Nutella Cookies Are Great For The Holidays || Rich Hazlenut Flavor

I decided to tackle a nutella cookies recipe for the holidays this year. I love nutella, who doesn’t?!?! And I wanted to make a cookie that was out of my typical holiday cookies realm. Nutella cookies fit the bill.

homemade nutella cookies cut and stacked on a counter

But … as I began to look around the great big interweb to see how people were making nutella cookies I came across a few trends that seemed pretty prevalent that I wasn’t all that impressed by.

First of all, soooooooo many recipes for these cookies have chocolate in them. Cocoa powder, chocolate chips … what’s with all the chocolate???

If I wanted a chocolate cookie, I’d be researching chocolate cookies. But I wasn’t, I was searching nutella cookies. Because, I want a nutella cookie. One that tastes like nutella.

And yes … I know that nutella has cocoa in it. But, have you tasted it?!?! It is not chocolate flavored. It is hazlenut flavored. Strange enough … but true!

And then, there seemed to be some sea salt obsession going on with bloggers who make nutella cookies. One of them even referred to sea salt as a crucial ingredient in their post.

Crucial? Really? That seems a little extreme. But, I suppose crucial is the eye of the beholder, or the mind of the blogger, or something like that.

I personally adore a good cookie topped with sea salt. I think it’s a pretty tasty treat. But I’m going to skip on the sea salt for these nutella cookies and just fully enjoy the unadulterated nutella flavor.

What Is Nutella?

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that there are people out there who don’t know what nutella is. It was such a big trendy craze a bit back that I thought the news must have hit everyone.

a dish of nutella spread on a table

And yet one of the blogging websites that I check when I write a post, to see what questions people are asking on the subject of it, says this is a question that people ask. So I’m here to answer it for those who aren’t in the know.

First … let me say that if you are one of the people who don’t know what nutella is, I recommend heading out to the store and getting yourself a jar before you do anything else.

Even before you read my description of this creamy, decadent delight here. Go. Grab a jar!

This stufff is fantastic. And it is spoon worthy. Meaning … you can just dig in with a spoon, no other preparation needed.

Nutella is a sweetened hazlenut cocoa dessert spread that is very versatile. It is of Italian origin, and it was first created all the way back in 1964.

It has a unique taste that really isn’t rivalled by any other ingredient I know. AND it is going to be the sole ingredient in the filling of this nutella cookie recipe.

Ingredients Needed For This Recipe

There are just 8 ingredients needed to make these nutella cookies. And, apart from the nutella, they are all common kitchen pantry ingredients.

ingredients for nutella cookies on a counter

Here’s what you need to make them …

  • NUTELLA – There is a lot of buzz out there about how you need to use the original nutella brand spread to make a good nutella cookie. I disagree. Pick up whatever hazlenut spread you can afford and let’s make cookies.
  • FLOUR – Organic all-purpose white flour is really the way to go in this recipe. It doesn’t overpower any of the other flavors. Like the nutella. It doesn’t overpower the nutella. Very important, in my opinion.
  • BAKING SODA – Baking soda adds a light rise to the cookie dough.
  • SALT – Salt is used in baking for many reasons. Very often it is used to enhance the other flavors in the recipe. That is the case with the salt in this recipe.
  • BUTTER – Salted or unsalted butter will work in this recipe. I prefer salted in just about anything I use butter in. If you are cutting back on salt, as I should be, then go with unsalted.
  • SUGAR – This recipe does require some sweetener. I used white sugar to make it, as one of my main goals for the recipe is to let the nutella shine through strong, and white sugar is pretty subtle stuff. Not the healthiest choice. But Christmas cookies come once a year, so I’m okay with it.
  • EGG – As always farm fresh eggs are highly recommended whenever eggs are involved in a recipe.
  • VANILLA EXTRACT – If you have a high quality vanilla extract, or better yet if you make your own, be sure to use that.

How To Make Nutella Cookies

There is a little prep work that needs to be done before making nutella cookies. So, plan to do a little prep a few hours ahead of making the actual cookies. And, trust me … it’s well worth the extra trouble.

You’ll need to measure out your nutella spread into teaspoon sized disks, on a parchment lined pan, and put them in the freezer to freeze.

drops of nutella on parchment paper to be frozen

And you’ll also need to make the dough for the cookies and put it in the refrigerator to chill.

To make the dough you’re going to sift together the dry ingredients for the recipe. Beat the butter and sugar together. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

ingredients for nutella cookies in a bowl

And then stir the wet and dry ingredients together. Then put it all in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

homemade cookie mix in a bowl

Once your nutella rounds are frozen and your dough is chilled you can get started making your cookies.

