Pear and Hazelnut Cookies
These Pear and Hazelnut Cookies bring together chewy bits of dried pear and chopped hazelnuts in a warmly spiced dough. Creamy and gently sweet, they feel fancy enough for holidays but are simple to make for any day you want something special.
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 149kcal
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 178IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg