The Best Stuffed Cookie - Chocolate Chip Nutella
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Who here is in love with stuffed cookies?
Stuffed cookies, also known as NYC stuffed cookies, giant stuffed cookies, thick stuffed cookies, seem to be very popular these days! Everyone is looking for these cookie shops, to have them delivered, or to bake them! Baking my very own giant stuffed cookies have been a personal mission of mine for a very long time, and even more recently after I finally tried one (though it was only a bite!).
The quest for homemade stuffed cookies began in October 2020. My girlfriend was doing a photo shoot and her coach provided her and the other ladies with KyKyKookies to mark the first indulgence to celebrate their hard work with dieting for the shoot. Apparently it was the best cookie she’s ever had, and she wanted me to make it. One of my slogans that I’ve said ever since we got together was “Whatever you want I’ll make it.”
Normally I’m the one who’s greedy when it comes to food, and it’s quite hard for me to share, and I guess I’m evil and I’ll steal other people’s foods (e.g. take the last slice of pizza from my sister, steal my girlfriend’s fries!). She’s more open to sharing, but nope! She devoured that cookie and didn’t bring it back for me at all! History repeated itself in June but I was taunted with pictures of the cookie, and she forced me to browse Instagram. In the Ottawa area, I was also recommended to check out MadeByNikki’s stuffed cookies, and I still have yet to try, but I’ve gotten so much inspiration from her Instagram! In the new year I need to make it a mission to finally try those famous cookies!
At last in October I finally got to have a bite of the limited edition donut-filled stuffed cookie by KyKyKookie. Yes, just a bite, but it was a good bite, and I got to see what it’s all about! Before having that bite, I did try to make a batch of stuffed cookies for fun. Unfortunately they were a bit of a fail! My problem: rolling the cookies out after I had stuffed them! I had a brain fart and had parathas in mind!
As you read on in the recipe, the key here is to have a big, domed, dense ball. To get awesome soft cookies that are so gooey on the inside, density and thickness is the key!
If you’ve been drooling and/or indulging in stuffed cookies made by the pros, you can take them to your kitchen! As with other kitchen missions, my approach is to master the basics and then go wild with the extras! Trust me, I’ve made a ton of different doughs to get the ultimate stuffed cookie recipe. I just kept it simple with chocolate chips and stuffing with Nutella (team Nutella or peanut butter? I’m obviously Nutella… helloooo chocolate!), and tried different combinations of flour, sugar to brown sugar, and more! Let me tell you that the stuffing is actually the easy part, but getting the texture of the dough is what’s tricky!
Well, here you go! This is the only cookie dough recipe you need for stuffed cookies! I’m not sure what our KyKyKookie or MadeByNikki do, but it would be fun to exchange recipes someday :)
Master your dough and then go crazy with the fillings! If you’re one of the first to read this post, you’ll see that I’ll soon add in some separate recipes for more elaborate stuffed cookies. For now, this is going to just be a guide for the simple Chocolate Chip Nutella Stuffed Cookie so that you get your feet wet making awesome stuffed cookies. You’ll soon be an expert, I guarantee!
I also recommend you check out the video at the bottom of this post! Since this recipe is quite technical, not only is it good to read about it, but having a visual aid will help to ensure that you know exactly what to look for when making your stuffed cookies! You really need to see how your dough should look and feel and how to form and shape our cookies when we stuff the Nutella in there. I love sharing the videos alongside the blog posts to give a full package for every recipe! With that being said, my video recipes go live the same as the blog posts, so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the bell icon so you’re notified when those release! There will be a part two to that video showing the fun stuffed cookie variations and how to get creative with different stuffings and decorations!
Since Christmas is soon approaching, I thought it would be a perfect time to share this stuffed cookie recipe, so you can get started with your thrilling holiday baking! I can’t wait for you to make this basic Chocolate Chip Nutella Stuffed Cookie recipe and move on to others!
why make thick cookies?
I think the question is why wouldn’t you make thick stuffed cookies! Honestly, these have been some of the most fun desserts I’ve ever made! There are plenty of reasons why you should make them, and here’s only a short list of reasons why you should!
Save money! I completely understand why the local bakers are charging the prices they do. Of course, I think it would totally be worth the money to purchase a box for a special occasion and I’m all for supporting local. But you can probably make many more of the cookies on your own at a reduced cost!
They’ll be at their optimal freshness! Seriously, as with any baked good, you can’t get fresher than from your own kitchen! Your filling will be totally warm and gooey and you’ll get an awesome pull, and the cookie itself will be super soft and fresh!
Mix & match! This is a bit of an obvious one, but it’s important! You can make whatever cookies you want! If you’ve got a batch of 20 cookies, make 20 different cookies if you want to, each one special in a unique way. You’ve got total control!
Fun! Overall, they’re just so much fun to do! This is a great bonding activity with your loved ones when you’re rolling them out, thinking of fillings and decorations, watching them bake, and breaking them apart! You can really make some wonderful memories in the kitchen, and this has been very special to me with this specific kitchen mission!
Ingredients for nutella stuffed cookies
Believe it or not while these cookies are quite extraordinary, you only need an ordinary list of ingredients! Let’s review what we’ll need for the perfect Nutella Stuffed Cookies at home! Remember, for all measurements and the full recipe instructions, make sure you scroll down to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD! You can easily scale the quantities based on how many cookies you want to make! Remember, feel free to make as many as you’d like because cookie dough and prepared cookies are freezer-friendly!
Flour: I’m using a combination of all purpose flour and cake flour. Cake flour may be the only ingredient you don’t already have, but if you bake a lot then you may probably already have it! It’s only about $3 for a fairly large bag, so it’s worth the investment! You could just use entirely all-purpose flour if you want. I’ve tried that and the cookies were still quite dense and the filling was gooey. You’ll just get an extra density and the cookie will be more dome-shaped with the added cake flour. Furthermore, I ended up preferring the taste of the actual cookie with the two flours combined. I’m using a 1:1 ratio.
