These delicious thumbprint cookies with Nutella are a chocolate lover’s dream!
Learn how to make Nutella thumbprint cookies, which are perfect for holiday gatherings, cookie exchanges, homemade gifts, and more!
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There’s something oddly comforting about chocolate hazelnut spread.
Whether you’re spreading a spoonful of Nutella on a piece of toast or a graham cracker, or you’re using it for a delightful dessert, the options are endless!
For instance, I love to make Ninja Creami Nutella ice cream for a cool treat on a hot day.
But when I’m wanting to spruce up a cookie tray for the holidays or simply add some delicious morsels to a dessert table of a family gathering, these Nutella thumbprint cookies are perfection!
With Nutella in the cookie dough AND in the center of each cookie, this is a chocolate lover’s take on the classic thumbprint cookie.
It won’t disappoint!
Thumbprint Cookies with Nutella
When I was a kid, long before I knew the joys of Nutella, I used to make a thumbprint cookie called “Brown-Eyed Susans.”
They were simple buttery shortbread-like cookies with a fudgey chocolate sauce added to the indents in the center of the cookie.
But using chocolate hazelnut spread for the middle of the cookies is a next-level move, bringing deeper flavor and making these cookies irresistible!
Plus, these delicious Nutella thumbprint cookies are rolled in chopped hazelnuts, giving just a hint of crunch that pairs wonderfully with the soft interiors.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes:
- Swedish Dream Cookies
- Walker’s Scottish Shortbread Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Snickerdoodles
How to Make Nutella Thumbprint Cookies
It’s easier than you think to make these easy cookies–one of those delicious recipes that’s perfect for holiday gatherings, cookie exchanges, handmade gifts, and more!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs, each separated into egg yolk and egg white
- Nutella (or other similar chocolate hazelnut spread)
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Cocoa powder
- Finely chopped hazelnuts
How to Make Nutella Thumbprints:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Cream butter and sugar. In a medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add wet ingredients. Add egg yolks, Nutella spread, and vanilla extract to the sugar mixture, mixing on low to medium speed until combined.
Add flour mixture. With the mixer on low speed, mix in dry ingredients of flour, cocoa powder, and salt, just until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer cookie dough to the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.
Roll and press. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Place egg whites in a small bowl and whisk for one minute. Add chopped hazelnuts to a separate small bowl.
Scoop cookie dough out and roll into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the egg whites followed by chopped hazelnuts, and place on prepared baking sheets at least 1 inch apart from each other.
Press your thumb (or a tablespoon) into the center of each cookie.
Bake. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes, then remove from oven and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
Fill. Place Nutella in a small microwave-safe dish. Microwave for about 30 seconds, just to soften. Fill each thumbprint with a dollop of Nutella.
Notes and Adaptations:
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
- Do not skip chilling or you will not be able to make the thumbprints in the dough.
- You will likely not find chopped hazelnuts in the grocery store, but you can buy whole hazelnuts (I prefer roasted and unsalted) and chop them by hand or with a food processor. You can also buy hazelnuts on Amazon.
Recommended Equipment:
Nutella Thumbprint Cookies
These Nutella thumbprint cookies are a chocolate lover's dream come true!
Ingredients
- For the Cookies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, separated into yolks and whites
- 3 tablespoons chocolate hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
- For the Filling:
- ½ cup chocolate hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer (or in a stand mixer), cream together butter and sugar.
- Add in egg yolks, Nutella, and vanilla extract, mixing well to combine.
- Add flour, cocoa powder and salt to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined.
- Chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites with a fork for one minute. Place chopped hazelnuts in another small bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop or your hands, roll cookie dough pieces to form 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in egg whites, then in the chopped hazelnuts. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart from each other.
- Press your thumb or a tablespoon into the center of each cookie to create an indentation.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cookies are cool, place 1/2 cup Nutella in a small microwave-safe dish. Warm it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add a dollop of warmed Nutella to each thumbprint in the cookies. Allow Nutella to cool before serving.
Notes
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.
- Do not skip chilling or you will not be able to make the thumbprints in the dough.
- This recipe has not been tested with other brands of chocolate hazelnut spread. Generic brand should likely work fine, but I'm not sure the more "natural" types of chocolate hazelnut spread would work, as they have a different texture and typically contain less sugar.
- You will likely not find chopped hazelnuts in the grocery store, but you can buy whole hazelnuts (I prefer roasted and unsalted) and chop them by hand or with a food processor. You can also buy hazelnuts on Amazon.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 246Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.
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