This recipe is part of my annual holiday cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza!
These Caramel Stuffed Nutella Cookies Are:
Soft and chewy in the centers Crisp on the edges Stuffed with caramel candies—a sweet surprise! Filled with chunky hazelnuts Flavored with Nutella, vanilla, + brown sugar Topped with coarse salt
I plead my case. Caramel stuffed Nutella cookies are the best on the planet—they flew off the cookie tray at our friend’s house quicker than I could describe what they were. One bite tastes like a Ferrero Rocher truffle, a cookie, and a spoonful of sweet caramel all at once. There’s a few important notes, success tips, and tricks to teach you before you get started, so let’s sit back and see how these heavenly circles came to life.
Behind the Recipe
I tested this recipe more times than I could count. They KEPT over-spreading! I started with my peanut butter chocolate chip cookies as the base, but replaced the peanut butter with Nutella. Nutella is thinner and silkier, so I reduced the amount. Nothing helped those flat puddles. Back to the drawing board. Then I turned to my chewy chocolate chip cookies. I swapped melted butter for softened butter to give the cookies more structure, added Nutella, a little extra flour, removed the cornstarch, and seemed to be on the right track. They spread a little more than I was hoping. This cookie was turning out to be more frustrating than untangling Christmas lights. Finally, I added 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder to bulk up the dough even more. Jackpot. We have a winner!
Ingredients in Caramel Stuffed Nutella Cookies
If you’re up for it, you can even use homemade soft caramels. Or if you want to skip the caramel and use more Nutella instead, try these Nutella crinkle cookies.
How to Make Caramel Stuffed Nutella Cookies
Easier than you think.
Whisk the dry ingredients together. Beat the wet ingredients together. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Beat in the hazelnuts. Chill the cookie dough. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is a cookie dough that must chill out in the refrigerator before shaping and baking—Nutella is just so gooey! 3 hours of chilling is ideal. Shape the cookie dough. Take 1 scant Tablespoon of cookie dough, stick a caramel inside, and place 1 more scant Tablespoon of cookie dough on top. Smooth the cookie dough over the caramel to completely hide it inside the dough ball. Sprinkle with coarse salt + bake.
The cookie dough is creamy, airy, and mousse-like right after mixing. (Below left.) After chilling, it’s pretty stiff (below right), so use a cookie scoop or 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon to help you measure the dough you need. If using Werther’s brand soft caramels (highly recommended), fold it in half. They’re long caramels, so you need to bend them to fit inside the cookie dough. The caramel will ooze out a little. See above. It’s normal, it’s expected, it’s delicious! If the cookies are over-spreading as they bake, use my “How to Save Flat Cookies” trick explained at the bottom of my How to Prevent Cookies from Spreading post. (Use a spoon to help shape them back together.)
3 Success Tips
And these caramel stuffed Nutella cookies are your new best friend. This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page including:
Chocolate-Swirled Meringue Cookies Hot Cocoa Cookies Gingerbread Cookies Snickerdoodles Caramel Hazelnut Linzer Cookies
and here are my top 10 cookie baking tools if you’re looking for recommendations!