Egg: Two eggs for a batch!
Butter: Some cookie recipes want your butter at room temperature, but actually for this cookie dough recipe you want your butter chilled! No need to plan ahead and thaw your butter, yay! I’m using unsalted butter here.
Sugar: I’m using a combination of brown sugar and granulated white sugar. In my final testing, I used quite a significant amount of brown sugar. This made the colour of the actual cookie a lovely golden brown, and I preferred the taste, which adds a nice richness to the cookie.
Chocolate chips & chocolate chunks: I like the combination of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks in the dough for ultimate chocolate goodness! They’ll get super awesome and molten as they bake, so don’t skimp out on these! Plus add more on top of the sprinkles.
Baking powder & baking soda: Standard ingredients for a cookie dough to get the cookies to rise!
Salt: Optional. If you are using salted butter, then you probably don’t need extra salt. Even though I’m using unsalted butter, I didn’t find the salt necessary to add into my cookie dough, but this is based on preference!
Nutella: Well, duh! These wouldn’t be Nutella stuffed cookies without the Nutella! This is the only ingredient we’ll need that’s not in the dough for now. You could use Homemade Nutella if you’d like, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I’m using the real deal! There are also plenty of delicious off-brands, so of course you can use any chocolate hazelnut spread of your choice!
Sprinkles: Use as much as you want to add a pop of colour.
How to make the ultimate nutella chocolate-chip stuffed cookie
For the cookie dough
In a large bowl, add in the sugars and butter. Start your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and run on medium speed. It will take about 30 seconds to a minute. You can also use a hand mixer.
When you have a smooth texture like peanut butter, add the eggs and mix again. Mix until the dough looks nice and fluffy and the colour is much paler. It will take about 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
Sift your flour before separately and then stop the mixer and add in the cake flour, all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder. Continue to mix until you have a nice and thick dough.
Stop the mixer and add in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks. Continue mixing until they are well combined. The dough should be soft and smooth.
Make golf-ball sized portions of your dough and place on a baking tray that is lined with parchment paper. Allow to chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes or until completely chilled.
For the cookies
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Spoon 1 Tbsp of Nutella per cookie onto another baking tray lined with parchment paper. Once you have your dollops, place the baking tray in the freezer and allow the Nutella to become completely solid.
After your dough has chilled and the Nutella is solid, take two portions of dough and flatten them out. Add the stuffing in the middle making sure you have enough room on the sides to make a lip to seal the stuffed cookie.
With the top portion, make a dimple to create a dome. Close the stuffed cookie and pinch the lips to a seal. Once it's all sealed, toss the ball. from one hand to another while lightly pressing on it to create a nice and smooth ball.
Coat the dough ball with sprinkles and then place chocolate chunks or chocolate chips over the sprinkles.
Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes or until you get a golden brown colour on the sides. Once cooked, allow the cookies to cool down on the baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes.
Then, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes or just eat if you're impatient! Break open your cookie and enjoy!
Dress them up!
You can stop here if you just want a basic stuffed cookies, but if you want to take your cookie up a notch, then go crazy with the decorations! Add your decorations on top of the ball after the cookie has been stuffed. As you can see in the pictures, I’ve dressed mine with sprinkles and extra chocolate chips!
tips to nail thick stuffed cookies
Your dough should be thick and dense and should give some push as you press down on your dough. But it should be wet enough to stick to create a seal with the stuffing.
Bake a test cookie before making an entire batch so you can adjust the consistency. It is better to have a wetter dough than a dough than to have a dryer dough because you can always add more flour.
When adding your filling, make sure there is enough room on the sides of the cookie so that you can properly seal the cookie without the filling leaking out
Gently press the seams to seal and then toss in your hands to form a smooth round ball. No need to flatten before you bake.
FAQs
Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time?
Yes, and this is one fun thing about making your own cookies! You can freeze the dough so you can make cookies whenever you’ve got a craving or an idea came to mind!
To freeze your cookies, roll out all the portions into dough balls. Place them on a baking tray and cover with plastic wrap, and allow them to become completely frozen. Then, you can transfer the dough balls into a plastic bag. Cookie dough will stay good in the freezer for about 1-2 months.
Can I use other flours?
As mentioned above the best results I’ve had was using a combination of cake flour and all purpose flour. I’ve tried three different batches: One with only all-purpose flour, one with a combination of all-purpose and 00 (pizza) flour, and the best - all-purpose and cake flour. Shown below -from left to right - are the all-purpose only, all-purpose & cake flour, and all-purpose and 00 flour.
With the combination of all-purpose and 00 flours, I’ve found that you had the density but not the softness. I know some folks enjoy their chewy chocolate chip cookies, so if you like chewy cookies, then I would actually recommend this combination! Feel free to experiment - that’s what we’re here for! Let me know in the comments what you’ve discovered!
Can I Make the cookies Themselves In Advance?
Yeah sure! To be honest, maybe this will be a controversial statement, but I actually prefer the cookies cold! I know, right? Shocker! I don’t know why, but I feel the flavours of the cookie and the Nutella filling really meld over time! To store baked cookies, transfer into an airtight container and store in the fridge. The cookies will stay fresh for about one to two weeks. In fact, you could even freeze your baked cookies! These cookies will stay good in the freezer for about one to two months.
If you do want to enjoy the soft, warm and gooey goodness of your cookies, you could reheat in the microwave for 10-20 seconds or in the air fryer at 400 F for about a minute, until the cookie is entirely warmed through. Enjoy!
More chocolate Recipes!
WATCH the guide to the best STuffed Cookies Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!