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Feature image of Pear and Hazelnut cookies in a white dish.
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5 from 1 vote

Pear and Hazelnut Cookies

It is the perfect Christmas fruit cookie, but pears need a mild nut to go with them, and I could not think of a better choice than hazelnuts. Enjoy!
Prep Time45 minutes
Total Bake Time40 minutes
Chill1 hour
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 32 cookies
Calories: 145kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Butter unsalted 1 stick room temperature
  • 8 ounces Cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup Sugar white 198 g
  • ½ cup Light brown sugar 106 g
  • 1 Tablespoon Maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Eggs room temperature
  • 2-½ cups All-purpose flour 300 g
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
  • 1 cup Chopped hazelnuts
  • 1 cup Diced dried pears infused

Instructions

  • Infuse dried pears either with pear juice or water for half an hour. Take out of the liquid and pat them dry with a paper towel. Chop them into small pieces and set them aside.
  • Weigh or measure the white and light brown sugars into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and run a whisk through to blend.
  • Add the butter and cream cheese to your mixer bowl and cream them together. Next, add both sugars and blend on medium mixer speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Next, add the vanilla extract and the maple syrup. Then add one egg at a time. I crack the egg into a separate bowl before adding it to my cookie batter. It never fails that I will get an eggshell in my batter if I do not do this.
  • Scrape down the sides, turn the mixer to a low speed and gradually add the dry flour mixture. Next, I scrape down the sides and across the bottom before adding the chopped pears and hazelnuts. It only takes a few seconds to mix the fruit and nuts into the batter.
  • Cover the mixer bowl loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. I love using a cookie scoop since it makes each cookie the same size. I used a medium-size scooper to get 12 mounds on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Leave them on the pan for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 81mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1mg