The ultimate gourmet-style cookies, these Nutella stuffed cookies are made with browned butter, flecked with semisweet chocolate, lightly sprinkled with sea salt, and most importantly, bursting with a molten core of Nutella! Despite their gourmet-status and ingredients, they’re actually quite simple to make, and if you’ve never made browned butter before I’ll walk you through all of the steps in detail in the recipe!
I don’t like to think of myself as a bragger (braggart? I’ve thought about this for too long and the word is starting to lose all meaning to me).
I’m proud, sure, of many of my recipes and this little space that I’ve created, and I can get full-on impassioned when talking about egg yolks and butter and the importance of keeping a thermometer (or two) in your oven at all times.
But I don’t really like to boast about my recipes. Sure, here I talk about their best qualities, but in the real world it’s more of a “I thought this was good, and I hope you like it too”, and let the cookie/cake/etc. speak for itself.
But I have been full out bragging about these cookies. Everything short of stopping people in the halls of the hospital where I work and telling them about “these amazing Nutella stuffed cookies that I made”.
Maybe cutting drastically back on the amount of sugar that I’m consuming during Lent has sent my brain into a cookie-obsessed frenzy, but I’m full-on crazy about these Nutella-stuffed cookies, and I want everyone to try them.
They’re actually a Frankenstein of a cookie driven together by my newfound love of browned butter cookie dough (I used nearly the same exact dough in Friday’s recipe, shhh) and merged that with my love of stuffing desserts inside other desserts, and the half-empty jar of Nutella left over after making a video of these Nutella brownies. Rather than finish off the Nutella spoonful by shameful spoonful, I opted to instead stuff it inside my recent favorite cookie dough for these Nutella stuffed cookies.
Part of me wanted to wait a while before sharing this recipe since, as I mentioned, the base cookie dough was just used in my last recipe, but there was no waiting with these. I felt that it was my duty to the universe to release this recipe as soon as humanly possible, and so here we are 😉
Soft cookies flecked with real chocolate, infused with the golden browned butter in every delectable bite, and centers filled with sweet molten Nutella. There was no waiting with this recipe.
I’ve already talked here and here (and about a half dozen other places on the blog) about the joys of baking with browned butter.
If you haven’t browned butter yourself yet, that’s going to have to change because it is essential for the best possible cookie dough and flavor, and ultimate Nutella stuffed cookies. It’s amazing how such a simple technique can take a standard cookie dough and transform it into something amazing, but it can!
For those of you a little leery of toasting your butter, I include detailed notes and a photo in the recipe to make the process as smooth as possible. Just remember to not take your eyes off of it, because the second you turn your back it’s bound to burn.
Rather than use chocolate chips in this recipe, I opted for a single 4-oz bar of semisweet baking chocolate. I chopped it very finely so that there would be a bit in every bite without being overwhelming when paired with the chocolate flavor of the Nutella.
Enjoy!
And P.S.
If you live in my neighborhood you’re more than likely very aware that there’s a giant snowstorm headed our way tomorrow, and the likelihood of a snow day is strong. Do yourself a favor and skip the milk, toilet paper, and bread, and stock up on butter, Nutella and sea salt.
I can’t think of a better way to pass a snow day than with a batch of Nutella stuffed cookies (sure beats shoveling!).
Nutella Stuffed Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (280 g) Nutella
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- ⅔ cup (135 g) white sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups + 2 Tbsp (362 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch cornflour in UK
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 4 oz (113 g) semisweet chocolate bar very finely chopped
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
Portion the Nutella
- Prepare your Nutella filling first by lining a cookie sheet with wax paper and dropping Nutella by 2 teaspoon-sized dollops onto cookie sheet. Place in freezer to harden while you prepare your cookie dough.1 cup (280 g) Nutella
Brown the Butter:
- Cut your butter into Tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a medium-sized saucepan. Melt over medium-low heat.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
- Once butter has melted, increase heat to just above medium heat.
- Swirl and scrape the sides of the pan frequently with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula - the butter will bubble and pop. Once the bubbling/popping slows, the butter will begin to turn brown, it will look like this once it's finished:
- Watch the butter very carefully at this point, and once it begins to brown and you smell the nutty aroma of browned butter, remove from heat quickly and pour into a large, heatproof bowl.
