Nutella Cookies
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This Nutella Cookies recipe creates moist, brownie-like cookies with a crisp exterior and soft, fudgy interior. Made with plenty of Nutella for that decadent chocolate and hazelnut and flavor.
Nutella vs Peanut Butter in Cookies
Can you substitute Nutella for peanut butter in cookies? While Nutella is similar in texture to peanut butter, the differing levels of sugar and oil make it a harder to swap 1:1 in a peanut butter cookie recipe.
Nutella has significantly more sugar and oil than creamy peanut butter. Both of which will cause cookies to spread.
I learned this first hand as I tested this Nutella cookies recipe 3 times.
- My first batch of cookies spread like pancakes.
- For the second batch I overcompensated and the cookies didn’t spread much at all.
- The third batch was a happy medium, and is the cookie recipe that I am sharing today.
The best part about this Nutella cookies recipe is that there’s no chilling the dough. Just make and bake! Like my amazing chocolate chip cookies, M&M cookie recipe, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.
Nutella Cookies Recipe
Compared to peanut butter cookies, I used more Nutella so you’d taste enough of the chocolate hazelnut flavor, but used less sugar, less butter, and less baking soda to compensate for the spreading.
What you get is a slightly thin, brownie-like cookie with a crisp exterior and soft, fudgy interior.
If you like soft peanut butter cookies, that are moist in the middle and no fork required to flatten them, then these Nutella Cookies are for you.
How to Make Nutella Cookies
This Nutella cookies recipe is easy to make with basic baking ingredients.
First, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. (Or inside a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.)
- Add the Nutella, egg, and vanilla. Mix well and scrape the bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients.
- Mix until incorporated.
Scooping and Baking
Use a medium, #40 scoop (about 1.5 Tablespoons) to scoop the cookie dough into balls. Place onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet about 3-inches apart (8 cookies per tray.)
Bake at 350˚F for 9-10 minutes until edges are set; centers will be slightly puffy still. Allow cookies to rest on the tray for a few minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storing and Freezing
Store cookies in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
To freeze dough to bake later, simply scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Set in the freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. Then transfer frozen dough balls into a freezer safe zip-top bag and freeze up to 3 months.
NOTE: You will need to bake cookies roughly 3-5 minutes longer, if baking from frozen.
Baking Tips
- Use brand name Nutella. This recipe was only tested using the Nutella® brand of hazelnut spread with cocoa. Using off-brands or store-brands may produce a different result.
- Use a cookie dough scoop. This helps the cookies bake evenly and look uniform. I prefer a #30 or #40 scoop. (Affiliate links.) NOTE: The bigger the number, the smaller the scoop, and the smaller the number the bigger the scoop. These two sizes are between 1.5 and 2 Tbsp of cookie dough. I used a #40 scoop for the cookies shown.
- Scooping vs rolling cookies with hands. I love the rustic, crinkled top of cookies from using a trigger scoop. However, I did end up rolling the last bit of cookie dough with my hands and it gave it more of a crusty, crackled look, like brownies. Either way works, but will create two different looks.
- Space cookie dough 3-inches apart, not two. I like to bake 8 cookies per tray compared to the typical dozen (12). (See image in post.) First of all, you don’t want your cookies melting into each other. Secondly, the more cookies on the tray, the thinner the cookies bake because the heat is trying to distribute evenly across all of the cookies.
- For thicker Nutella cookies: You can half the amount of baking soda (use 1/8 tsp instead of 1/4 tsp). If you decide to leave the baking soda out of the recipe completely the cookies will spread very little and be quite round.
If You Make This Recipe, Please Rate and Review it in the Comments Below. THANKS!
Nutella Cookies
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour, stir, spoon, & level
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp (57 g) unsalted butter, room temperature (½ stick)
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
- ¾ cup (222 g) Nutella, chocolate hazelnut spread with cocoa
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line half sheet trays with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. (Or inside a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.)
- Add the Nutella, egg, and vanilla. Mix well and scrape the bowl. Add the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated.
- Use a medium, #40 scoop (about 1.5 Tablespoons) to scoop the cookie dough into balls. Place onto prepared pans about 3-inches apart (8 cookies per tray.)
- Bake at 350℉ for 9-10 minutes until edges are set; centers will be slightly puffy still. Allow cookies to rest on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- To freeze dough to bake later, simply scoop cookie dough balls onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Set in the freezer for 1-2 hours until firm. Then transfer frozen dough balls into a freezer safe zip-top bag and freeze up to 3 months. NOTE: You will need to bake cookies roughly 3-5 minutes longer, if baking from frozen.
2 Comments on “Nutella Cookies”
Really good cookie, a solid recipe. The 9-10 minutes baking time left them way too doughy, so baked as long as most cookies, finally ending right around 13 minutes. Won’t use Nutella again due to their use of palm oil which has a horrible impact on the rainforest, but there are more environmentally-friendly alternatives. Made these for the first time, and my test subject (hubby) gives them 8 out of 10 stars.
Ovens and scoop sizes vary so I’m glad that you could figure out what works best for your circumstances. Happy to hear you are enjoying this recipe!