Cream Filberts

A vintage Pacific Northwest holiday cookie where a whole filbert (the regional name for hazelnut) gets hidden inside a tender shortbread ball, then the whole thing gets dipped in vanilla glaze and rolled in sugar for a sparkly, crackly finish.

The Pacific Northwest grows about 99% of America’s hazelnuts, so cookies built around them have a strong regional history in Oregon and Washington holiday tradition. The buried-nut surprise is the entire charm: bite in expecting a plain shortbread and find a whole nut at the center.

The dough is essentially a basic shortbread, lean on flavor by design so the hazelnut and the glaze can shine. Encasing the nut completely before baking takes a gentle hand. Roll the dough around the filbert smoothly so no part of the nut shows through, otherwise it pokes out during baking and ruins the look.

Dipping and rolling while the cookies are completely cool gives the cleanest finish. Warm cookies melt the glaze too much and the sugar coating clumps.

Pro Tips

• Toast the filberts at 350°F (175°C) for 8 to 10 minutes before using. Toasting deepens the nutty flavor dramatically and removes the bitter skins.

• Rub toasted hazelnuts in a clean dish towel to slip off the papery skins. They turn bitter if left on.

• Use real butter instead of shortening if you can. The cookies will spread slightly more but taste considerably richer.

• Roll cookies in granulated sugar for sparkle, or in powdered sugar for the classic snowball look.

Variations

• Substitute whole almonds, pecans, or walnuts for the filberts.

• Add a teaspoon of almond extract to the dough for deeper nutty character.

• Skip the glaze and roll the warm baked cookies directly in powdered sugar for a Mexican wedding cookie style.