You know what I love? Chocolate Chip Cookies, warm from the oven. I love a cakey outside and a chewy center, and really love the explosion of chocolate flavor. So naturally, I thought to myself “how can I make this even better?”
Enter Nutella.
Since chocolate chip cookies already have notes of vanilla and chocolate, I thought that the hazelnut and chocolate notes of Nutella would be a perfect complement. Plus, at room temp, Nutella stays soft, making it a perfect cookie filling.
This is a cookie recipe I’ll be making all year long, but I’ll be making extra large batches around the holidays. No more plain chocolate chip cookies for my cookie swaps – a few festive sprinkles and these bad boys are sure to be a holiday hit!
Getting the Nutella inside
The obvious question here is “how do you get Nutella inside the cookies?”
While there are many methods, my tried-and-true one is to freeze it! Given the fat content of Nutella, it doesn’t stay frozen for very long, but it will stay frozen long enough for you to roll cookie dough around it and pop it in the oven.
Simply line a cookie sheet or flat plate with parchment paper and portion out teaspoon sized globs of Nutella and pop it in the freezer. Give it 2 hours or so to really harden and you’ll be good to go! I prefer to do this the night before so they get super hard overnight.
Making the cookie
To assemble these cookies, you’ll want to start by wetting your hands a bit, since the dough is sticky. Scoop a roughly tablespoon sized ball into your hands, and create a little well in it for the Nutella. Then, place the frozen Nutella inside, and scoop another tablespoon of dough on top. Roll it into a ball, making sure you don’t see any Nutella exposed, or you run the risk of it leaking out when it bakes.
To make these look extra cute, I like to put some extra chocolate chips on top right before they bake. I used minis so you get chocolate throughout, but any chocolate chip/chunk will do!
Baking time
This really does vary depending on your oven, so I highly suggest getting an oven thermometer so you know what temperature you’re actually baking at. Cookies are pretty forgiving, but if you ever want to make macarons, meringue, etc, you’ll want to know temperature down to the degree.
For these cookies, 11-13 minutes should do it for a cookie that is just slightly golden on the outside, but still soft on the inside. Luckily, the Nutella stays soft regardless, so even if you over-bake these a tad, they’re still delicious.
Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Oven
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 12 tsp blobs of Nutella frozen
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup chocolate chips I prefer semi-sweet, but milk or dark would work great
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Cream softened butter, white and brown sugars together using a stand or hand mixer.
- Add vanilla and egg and mix until combined fully incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and pour into wet mixture. Stir/mix to combine.
- Add chocolate chips and fold them in so they’re combined throughout the dough
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Using wet hands, scoop a tablespoon of dough into your hand, and press the frozen Nutella piece into the center. Then, scoop another tablespoon of dough on top, and roll into a ball, ensuring that no Nutella is exposed.
- Top with extra chocolate chips (or nuts, sprinkles, etc) and place on baking sheet
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until lightly golden brown (bottoms should be golden)
- Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes and enjoy with a cold glass of milk, cup of coffee, or on its own!
