These Nutella Stuffed Cookies were one of those recipes that took a little trial and error to get just right. I knew what I wanted, a giant chocolate chip cookie with a rich chocolate hazelnut center, but figuring out how to keep that delicious filling inside the cookie was another story.
At first, stuffing the cookies sounded simple enough. Put Nutella in the middle, wrap the dough around it, and bake.
Except Nutella had other plans.
I quickly discovered that if I put it straight from the jar into the cookie dough, it could leak out while the cookies baked. After experimenting with different ways of stuffing them, I finally figured out the trick: freeze the Nutella first.
That one little change made all the difference.
The Secret to Nutella Stuffed Cookies
Before I start making the cookie dough, I portion tablespoon-sized dollops of Nutella onto a lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer until they’re solid.
One of the easiest ways I’ve found to do this is to spoon the Nutella into a zip-top bag, snip off a corner, and squeeze tablespoon-sized portions onto the baking sheet. Once frozen, they’re much easier to tuck into the cookie dough.
For my extra-large cookies, I use two scoops of dough to make about a 5-ounce cookie. I flatten the dough slightly, place one frozen Nutella portion in the center, then carefully wrap the dough around it and seal it completely.
Make sure there aren’t any openings where the filling can escape.
Then I press a few extra chocolate chips into the top before baking.
The result is a thick bakery-style chocolate chip cookie filled with a soft, rich chocolate hazelnut center.
And when I say rich, I mean rich.
These are definitely the kind of cookies that call for a tall glass of cold milk. They’re also big enough that you may want to split one with somebody. Of course, I won’t judge you if you don’t.
Nutella Stuffed Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup melted butter
- 1 cup melted margarine
- 5 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6–7 cups all-purpose flour, leveled (possibly more if needed)
- 3 cups mixed semisweet and milk chocolate chips
- About 1 tablespoon frozen Nutella per cookie
- Additional chocolate chips for topping
Instructions
- Freeze the Nutella. Place tablespoon-sized portions of Nutella onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid. I like to put the Nutella into a zip-top bag and squeeze out the portions because it makes this step quick and easy.
- Make the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the melted butter, margarine, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients. Mix in the baking soda, salt, and 6 cups of flour. Gradually add additional flour as needed until the dough is soft but no longer sticky. If you accidentally add too much flour and the dough becomes too dry, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the consistency is right.
- Stuff the cookies. Using a large 4-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion two scoops of dough to make approximately a 5-ounce cookie. Flatten the dough slightly and place one frozen tablespoon of Nutella in the center.
- Seal them well. Carefully bring the cookie dough around the frozen Nutella and completely seal the filling inside. Roll gently into a ball and make sure there aren’t any cracks or openings.
- Add more chocolate. Press a few chocolate chips into the top of each cookie.
- Bake. Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 15–18 minutes. At my altitude of over 4,000 feet, 325°F works well for these extra-large cookies. At lower elevations, you may find that 350°F works better. I always recommend baking one test cookie first because ovens and elevations can make a difference.
- Cool slightly before eating. Give the cookies a few minutes to set after they come out of the oven. The Nutella center will be very hot when they’re fresh from the oven.
This recipe makes approximately 2 dozen extra-large 5-ounce cookies or about 6 dozen regular-sized cookies. For smaller 2-ounce cookies, bake for approximately 12–14 minutes.
A Few Tips for the Best Nutella Stuffed Cookies
The most important thing I’ve learned with these Nutella Stuffed Cookies is not to skip freezing the filling. It makes stuffing the cookies so much easier and helps keep that chocolate hazelnut center where it belongs.
Start with 6 cups of flour and add more only as needed. You want a soft dough that isn’t sticky, but you don’t want to add so much flour that the cookies become dry.
When measuring flour, I like to make sure it’s properly leveled so I don’t accidentally add too much. King Arthur Baking has a helpful guide to measuring flour if you’d like to see the different methods.
And don’t forget the test cookie. Especially with cookies this large, a single test cookie can tell you whether your dough needs a little more flour or whether you need to adjust your baking time.
These Nutella Stuffed Cookies are definitely an indulgent cookie. Between the semisweet and milk chocolate chips and that hidden Nutella center, there’s a lot of chocolate packed into one giant cookie.
That’s exactly what I wanted when I created them.
Grab a cold glass of milk, cut one in half while it’s still a little warm, and watch that chocolate hazelnut center appear. Or share one with somebody you love. They’re certainly big enough.
Making every house feel a little more like home.
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