- Allow butter to cool for 25-30 minutes, until no longer warm to the touch, before proceeding with the recipe.
For the Cookie Dough
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add sugars into cooled browned butter, stir well.1 cup (200 g) brown sugar, ⅔ cup (135 g) white sugar
- Stir in eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.2 eggs room temperature preferred
- Add vanilla extract and stir.1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.2 ¾ cups + 2 Tbsp (362 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring until ingredients are completely combined.
- Add your finely chopped chocolate bar and stir well.4 oz (113 g) semisweet chocolate bar
- Chill dough in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove frozen Nutella from freezer and cookie dough from refrigerator (if at any point the Nutella becomes too sticky and hard to work with, return to freezer for at least 5-10 minutes)
- Scoop dough by heaping 1 ½ Tbsp-sized spoonful and press frozen Nutella dollop into the center. Form around Nutella until it is completely concealed (add more dough as needed).
- Roll into an even ball and place on a wax-paper lined sheet. Repeat until all Nutella dollops are concealed in cookie dough, and freeze cookie dough balls for 15 minutes.
- Place cookie dough at least 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined sheet, and bake on 375F (190C) for 12-13 minutes, or until edges are just beginning to turn golden brown.
- Sprinkle immediately with sea salt. Allow cookies to cool completely on cookie sheet before removing (they'll be quite fragile when warm, but will become more sturdy as they cool).sea salt
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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juan
Can i use chocolate chips for this and chop them up or is the bar crucial
Sam
Hi Juan! That would work just fine. 🙂
Andres512
can i make this recipe without browning the butter just melting it, my family doesnt like browned butter very much
Sam
You can just use melted butter, but you may end up needing to add a little bit more flour. 🙂
Logan
Hi! I made this recipe but when I combined the dry and wet ingredients, the dough was crumbly. I think I added the flour in two steps instead of three, is there any way to fix that?
Sugar Spun Run
I am so sorry that you are experiencing an issue, Logan! Unfortunately, it sounds like too much flour was added. Over measuring your flour is the biggest mistake in baking so I have created a guide on how to measure flour properly that can be used as a reference for next time. Did you happen to make any other substitutions? Once too much flour has been added, unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to save the dough. You can try adding a splash of milk to see if that helps. 🙁
Logan
Yes! I actually added an extra egg and that helped and I was able to finish the recipe!! They are delicious!!! Thank you so much for making this!!
Sugar Spun Run
Fantastic! I am glad that it worked out and you enjoyed them, Logan! 🙂
Juylia
Always bake for my family, and have never been asked to “please remake” anything….until today!! They r rich but SOOOO good! Will 100% be making again.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family loved the cookies, Juylia! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. Good Luck with your next batch. lol 🙂
Sean
With more time at home due to recent events, I decided to try my hand at baking for the first time and chose this as the first attempt. The recipe and video were both very easy to follow, and I appreciated all of the tips. The cookies turned out perfect, and are nearly all gone now within 24 hours – receiving many compliments from my flatmates between bites along the way.
Thank you!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for choosing my recipe to try, Sean! I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the cookies. Thanks for commenting. I can’t wait to see what recipe you try next! 😉
Mina
Hey , is their any other type of sugar I could use instead of brown sugar ? I have caster , granulated or Demerara ..
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Mina! Brown Sugar brings out a richer flavor, however you can substitute it with granulated sugar since that is what you have on hand. The flavor will be slightly different but still enjoyable. Happy Baking. 🙂
Mina
Thank you ! I’m trying to avoid going out as much as I can so I will have to make it work with the ingredients i already have at home.
Amy
Demerara works almost as well as brown if you’re substituting in a recipe x
Varsha
Thank you so very much for this recipe. Tried it with my 7 year old today they turned out perfect. The taste was awesome. Perfect way to spend the day.
