Irresistible Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies: Your Guide to Decadent Baking

Few things bring as much joy as a warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. But what if you could elevate that experience to an entirely new level? Imagine a classic, soft, and chewy chocolate chip cookie, but with a surprise at its heart: a molten, luscious center of rich, creamy Nutella. Welcome to the world of Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies – a truly decadent treat that combines two beloved desserts into one unforgettable bite.

My journey with Nutella began in high school, and it quickly became an obsession. This delightful hazelnut spread has inspired countless recipes on my site, including an incredible Homemade Nutella that, dare I say, surpasses anything you can buy in a store. This particular cookie recipe has been a fan favorite for nearly a decade, and it’s time for a fresh update with clearer instructions and tips to ensure your baking success.

Looking down on a baked cookie with a visible Nutella center — A perfectly baked Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookie, showcasing its irresistible core.

The Secret to the Perfect Base Cookie

The foundation of any great stuffed cookie is, of course, a fantastic base cookie. For this recipe, I rely on my tried-and-true Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies dough. This recipe consistently yields cookies that are wonderfully thick, delightfully chewy, and bursting with flavor. The robust structure of this dough is essential for holding the Nutella filling without collapsing during baking, ensuring a beautiful, round cookie every time.

However, if you have your own go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe that you adore, feel free to use it! The key is a dough that’s sturdy enough to encapsulate the Nutella. For those days when time is of the essence, you can even opt for store-bought cookie dough – just make sure it’s a good quality brand that bakes up well.

Essential Ingredients You’ll Need

Creating these heavenly cookies requires a blend of common baking staples, plus our star ingredient, Nutella. Here’s a detailed look at what you’ll need to gather:

Butter: Softened, for a creamy, well-incorporated dough.
White Sugar: Contributes to crisp edges and overall sweetness.
Brown Sugar: The secret to that signature chewy texture and rich, caramel-like flavor.
Egg: Acts as a binder and adds moisture.
Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor profile, complementing both chocolate and hazelnut.
All-Purpose Flour: The structural backbone of our cookies.
Cornstarch: This is our secret weapon! A small amount of cornstarch helps keep the cookies incredibly soft and chewy, even days after baking. It prevents them from becoming hard or brittle as they cool, ensuring that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Baking Soda: Our leavening agent, helping the cookies rise and spread slightly.
Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the flavors of the chocolate and Nutella.
Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chips are classic, but feel free to experiment with milk or dark chocolate.
Nutella: The star of the show, providing that irresistible hazelnut-chocolate core.

Having all your ingredients at room temperature (especially the butter and egg) is crucial for proper creaming and dough consistency. This attention to detail will significantly impact the final texture of your cookies.

Process of putting frozen Nutella balls inside cookie dough — The crucial step of enclosing the frozen Nutella center within the cookie dough.

How to Master Nutella Stuffed Cookies: Step-by-Step

Crafting these delectable cookies is a straightforward process, but a few key steps ensure perfection. Follow these detailed instructions for a truly rewarding baking experience:

Prepare the Nutella Centers: This is the most critical first step. Scoop approximately 2 teaspoons of Nutella per ball onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. You’ll need about 24-36 balls, depending on your desired cookie size. Freeze these Nutella balls for at least 1 hour, or until they are solid. This freezing step is vital – it prevents the Nutella from simply melting and disappearing into the cookie dough during baking, ensuring you get a distinct, gooey center. It also makes the stuffing process much easier and less messy.
Cream Butter and Sugars: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. This process typically takes 2-3 minutes and is essential for incorporating air, which contributes to a soft cookie texture.
Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until they are thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed evenly. The egg acts as an emulsifier, binding the ingredients together.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. Stop mixing as soon as no streaks of flour remain.
Fold in Chocolate Chips and Chill Dough: Gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips by hand. Once the chips are evenly distributed, scoop 2-tablespoon portions of cookie dough (a medium cookie scoop works perfectly) onto a clean baking sheet or plate. Place these scooped dough balls into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the dough helps prevent excessive spreading during baking, resulting in thicker, chewier cookies. It also makes the dough easier to handle when stuffing.
Preheat Oven: While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Stuff the Cookies: Retrieve the chilled cookie dough and frozen Nutella balls from the fridge and freezer. Take one ball of cookie dough and gently flatten it into a disc in the palm of your hand. Place a frozen Nutella ball in the center of the dough. Carefully fold the edges of the cookie dough up and around the Nutella, pinching the seams to fully enclose it. Roll the dough gently between your palms to form a smooth, uniform ball. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and Nutella balls.
Bake to Golden Perfection: Arrange the stuffed cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring they are about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are ready when their edges are lightly golden brown, and the tops appear set and slightly dry. Avoid overbaking, as this will result in dry cookies. The center will still look slightly soft, but they will continue to cook as they cool.
Cool and Enjoy: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5-10 minutes. This allows them to set up properly before transferring. Then, carefully transfer the warm cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. While they are delicious cooled, biting into a warm cookie with a melted Nutella center is an absolute dream!

