These German Nussecken are made from a crunchy shortbread base, sweet apricot jam, and a chewy + crunchy almond & hazelnut topping. Dip the corners in dark chocolate for the perfect balance of irresistible flavors!
Nussecken Have No Business Being this Good
Have you tasted nut corners before? If not, they're easily one of my favorite German cookies since they're packed with contrasting textures & flavors. These layered cookie bars are called Nussecken in German, which translates to "nut corners" since they're loaded with chopped + ground nuts and cut into triangles.
And can we just take a moment for those decadent layers? On the bottom, there's a crisp, buttery shortbread base that I made sure is super easy to make from scratch. Then we'll add a thin layer of apricot jam to add a pop of fruity sweetness. Next up, it's time for the nuts! And after several recipe tests, I found that making the caramelized nut topping on the stove first ensures it's thick & sticky enough to not slide off the top. Finally, each cookie gets a dunk in melted dark chocolate to balance the sweet + nutty flavors, similar to my Almond Horn Cookies. I'm drooling already...
Growing up in Germany, I found my love nuts in baked goods, since they're a popular addition to sweets. And now that I live in Oregon, hazelnuts (also known as filberts) are very common. If you love the rich flavor combo of hazelnuts + chocolate, then I highly recommend making my German hazelnut loaf cake next!
Let's Gather Our Ingredients!
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar - Sweetens the cookies without adding too much moisture like brown sugar would.
- Baking powder - Helps the cookie base rise a little in the oven, so it's lighter and softer than traditional shortbread.
- Salt
- Egg - Binds the cookie dough together so it can easily be rolled out in one large rectangle.
- All purpose flour - Provides the base structure for a light, tender cookie. Hearty flour like wheat flour will be too heavy and almond flour would add too much moisture.
- Apricot jam - Adds a little fruity pop of flavor and helps the nut topping stick to the shortbread base so it doesn't slide off.
- Chopped nuts - You can chop hazelnuts or almonds (or both) by hand, or blitz them in a food processor to save time. And since they'll get toasted in the stove, raw nuts work just fine.
- Ground nuts - Ground nuts help bind the topping together. I like grinding a combo of hazelnuts and almonds at home with my food processor for a little variety in flavor. But you could also use almond meal or almond flour as a shortcut.
- Dark brown sugar - You can also use light brown sugar, but I prefer the richer caramel flavor and darker color of dark brown sugar.
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate - I recommend using a bar of baking chocolate, which melts a lot faster and smoother than chocolate chips.
Homemade Nussecken Step-By-Step
1. Beat the softened butter until it’s creamy & smooth.
3. Mix in the egg until well-combined.
5. Press the dough into a rough 9-inch by 13-inch rectangle.
7. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until it’s starting to just turn golden.
9. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
11. Stir in the ground nuts, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt.
13. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
15. Slice it into thirds lengthwise.
17. Slice each square diagonally.
19. Melt the dark chocolate.
2. Mix in the sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Mix in the flour until it's crumbly.
6. Transfer to a baking sheet & poke a dozen times with a fork.
8. Spread the apricot jam in an even layer over the hot shortbread.
10. Add the chopped nuts & cook for 5 minutes.
12. Spread the nut mixture evenly over the apricot layer.
14. Cool, then trim off the edges.
16. Slice it in fourths width-wise.
18. Cool for 1 hour to harden.
20. Dip the corners in melted chocolate.
Tips for Your Chocolate Dipped Nut Bars
- Flavor Balance: After testing several types of chocolate, I recommend using the best quality dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate you can find, to add a rich, slightly bitter contrast to the sweet Nussecken. Or swap in semisweet chocolate for a sweeter cookie.
- Chocolate Dip: After dipping one corner, allow the melted chocolate to drip back into the bowl for a few seconds before flipping the cookie around and dipping the other corner, to avoid making a mess. Or drizzle it onto each cookie for more chocolate in each bite!
Recipe Variations
- Cookie Size: You can cut your nut corner bards as big or small as you like. Usually the ones sold in Germany are around 4 inches, but you can make mini Nussecken that are 2 inches long.
- Jam: Any thick jam works well with these cookies. Apricot jam is most traditional, but strawberry or red currant jam also works. One of my favorites is lingonberry jam, which I get from IKEA of all places!
Storing
- Room Temperature: Store leftover Nussecken in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Store cooled Nussecken in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer safe bag. Allow them to thaw at room temperature.
Easy German Nut Corners | Nussecken
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookie Base
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (1 stick)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
- 1 large egg
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup apricot jam
Nut Topping
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1½ sticks) ; ¾ cup)
- 1½ cups finely chopped hazelnuts or almonds (or a mixture of both nuts)
- 1½ cups finely ground hazelnuts or almonds (or a mixture of both)
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt)
Chocolate Topping
- 1 cup dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate (about 6 ounces)
Instructions
Bake the Cookie Base
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric hand whisk or in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the softened stick of butter until it’s pale smooth and creamy, after 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat again until it’s smooth and fluffy, after 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the egg and beat again until it’s incorporated, after 1 minute.
- Add the flour mix on a low speed until it forms a crumbly mixture, and there’s no visible dry flour, after 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove the parchment paper from your baking sheet and place it on the counter. Dump the dough onto the parchment paper, and press it in an even layer until it’s about 9-inches by 13-inches. (You can press the dough with your hands, or place a sheet of plastic wrap on the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin.)Lift parchment paper and rolled-out dough and place it into the baking sheet.
- Poke the dough about a dozen times with a fork. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until it’s starting to just turn golden on top. (Keep the oven on.)
- Spread the apricot jam in an even layer over the hot shortbread. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the Nut Layer
- Melt the stick and a half of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the chopped nuts and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes until the nuts smell toasted.
- Add the ground almonds or hazelnuts, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix to combine. Cook for one more minute, then remove from the heat.
- Spread the nut mixture evenly over the apricot layer.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the nuts on top are caramelized and bubbling along the edges. Let cool for 15 minutes, then trim off any uneven edges and slice into triangles. Allow the cookies to continue cooling for at least 1 hour, then lift the cookies from the baking sheet, and re-slice them if needed.
Dip in Melted Chocolate
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave on 20 second intervals or on the stove with a double boiler.
- Dip the two pointy corners of each triangle cookie into the melted chocolate. Return the cookies to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet until the chocolate has set, after at least 2 hours. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Equipment: I recommend using a quarter sheet pan, which is 9-inches by 13-inches. Then you can press or roll your shortbread dough all the way to the edges of the pan for the perfect size. If you're using a large baking sheet, you can use a ruler to measure the side of the cookie base.
- Crumbly Dough: The cookie dough will look really crumbly at first, but the softened butter will make it all stick together as soon as you begin rolling it out.
- Even Baking: When rolling out the dough, try to get it in as even of a layer as possible. If the edges are thinner than the middle, they’ll turn brown before the center. If that happens, you can just slice off the crispy edges after it's baked.
- Cool Completely: Be sure to allow your cookie bars to cool completely after slicing them. Otherwise the nut topping will still be soft & could slide off.
shkalen
Very good recipe, worked well
Carissa Erzen
I'm so glad to hear that, thanks!
Lee
Very good!
Carissa Erzen
Thank you so much!
Lee
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Carissa Erzen
Fantastic! Thank you!