You’ll want to take the dough out of the refrigerator and scoop it into rounds with a cookie scoop that holds 1 tablespoon of dough. You can set these out and allow them to warm to room temperature as you work.

dough balls laid out on a cutting board to make nutella cookies

You will flatten each round of dough using the palms of your hands. And then you will place a nutella disk from the freezer in the center of them, and mold the dough around the disk.

folding a nutella disk inside of cookie dough

You’ll need to look the cookie over well and make sure that there are no tears in the dough. If it is torn the nutella will seep out of the tear as it bakes.

You can lay them out on a cookie sheet as you work. They do not need a lot of room to spread. And then you’ll bake them without allowing the tops to become golden brown.

Tips And Tricks For This Recipe

There are a few tips and tricks you can use when making these nutella cookies that will make it all go more smoothly for you.

Here’s a list of them for ya …

  • Stir the nutella well before piping it out to freeze. Nutella separates much like natural peanut butter. It is best to pour it into a bowl and mix it all well so that it has a cohesive consistency. Otherwise, the nutella at the bottom of the jar will be considerably thicker than that at the top.
  • Be careful not to overmix the dough when blending the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Overmixing can overdevelop the gluten in the dough. And this will cause the cookies to be dense and heavy.
  • Take the nutella disks out of the freezer one at a time when working with them. They melt almost instantly, and it can get very messy if you take more than the one you’re working with out at a time.
  • Cool these cookies on a wire cooling rack. They need the air to circulate around them as they cool off so they don’t become soggy.

How To Store Nutella Cookies

Nutella cookies store well in an airtight container. Keep them this way in a cool, dry place for up to a week.

nutella cookies cut open to show inside

They also freeze well. Lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container or a freezer storage baggie.

They will keep for about 3 months in the freezer when stored this way. It is important to bring them to room temperature before eating them after they’ve been frozen.

You may even want to heat them ever-so-slightly, so that the nutella filling is soft and goey when you enjoy them.

Nutella Cookies As Holiday Treats

This cookie recipe requires a little more work than many other holiday cookie recipes. And I imagine many would think that this makes it a poor candidate for things like homemade gift giving and cookie exchanges.

stacks of homemade cookies on a counter

But, for me, this is the very reason that it is the perfect candidate for these things.

There’s something a little extra special about giving nutella cookies, along with a recipe card, as a gift over the holidays. The fact that they take a little more time and effort than other cookies shows in the final product.

So, take them to the hostess of the parties you attend this season. They’re going to love them.

And make them as your contribution for your favorite cookie exchange. Everyone will be thrilled to get them. And they’ll love that they come with a recipe so they can make them on their own next year.

Fill a holiday tin with them and pass them out to your neighbors or coworkers. Or put just 5 or 6 of them in a decorative holiday baggie and give them away to strangers that cross your path when you’re out and about.

The gift is in the giving. It truly is.

pinnable image for nutella cookies

If you try this recipe and love it, please give it 5 stars! It supports my work more than you may realize, and I appreciate that a great deal!

You can also show your support by tagging me on Facebook @sustainableslowliving and/or Instagram @slowlivingbydianegail when you post a pic of your finished dish.

homemade nutella cookies cut and stacked on a counter
Yield: 42 servings

NUTELLA COOKIES

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

A decadent sugar cookie stuffed full of nutella spread. This cookie takes a little more effort to make than some others. BUT ... it is well worth the extra effort.

Ingredients

  • 1 c nutella spread
  • 3/4 c butter, salted, softened
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 c flour, all-purpose white
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Meaure out 1 teaspoon rounds of nutella spread and drop them on a parchment lined pan.
  2. Place in the freezer.
  3. In a small bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
  4. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat together.
  5. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl.
  6. Add the baking soda and salt. Whisk well.
  7. Add the butter mixture and stir together by hand. Do not overmix.
  8. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for an hour.
  9. Remove from the refrigerator and make balls from the dough using a 1 tablespoon measure cookie scoop.
  10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  11. Flatten each ball into a disk with the palm of your hand.
  12. Place a frozen round of nutella spread in the center of the disk and fold the dough around it.
  13. Make sure the dough is not torn. Seal up any tears with the tips of your fingers.
  14. Place each cookie on a baking sheet as they're formed.
  15. Bake for 10 minutes. Do not allow the top to brown.
  16. Remove from the oven and place the cookies on a cooling rack.
  17. Allow to cool.
  18. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

42

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 91Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 73mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 5gProtein: 1g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 12/19/2022. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

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