Ingredients (~16 cookies)
- 2/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (like Nutella)
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Freeze the Filling
Line a small baking sheet or a large plate with parchment paper. Scoop level teaspoons of the chocolate-hazelnut spread onto the parchment paper, making about 20 mounds.
Place the sheet in the freezer until the mounds are frozen solid. This usually takes at least 30 minutes.
This step is essential; if the filling isn’t frozen, it will be impossible to wrap the cookie dough around it.
Make the Cookie Dough
In a large bowl, whisk the melted and cooled butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk them together vigorously for about a minute until the mixture is well combined and has lightened slightly in color.
Whisk in the room temperature egg and the vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt until just a few streaks of flour remain. Then, fold in the mini chocolate chips until they are evenly distributed.
Cover the bowl and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Assemble and Chill the Cookies
Once the dough has chilled, use a standard 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the dough. Flatten each scoop of dough in your palm, place one of the frozen chocolate-hazelnut mounds in the center, and carefully mold the cookie dough around it, sealing it completely.
Roll the dough into a smooth ball.
Place the stuffed cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze them for at least 1-2 hours, or until they are completely solid.
Do not skip this chilling step. Baking the cookies from a frozen state is critical to prevent them from spreading into puddles in the oven.
Bake the Cookies
Set your oven to 350F.
Arrange the frozen cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for ~10-12 minutes.
The cookies are done when the edges are golden brown, and the centers are puffy but still look slightly underbaked.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They need this time to set up, otherwise the warm, gooey center might cause them to fall apart.
Chocolate Filled Cookies
Ingredients
Ingredients (~16 cookies)
- 2/3 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread like Nutella
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 sticks, melted and cooled
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and drop teaspoon-sized mounds of chocolate-hazelnut spread. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Whisk melted butter with both sugars until lightened, about 1 minute.
- Add egg and vanilla, whisk until smooth.
- Fold in flour, baking soda, and salt until nearly combined, then mix in chocolate chips.
- Chill dough 30 minutes.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons dough, flatten, wrap around frozen chocolate-hazelnut mound, and seal completely.
- Roll into balls and freeze 1-2 hours until solid.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Place frozen dough balls 2 inches apart on parchment-lined sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are golden but centers are slightly underbaked.
- Cool on baking sheet 15-20 minutes before transferring to rack.