Freshly baked chocolate chip cookie with a spoonful of Nutella — Golden perfection: a batch of warm Nutella stuffed cookies, ready to be devoured.

Tips for Cookie-Baking Success

Achieving bakery-quality Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies is easy with a few expert tips:

Don’t Skip Freezing the Nutella: As mentioned, this is crucial. If the Nutella isn’t frozen solid, it will melt too quickly and seep into the cookie dough, rather than staying as a distinct, gooey center.
Chill the Dough: Chilling the cookie dough helps solidify the fats, preventing the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. It also allows the flavors to meld, resulting in a richer, more complex taste.
Measure Flour Correctly: For accurate results, spoon your flour into the measuring cup and then level it off with a straight edge. Scooping directly from the bag can compact the flour, leading to too much flour and dry cookies.
Don’t Overbake: Cookies continue to bake for a few minutes after they are removed from the oven. Pull them out when the edges are just set and golden, and the centers still look slightly soft. They will firm up as they cool, retaining that perfect chewy texture.
Use a Cookie Scoop: A cookie scoop ensures uniform sizing, which leads to even baking. A medium (2-tablespoon) scoop is ideal for these stuffed cookies.
Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats: Always bake on parchment paper or silicone baking mats. This prevents sticking and ensures easy cleanup.

Storage and Freezing Options

These Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies are best enjoyed fresh, but they also store beautifully:

Room Temperature: Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. For optimal freshness, keep a slice of bread in the container; it helps keep the cookies soft.
Freezing Baked Cookies: You can freeze already baked cookies for up to 3 months. Once completely cooled, place them in an airtight freezer-safe bag or container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in the microwave for a “fresh from the oven” experience.
Freezing Unbaked Dough Balls: For fresh-baked cookies on demand, freeze the stuffed dough balls. After stuffing the Nutella, place the raw cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1-2 hours). Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be stored for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place the frozen dough balls on a baking sheet while your oven preheats. Add an extra 1-2 minutes to the baking time, and you’ll have warm, gooey cookies anytime!

A Nutella stuffed cookie broken open, revealing the gooey center — The ultimate reveal: a warm Nutella core oozing from a freshly baked cookie.

More Tasty Cookie Recipes to Explore

If you’re a cookie enthusiast like me, there’s always a new recipe to try! Here are some other fantastic cookie recipes that are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth:

Homemade Star Crunch
Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Bakery Sugar Cookies
Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oreo Pudding Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Andes Mint Cake Mix Cookies

Close up of Nutella stuffed cookies on a baking sheet, styled for Pinterest — A beautiful display of these irresistible cookies, perfect for sharing.

Close up of Nutella in the center of a cookie

Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

By

Erin Sellin

These Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies are classic soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies with a delicious chocolate Nutella center!

Prep:
10 mins

Cook:
20 mins

Total:
30 mins

Servings:
36

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Ingredients

Cookie Dough

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 whole large egg
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Nutella

Instructions

Scoop 24-36 (2 teaspoon size) balls of Nutella onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Freeze for at least 1 hour until solid.
In an electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and both sugars until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until the egg is very well incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop 2 Tablespoon balls of dough (using a medium cookie scoop) onto a baking sheet or plate. Chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove chilled dough balls and frozen Nutella from the fridge/freezer. Flatten one ball of dough, place a frozen Nutella ball in the center, and carefully fold the dough around the Nutella, pinching to fully enclose. Roll gently into a smooth ball. Repeat with remaining dough and Nutella.
Place the stuffed dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the tops are set and appear dry.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author:

Erin Sellin

Prep Time:
10 minutes

Cook Time:
20 minutes

Total Time:
30 minutes

Course:
Dessert Recipes

Cuisine:
American

Servings:
36

Calories:
227

Keyword:
Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, Nutella Cookies

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