cheese makes this a little heavy and dense cookie, so I add them to a Glad container and lay the top on. I don't seal the lid tightly, cream cheese needs to breathe a little. They will last 4-6 days.
Other Cookies with Hazelnuts
Recipe
Pear and Hazelnut Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 8 ounces Cream cheese softened
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar white
- ½ cup (110 g) Light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- 1 cup (120 g) Chopped hazelnuts
- 1 cup (180 g) Diced dried pears infused
Instructions
- Infuse the dried pears by soaking them in pear juice or water for 30 minutes. Remove the slices from the liquid, pat them dry with paper towels, and chop into small pieces. Set aside.
- Weigh or measure the white and light brown sugars into a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine evenly. If using whole hazelnuts with skins, remove the skins and chop them into small pieces. If already chopped, you can skip this step.
- Add the butter and cream cheese to your stand mixer bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the white and brown sugars and mix for another 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. Pour in the vanilla extract and maple syrup, then mix to combine. Crack the eggs one at a time into a small dish (to catch any sneaky eggshells) before adding them to the batter, blending just until each is incorporated.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then turn the mixer to low speed and add the dry flour mixture in thirds, blending just until combined. Scrape down the sides and across the bottom of the bowl once more, then add the chopped pears and hazelnuts. Mix just until the fruit and nuts are evenly distributed, this should only take a few seconds.
- Cover the mixer bowl loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I love using a cookie scoop, it helps keep the cookies uniform in size. Using a medium-size scoop, I placed 12 mounds of dough per sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, then let the cookies rest on the pan for about a minute before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Once fully cooled, store them loosely covered in a container, cream cheese cookies like a little breathing room to stay soft and flavorful.
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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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