These soft and chewy Nutella Cookies are loaded with Nutella and chocolate chunks! My recipe is easy, but it does require some patience for chilling. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Simple Nutella Cookies
Alright Nutella lovers, this one’s for you. These Nutella cookies start with a soft, chewy cookie base that meets creamy chocolate hazelnut spread to create one perfectly flavored treat. These cookies are a much more civilized way to enjoy Nutella than my usual method: by the spoonful straight out of the jar!
Today’s recipe is slightly modified from my best peanut butter cookies. Similar to that recipe, these Nutella cookies are soft, buttery, and carefully crafted to keep the Nutella flavor predominant (this was my biggest concern when developing this recipe!).
Adding chocolate chips or chunks is optional, but I definitely recommend tossing at least a few into the batter for some melty pops of chocolate in each bite (reminds me of my double chocolate chip cookies!).
The biggest drawback for this recipe is obviously that chilling is required (I know, I know), and for at least 3 hours (sorry!). I tried chilling the cookies for less time but found that they simply spread too much. And, sure, we could’ve used more flour and skipped the chilling, but you just lose too much of that Nutella flavor. Unfortunately, a bit of fridge time is a necessary evil. I promise they’re worth the wait!
What You Need
If you’ve made any of my cookie recipes before, the cast of characters above will be of no surprise to you. If you’re new here, pay special attention to the following ingredients:
- Cornstarch. Just as with my flourless chocolate cookies, cornstarch helps keep these Nutella cookies soft and prevents them from spreading too much on the baking sheet.
- Butter. Since we are adding salt ourselves, use unsalted butter and make sure it is softened, but not melty.
- Flour. Make sure to measure your flour properly, or your cookies may turn out dry, crumbly, or hard.
- Vanilla. A splash of vanilla extract enhances the depth of flavor of the Nutella.
- Chocolate chunks. I like using semisweet chocolate chunks, but you can always use chocolate chips if you prefer. Or if you’d like to leave them out, that’s fine too!
SAM’S TIP: Save a few chocolate chunks for pressing into the tops of your cookies when they come out of the oven! This will give your Nutella cookies a bakery-style look.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Nutella Cookies
- Cream the butter, sugars, and Nutella until combined, then stir in the egg and vanilla extract.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Cover and chill the dough for at least 3 hours.
- Scoop and roll the chilled dough into 2 tablespoon sized balls before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes at 375F and let cool completely on the cookie sheets before enjoying.
SAM’S TIP: The cracks in the middle of your cookies may still look a bit underdone when you pull them out of the oven–this is fine! As long as the edges look cooked, the insides will finish cooking outside the oven on the baking sheets. This is how I ensure my Nutella cookies will still be soft and chewy after they’ve cooled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can prepare, cover, and chill the dough in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Unfortunately the chilling is non-negotiable here. It’s a critical step to make sure the cookies hold their shape on the baking sheet and turn out nice and soft after baking.
Yes! If you aren’t interested in adding the chocolate chunks, you can certainly leave them out with no other changes needed.
Looking to freeze your Nutella cookie dough? Check out my how to freeze cookie dough post!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Nutella Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ⅔ cup (125 g) light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
- ¾ cups (245 g) Nutella
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (187 g) flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch cornflour in UK
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Combine softened butter, sugars, and Nutella in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, using electric mixer) and beat until ingredients are combined and well-creamed.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, ⅔ cup (125 g) light brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) sugar, ¾ cups (245 g) Nutella
- Add egg and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.1 large egg, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.1 ½ cups (187 g) flour, 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until completely combined — be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure that all ingredients are well-incorporated.
- Stir in chocolate chunks.½ cup chocolate chunks
- Cover bowl with cling wrap and chill for at least 3 hours.
- Once dough has finished chilling, preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove from refrigerator and roll into approximately 2-Tablespoon-sized balls. Roll dough into balls and place on prepared cookie sheet at least 2″ apart.
- Bake on 375F (190C) for 10-13 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool completely on cookie sheet. Enjoy!
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.
Omar Issa
I still haven’t finished baking these cookies, but, by the comments, they sound extremely divine! I still don’t understand if chill means put them in the fridge or just leave them out. My aunt and other family members are extremely excited to try these, especially since I made them and I’m only a preteen. I hope they turn ut great!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Omar! When it says chill, you want to wrap the bowl that contains the cookie dough and place it in the fridge. It helps the dough set, makes it easier to work with and helps them from spreading too much. I hope that you enjoy the cookies. Keep me posted on how they turn out! 🙂
Omar Issa
They turned out great! My family enjoyed them so much we finished them in the first 30 minutes! I gave half of the dough to my 9th grader cousin to bake at her house. They loved it even more! Where do u come up with these recipes? Thank you so much for the recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful, Omar! I am so glad that the Nutella Cookies were a hit! Thank you for trying my recipe. 🙂
Emily
Hi, do you think it would work ok to sub in Hazelnut M&Ms? If so, would you put them in the mix or wait to put them on top after the bake? Thanks!