Sugar Spun Run
I hope that you and your child had so much fun making these together, Varsha! Thank you for trying my recipe, I am glad that you enjoyed the cookies. 🙂
Arielle
Hey! I don’t know why my cookies were very sugary and tasted too much like batter… I don’t know where in the recipe I went wrong and also the dough was very sticky so making the cookies was very hard to form
Sam
Hi Arielle! Was the butter cooled completely before you added the sugar and other ingredients?
Tee
This recipe was easy to follow…and yet I still managed to go wrong somewhere. My dry ingredients were so dry my dough did not adhere together and was just a bowl of crumbles. I refrigerated in hopes something would happen but kt was difficult to mould around the nutella with what resembled graham cracker crumbs. Thoughts on how that could have happened? I measured what I thought was accordingly…however…so dry.
Sugar Spun Run
Oh no Tee, I am so sorry that you experienced this issue. If the dough was crumbly it sounds like the flour may have been over measured. This is a common mistake in baking so I have created a guide on how to measure flour properly that can be used as a reference for next time. Again, I am so sorry that this happened. I hope that give this recipe another try. 🙂
Amanda
I have never left a review before. But, these were so good I had to. Perfect, wouldn’t change a thing. And I always have something to say!
I was even going to post a pic, but couldn’t figure it out!🤷♀️
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the cookies, Amanda! If you’d like to share a picture you can do so by tagging me on Instagram (@sugarspun_sam) or by posting a picture in my Facebook Group. 🙂
Andres512
Hello, I noticed in the video that you’re Nutella when you scooped it was very liquidy did you melt it before scooping?
Sam
Hi Andres, I do not melt the Nutella before scooping.
Lucy
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. My husband lovessssss it 😊 If i make in large quantities ( for party), should i freeze the unbaked cookie or the finish product? Thanks for reply . Love.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the nutella stuffed cookies, Lucy! You can either freeze the dough or the baked cookies. Both methods will work fine. If you bake the frozen dough please keep in mind that it will need additional time in the oven. 🙂
David Jones
Amazing! Came out really tasty. Entire family enjoyed.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your family enjoyed the Nutella stuffed cookies, David! Thanks for trying my recipe! 🙂
Fiona
Love this recipe !!! I’ve made it over 8 times now and the kids love it .Thank you for sharing
Sugar Spun Run
Wow! 8 times! That is awesome! I am so glad that this recipe has become a family favorite, Fiona! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Hannah
i am a 12 year old and i made these cookies without any help from my mom and i brought them to school and everyone lovedthem. this is a great and simple recipie.
Sugar Spun Run
Congrats on making this recipe all by yourself, Hannah! I am so glad that you found the directions easy to follow and that your friends enjoyed the cookies! Thanks for commenting. I can’t wait to see what recipe you try next! 🙂
Emma
Hi,
Can I make these without eggs?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Emma! Unfortunately, I don’t recommend it. The eggs create structure and stability within a batter that is needed.
Marty
I think the above shall be done by adding a substitute for eggs (i:e : ripe mashed banana, yogurt, apple sauce (but if you add apple sauce, consider the amount of sugar you are going to add).
I recently tried this recipe without eggs and i did not add any substitute, instead i added 2 tablespoons of milk. The cookies do taste amazing, but i think i forgot to put baking soda, so they didn’t flattened much & also the Nutella was dried sadly.
Thanks for the recipe sam.
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for sharing, Marty!
Megan Harty
These turned out perfectly! I followed the recipe closely and I wouldn’t dare make any changes! It is tedious with all of the chilling steps but so worth it:) The brown butter and sea salt are huge game changers!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that you enjoyed the Nutella stuffed cookies, Megan! The process can be time-consuming, but I too find they worthy of the wait. Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Nesrina
I made these cookies last night, I’m not sure where I went wrong, but they all tasted like way to much baking soda/powder? They also came out very high and lumpy. Should I cut down on the baking powder/corn starch/and baking soda? Im going to give them another go tonight and see what happens.
Sam
Hi Nesrina! The amount of baking powder and baking soda (and cornstarch) listed is definitely correct, but from what you’re describing it does sound like too much baking soda or powder was used. Is it possible one of these ingredients was over-measured accidentally? It should be only a teaspoon each.