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Our Danish snacks taste test
In February, one of the rare times when we were together in Denmark, we filmed a very fun YouTube video trying out some new Danish snacks. Obviously, being Danish, we’ve tried a lot of the classic snacks, so we tried to include ones we hadn’t had before or new flavors of classic snacks. You can check out that video here. One of the snacks we tried was a new flavor of franske vafler, which are sandwich cookies. But these were filled with chocolate and hazelnut! So, we were inspired to create our own version of them, and that’s where today’s recipe comes in: dark chocolate hazelnut franske vafler.
What are franske vafler?
If you aren’t familiar with franske vafler, then we’d highly recommend you check out our recipe for the classic vanilla version. The name translates to “French waffles”, although we’re not entirely sure why. The cookie part is super crunchy and crispy, and more like a pie dough than a cookie dough. It’s coated in sugar before being baked, which also gives it a unique texture. Then, the classic filling is a vanilla buttercream, which is a very rich and creamy contrast to the crispy cookie. However, in the chocolate hazelnut version, we’ve opted for a dark chocolate and hazelnut ganache. We find that this helps the chocolate flavor really shine through, with a small hint of hazelnut, and the choice of dark chocolate ensures that there isn’t too much sweetness in the filling, and it’s well-balanced with the sugar-crusted cookie.
Chocolate hazelnut franske vafler – a perfect flavor combo
Now, chocolate and hazelnut as a flavor combo is certainly not a revolutionary one. Nutella has always been a favorite toast topping of ours, and was such a treat growing up when we got to have it. Danes also notoriously love putting chocolate on bread (just Google “pålægschokolade” and you’ll understand), so I suppose it wasn’t a huge surprise that we loved Nutella so much. But when it comes to chocolate and hazelnut, there needs to be a good balance between the two. The chocolate can quickly become overpowering, but then again, you don’t want the hazelnut to be too strong either. We’ve tried to find a good balance with Nutella in the ganache and dark chocolate for a strong punch of flavor, along with crushed hazelnuts, so there’s added texture and flavor from those as well.
Crispy and crunchy sandwich cookies
What’s so satisfying about these chocolate hazelnut franske vafler? Genuinely, it’s the combination of textures and flavors that is just unbeatable. The super crunchy and flaky cookies, combined with the smooth ganache filling…perfection. The cookies are sweet but also buttery, while the filling is rich and flavorful. I would say that the sugar crust is what really makes these unique and gives them such a great texture. We also roll the final cookies in chopped hazelnuts for added texture and even more hazelnut flavor. These franske vafler are just the ultimate sandwich cookie, and we really hope you give them a try.
Ingredients you’ll need
There are three components to these cookies: the dough, the ganache, and the topping. For the dough, which is pretty much a pie dough, you’ll need cold butter, flour, salt, and ice-cold water. To roll out the cookies, you’ll need heavy cream (or egg!) and sugar to create that sugar crust. And for the ganache, you’ll need heavy cream, dark chocolate, Nutella, and salt. Instead of name-brand Nutella, you can use a similar chocolate hazelnut spread, and it’ll work just fine. If you can get your hands on it, gianduja would probably give you the strongest hazelnut flavor. Finally, for the topping, you’ll just need some chopped toasted hazelnuts.
How to make our chocolate hazelnut franske vafler
You’ll start by making a basic pie dough, which will need to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you can roll it out. To make this, simply crumble butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles sand, then add the water. Knead until the dough comes together, then chill in the fridge. For the ganache, heat up the cream until hot but not boiling, then pour it over the chocolate and let it sit. Mix well, then add the Nutella and a pinch of salt. Let this cool until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Roll the dough out and cut out rounds, then roll lightly until they’re more of an oval shape. Brush with cream (or an egg wash) and coat in sugar, then bake. Finally, sandwich together the cookies with the ganache, roll in some extra chopped hazelnuts, and enjoy!
Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut “Franske Vafler” (Sandwich Cookies)
Crispy sugar-crusted cookies sandwiched together with dark chocolate and hazelnut ganache – these franske vafler are a hit!
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 113 grams cold cubed unsalted butter
- 200 grams flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3-5 tbsp ice-cold water
- 50 grams sugar (for rolling out)
- Heavy whipping cream OR an egg (for making the sugar stick)
GANACHE
- 120 ml heavy whipping cream
- 120 grams dark chocolate, chopped
- 120 grams Nutella (or similar hazelnut spread)
- Pinch of salt
TOPPING
- Chopped toasted hazelnuts
Instructions
- Start by making a basic pie dough, which will serve as the cookie part of the sandwiches. Combine flour, cold butter, and salt in a bowl or a food processor. In the processor, pulse until it resembles sand. By hand, crumble the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles sand.
- Add ice-cold water a tablespoon at a time. In the processor, pulse a few times until the dough starts to come together. By hand, add your water a bit at a time and bring the dough together, being careful not to knead too much. If you need to add a bit more water, you can! Once the dough has come together, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
- While the dough is chilling, make your ganache by heating up heavy cream until it is just below a boil.
- Add your chopped chocolate to the cream and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Stir until the chocolate is fully incorporated. If there are still some chunks that haven't melted, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave for 5-second increments, or use a double boiler to reheat it gently. A double boiler involves heating up a small amount of water until steaming on the stove and placing a heatproof bowl over the water to use the steam to heat the bowl and the contents as well.
- Once the chocolate and cream are smooth and combined, add the Nutella and a pinch of salt and stir well to incorporate.
- Let the ganache sit either at room temperature or in the fridge to set. If you leave it in the fridge, make sure to stir often so that it doesn't harden too much. You still want the consistency to be spreadable.
- Preheat your oven to 390 F (200 C). Once your dough has rested, roll out your dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface.
- Cut out rounds (ours were about 2 in or 5 cm in diameter). Repeat with any remaining dough. We usually get about 32 total round cookies out of the dough, making 16 total sandwich cookies.
- Once you have cut out all your cookie rounds, roll each round lightly with the rolling pin to create an oval shape.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. You will probably have to bake this in two batches or on two baking sheets simultaneously.
- Brush the cookies with heavy cream or an egg wash and then sprinkle with sugar in an even layer on top.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. The top should be nice and crispy and caramelized with the sugar layer!
- Repeat with any more baking trays you have, as you may need to bake them in a few batches.
- Once your cookies are done, let them cool on a wire rack.
- When the cookies are cooled and the ganache has set to a buttercream-like consistency, it's time to fill the cookies.
- Prepare toasted hazelnuts by either using a food processor to pulse them into smaller chunks or putting them in a Ziploc bag and crushing them using a rolling pin, a sturdy metal cup, or other item that won't break if you smash it into the hazelnuts on the counter.
- Add a few teaspoons (up to a tablespoon) of filling to a cookie and press another one on top until the filling reaches all the way to the edge.
- Roll the edge of the sandwich cookie in the toasted hazelnuts.
- Repeat with all the remaining cookies. You may have a small amount of filling leftover. Keep the cookies in the fridge if not eating within several hours. Enjoy!
