Nutella Cookies (with Creamy Centers)

Nutella Cookies are easy to make and the dough requires no chilling. Made with oat flour, these gluten-free Nutella stuffed cookies are wholesome, with a chewy bite and a creamy Nutella center that melts in your mouth. Check out these Gluten-Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies too!

What is Nutella?

Everyone loves Nutella, right? Well, at least I do… a lot! 

In case you haven’t heard about it, Nutella is an Italian chocolate spread made with hazelnuts. The reason why it has a rich and nutty flavor!

The traditional recipe (Gianduja) called for  2 main ingredients, hazelnut paste and chocolate. The supercrema Gianduja,  derived from Gianduja, was later called Nutella.

But the ingredients vary from the original Nutella formula depending on the country.

In the U.S., Nutella is made from sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), and vanillin (an artificial flavor).

Ingredients and Substitutions

This Nutella cookies recipe requires 10 ingredients. As you can see they are neither the 3-ingredient Nutella cookies nor the Nutella crinkle cookies you find out there. Unlike others, it is richer and also wholesome!

 Here is what you’ll need:

• Unsalted butter – Use good-quality butter, preferably Irish or European because it contains more dairy (less or no water) than American butter. Prefer the unsalted type because these delicious Nutella cookies are not too sweet.
• Sugars – This recipe calls for both white and light brown sugar. The latter one adds a molasses or caramel flavor to these cookies.
• Egg – It has to be at room temperature. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before starting this recipe or put it in a cup with warm water for 5 minutes. 
• Nutella –This recipe calls for Nutella but you can use any chocolate hazelnut spread or with a  Nutella flavor, including the healthy version. Or you can use creamy peanut butter!
• Oat Flour –Make sure to measure the flour correctly. Using too much flour will make the dough dry and crumbly. But if using less than called in the recipe, it will make the dough sticky and hard to shape into cookies. To make oat flour, place about 1.5 cups of old-fashioned oats into a food processor and pulse well until turning into fine flour. Make sure use only 1 ½ cups of oat flour exactly in the recipe. Measure and level well passing a knife over the cup to remove any excess! If you prefer replace the 1.5 cups of oat flour with 1 cup of all-purpose flour (not self-rising flour) and bake the cookies for a little longer. Because this recipe calls for an egg, the usual 1:1 (flour to oat flour) doesn’t apply here.
• Vanilla extract – Use pure one instead of flavored vanilla. If you prefer you can replace it with almond extract!
• Unsweetened cocoa powder -- For this recipe use NATURAL cocoa powder. Sometimes natural and Dutch-processed cocoa powder (which has a richer and deeper color) can be substituted for the other. But because our recipe calls for natural cocoa and baking soda, to use Dutch-process cocoa instead you’ll have to substitute an equal amount of Dutch-process cocoa and also replace the baking soda with 2 times the amount of baking powder.
• Baking soda – It interacts with the natural cocoa powder to neutralize its acidity.
• Chocolate – Preferably use either milk or bittersweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate for melting and drizzle over the chewy Nutella cookies after baking. Because they are not too sweet, dark chocolate chips will make them too rich.

How to make oat flour

To make oat flour, place about old-fashioned oats into a food processor and pulse well until turning into fine flour.

How to make Nutella cookies

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 12 teaspoons of Nutella onto the lined baking sheet and then freeze for about 30 minutes or until firm.
2. Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and reserve. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
3. In a large bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or a hand mixer), beat the butter and the sugars on medium speed until combined. Add the egg and the vanilla extract, beating for one minute or so until smooth.
4. Add the oat flour. Sift the cocoa powder and baking soda into the beaten mixture and mix until just combined, The dough will be firm! Test to see whether the dough is not too sticky by scooping a tablespoon of the dough and flattening it into a disc with the palm of your hand. If sticky, cover the dough and chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes. But it is still too sticky after chilling, dust your hands with a little cocoa powder.
5. Remove the Nutella from the freezer. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the cookie dough and flatten it into a disc. Place the frozen Nutella on the flattened dough, wrap it around the Nutella, and roll it into a ball. The Nutella must be completely wrapped by the cookie dough; otherwise, it will come out while the cookies are baking and make a mess.
6. Place the Nutella stuffed cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-2 inches apart.
7. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes or until firm enough to handle.
8. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool slightly. Drizzle melted chocolate on top and serve these Nutella-filled cookies with milk, hot chocolate, or ice cream.

Pro tips for making this Nutella Cookies Recipe

• The Nutella filling needs to be frozen and firm before stuffing the cookies.
• Measure the flour correctly to avoid adding too much or less than called for in the recipe. It can alter the texture!
• If the dough is too sticky to flatten and roll the cookies, chill it for 15 minutes. But if it is too hard to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes. If needed, dust cocoa powder in your hands to work the dough and roll the cookies.
• To get even-sized cookies use a tablespoon as a measurement.
• Make sure to let the cookies cool on a cooling rack before serving or drizzling with melted chocolate.
• These are not soft cookies. The oat flour makes them chewy! But they have soft centers though.
• Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of sea salt flakes on top of the cookies to amp up the flavor although they are already quite rich.
• You can double this recipe to make a bigger batch of cookies!
• If you prefer, you can sift powdered sugar or cocoa powder on top of the cool baked cookies instead of drizzling melted chocolate.
• Serve these cookies with a chilled glass of milk or with ice cream.
• You can make them as an everyday treat or decorate them for Valentine’s Day, the holidays, or any other special occasion. This is one of those easy recipes that make the day of any chocolate lover or Nutella lover’s dream!

Can I use Peanut Butter instead of Nutella?

Yes! But do not forget to freeze it to stuff the cookies as you’d do with the Nutella. 

Can I make these Nutella Stuffed Cookies in advance?

Yes, you can! But it’s best to roll the cookies into balls when the Nutella is frozen and the cookie dough is soft. The best way is to stuff the cookie dough with the frozen Nutella, roll into balls, and place them in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to bake.

How do I store these easy Nutella cookies?

Store them in a sealed bag or airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.

Can I freeze them?

They freeze well! Individually wrap them in parchment paper or aluminum foil (without the chocolate drizzle) and then freeze for up to 2 months.

To thaw the baked Nutella cookies, simply put them over the counter and let them sit there until they come to room temp.

Other cookie recipes to enjoy

• Keto Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate (4-Ingredient)
• Gluten-Free Ginger Molasses Cookies
• Cinnamon Cookies Recipe
• Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies
• Walnut Cookies

PIN AND ENJOY!