Nutella Stuffed Christmas Cookies
Rich brown-butter Christmas cookies filled with a soft Nutella center, studded with finely chopped semisweet chocolate, and finished with a light scattering of flaky sea salt.
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Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 4 oz semisweet chocolate bar chopped very finely for consistent distribution
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs brought to room temperature, approximately 70°F
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour reserved for dusting
For the Filling and Topping:
- 1 cup Nutella gently warmed if needed for easier handling
- Flaky sea salt as needed for sprinkling
Instructions
- Slice the unsalted butter into tablespoon-sized portions and transfer the pieces to a medium saucepan.
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat. After it has completely liquefied, raise the heat to slightly above medium.
- Frequently swirl the saucepan while scraping along the sides with a wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula.
- Continue cooking and stirring until the butter develops a golden-brown color and gives off a distinct nutty fragrance.
- Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the browned butter to a large heatproof mixing bowl. Leave it to cool for 25–30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Cover the cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Spoon the Nutella into 2-teaspoon portions on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Transfer the tray to the freezer and allow the portions to firm.
- In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the 2 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this mixture aside.
- When the browned butter has sufficiently cooled, add the brown sugar and granulated white sugar. Stir until the ingredients are evenly blended.
- Incorporate the eggs individually, mixing thoroughly after adding each one.
- Pour in the vanilla extract and continue stirring until it is completely distributed throughout the mixture.
- Add the prepared dry ingredients gradually to the butter mixture, stirring until a cohesive cookie dough forms and no dry flour remains.
- Finely chop the semisweet chocolate bar, then fold the chocolate pieces evenly into the dough.
- Refrigerate the completed dough for 15–20 minutes so it becomes firmer and easier to shape.
- Take the firm Nutella portions from the freezer and remove the chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator.
- Scoop out heaping 1 1/2-tablespoon portions of dough. Press one frozen Nutella portion into the center of each piece.
- Carefully bring the cookie dough around the filling until the Nutella is completely enclosed, then gently roll the dough into a uniform ball.
- Continue the process until every Nutella portion has been fully wrapped in cookie dough.
- Place the assembled dough balls in the freezer for 15 minutes so they remain firm enough to retain their shape during baking.
- Arrange the chilled cookie dough balls on the parchment-lined baking sheets, leaving a minimum of 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 12–13 minutes, stopping when the outer edges are just beginning to become golden brown.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, lightly scatter sea salt over their tops.
- Leave the cookies on the baking sheet until they have cooled completely before removing them.