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Emily! I have not yet tried baking with the hazelnut M&Ms. I typically mix regular M&M’s into the batter before baking the cookies if that helps. Let me know what you end up doing and how it works for you. 🙂
Emily OConnor
I made them last night/this morning. They are really amazing. I left the MMs whole but they are larger so next time I think I’ll freeze them chop them using my food processor before adding in. One bag of MMs seems right for a double batch of your recipe. Thanks again!
Melissa
This recipe was worth the three hour chill time! I love Nutella so I loved these cookies. Be sure not to overbake. They looked undercooked at 13 minutes but after they cooled they were chocolatey, chewy, and delicious.
Sam
Thank you so much, Melissa! I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies so much! 🙂
Emily
these were really good! very sweet so I’d probably use a little less sugar next time, but would definitely make again.
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed, Emily! Thank you for commenting 🙂
John
My granddaughter “helped” me to make these, she is 8 going on 18 and her comment was,after licking out the mixing bowl and devouring 2 biscuits( I`m a Yorkshireman)” Grandpa they`re scrumptious”
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cookies, John! 🙂
Pre-Baker 2006
BEST COOKIES I’VE EVER MADE!!! I’ve baked these i think 8 or 9 times. It wasn’t over complicated at ALL! It was perfect for me since I’m only a pre-teen, but they looked, smelled, and tasted amazing and professional! Or at least I think so…I’m not sure because I think anything with nutella tastes good. But 5 stars for sure! My brother makes them for his cub scout meetings and I make them for ski trips. By far the best. Thanks for sharing!!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy the cookies so much! 🙂
Jezel Guerrero
So my cookies turned out a looking wrong and at first i thought : oh no, I must have done something wrong.
But then I tried it and I almost gasped. These cookies are Delicious! The edge had that perfect cookie crisp and the inside was, wow.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookies, Jezel! 🙂
Susan
Well I made these and they are in the oven and thanks for all the replies as I will pull them out on time and not over cook them ! The kitchen smells good and sure hope the cookies tastes just as good as they smell ( o and I hate you have to cool for 3 hours). But if the taste good it will not matter
Sam
I’m sorry about the chill time, Susan, but it really helps keep the cookies from spreading too much and really allows the flavor to develop. I hope you enjoy them! 🙂
Loree Johnston LaChey
I made these cookies the other day. Warning – they are highly addicting. I did add a bit more Nutella and used white chocolate chips. They were quit good, but maybe not “hazel nutty” as one expects with Nutella. I love the crispy outside and the chewey inside. Thanks for the recipie!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Loree! 🙂
Jessica
Currently making these cookies and my house smells amazing!! Can’t wait to try them.
Sam
I hope you love them! ☺️
Scott
I have made the recipe twice so far. The second time I made a few changes to change the flavor. I used a 50-50 blend of dark and light brown sugar. I also used a 50-50 blend os semi sweet and white chocolate chips. Finally I added 1/3 cup of heath pieces. I like both recipes but found the one I adjusted more to my liking.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy them, Scott! ☺️
Yana
Can i make it in a smaller size?
Sam
Yes, you will just need to cook for less time.
inIndiana
FABULOUS! I made these cookies with my daughter and her friend yesterday — great playdate activity (with frozen nutella dollops and browned butter prepared before hand) and wow did we make all the neighbors happy with these amazing cookies. Home run! I love Nutella, so IMHO, best cookies I ever made. (I think I burned my browned butter but I strained out the small brown bits and turned out scrumptious).Thank you, thank you! Can’t believe this recipe isn’t pinned all over the internet.
Cindy
I made these the other day. The only problem I had is that they turned out crispy and not chewy. Don’t get me wrong, they are still delicious, my husband has already eaten half of them and my grandsons love them too. What did I do wrong to make them crispy and not chewy?
Sam
Hmm, I’ve found that using parchment paper or silpat helps keep the bottoms of my cookies from becoming too crisp but if you did use one of those, other factors could be your oven temperature, it may be running higher than it is indicating to you (I keep two thermometers inside my oven because I don’t trust my digital indicator). You could also bake them a bit less time, I usually pull my cookies out when they still seem just slightly underbaked in the center and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet, this also helps to keep them nice and soft.
I hope that helps but am glad to hear you enjoyed them otherwise! Let me know if there’s anything else I might be able to help troubleshoot!
Cindy
Thanks so much. I will try your suggestions the next time I make these. Which will probably be very soon.
Mikaru86
When I initially saw this post I was a bit confused. It wasn’t a repost of an older post (since I didn’t have this post bookmarked yet) but I was pretty sure I had tried some Nutella cookies based on a recipe of yours in the past. Turns out it was the “Smashed Oreo & Nutella Cookies”, which I made without the Oreos back in May 2016. I really liked those (especially the subtle hazelnut flavor) and now I’m wondering why I never made those again in the meantime o0 Guess your “regular” chocolate chip cookies are simply too good, so any time I want cookies, they are my go-to recipe XD
But I’ll have to try out this variant some time. I also have to put together another update with the recipe feedback, especially the strawberry shortcakes (although I’m not entirely happy with how those turned out yet).
Sam
You know, I had honestly almost forgotten about the Oreo/Nutella cookies, thank you for reminding me! 🙂