Nutella Thumbprint Cookies 

These Nutella Thumbprint Cookies are made from buttery cookie dough rolled into balls and coated in crushed hazelnuts. They are then pressed down and filled with a spoonful of Nutella after baking.  

This recipe is perfect for Nutella lovers! If you're looking for more Nutella recipes, you have to try out these Nutella Cupcakes, these Nutella Croissants, or this recipe for a Ferrero Rocher Cake.

Ingredients

To make these buttery shortbread-like cookies, you will need the simple ingredients listed below. Remember to always use fresh room temperature ingredients when baking.

Unsalted butter - choose unsalted butter rather than salted butter when baking, so that you can adjust the saltiness on your own. Take the butter out of the fridge about an hour before making this recipe. It shouldn't be rock hard or too soft.

Castor sugar - use castor sugar or superfine sugar for this recipe.

Cake flour - use cake flour or all-purpose flour to make these cookies.

Extra-large eggs - out of their shell, the eggs I use weigh 56 grams. If you aren't sure if you have the same eggs, weigh the eggs you have and adjust accordingly.

Hazelnuts - choose hazelnuts or whole nuts for this recipe.

Nutella - use Nutella to fill these thumbprint cookies. If you can't find Nutella any chocolate nut spread will work. 

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Follow the simple instructions below to make these delicious chocolate Nutella thumbprint cookies. First, make the cookie dough, then roll the dough into balls, coat them in crushed hazelnuts, and shape them before baking. Once baked the cookies are filled with chocolate hazelnut spread.

STEP 1: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.

STEP 2: Toast hazelnuts. Add the hazelnuts to a pan set over medium heat and gently roast the nuts, be careful not to burn them. Once golden in color, remove them from the heat and allow them to cool slightly before roughly chopping them. Set aside. 

STEP 3: Cream butter and sugar. Add the butter and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.

STEP 4: Add the eggs and vanilla. First, add the whole egg to the creamed mixture with the food processor running, and pulse until combined. Then add the egg yolk and vanilla and pulse until well combined.

STEP 5: Add the dry ingredients. Sift together the flour and salt and add the flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture all at once. Pulse until a dough forms, do not overmix.

STEP 6: Roll. Roll the cookie dough into balls of about 40 to 50 grams, this recipe will make about 28 cookies. 

STEP 7: Coat in nuts. Roll the cookie dough balls in the chopped nuts and place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Use the back of a tablespoon to press an indent into the middle of the cookies. 

STEP 8: Bake cookies. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 15 minutes or until a light golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on a wire rack before filling the center of the cookie with Nutella. Serve and enjoy!

Hint: The easiest way to pipe the Nutella filling is to fill a disposable piping bag with the Nutella and pipe it into the middle of the cookies.

Variations

You can use this recipe to make all sorts of variations of thumbprint cookies. Choose not to roll the dough in nuts and instead fill the center of each cookie with your favorite homemade jam, like this Cherry Jam or this Clementine Marmalade Jam.

If you love baking cookies, then you have to try out my other cookie recipes. Like these Jam Sandwich Cookies or these Double Chocolate Cookies.

Equipment

To make this easy cookie recipe you will need a food processor, you can also make this cookie dough with an electric mixer.

To fill the cookies with a Nutella swirl, you can add the Nutella to a piping bag like I did or choose to use two teaspoons to fill the center of the cookies. 

Storage

After baking and filling these cookies, store the filled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days. Unfilled cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to one week, choose to crisp them up in the oven before filling them.

For freezing, the cookie dough can be frozen before baking. Cover the dough in plastic wrap or place it in a plastic bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months and bake them at a later date. Thaw the dough in the fridge overnight before using. I do not recommend freezing cookies that have already been filled.

These delicious Nutella Thumbprint cookies are super easy to make and are the perfect after-dinner treat during the holiday season with a cup of tea or strong espresso. They are a delicious twist on a classic thumbprint recipe. 

If you give these buttery cookies a try please leave a star rating and comment below, I would love to hear from you! And don't forget to follow along @with_love_kitty for delicious recipes and kitchen tricks!

Happy Baking

With Love,

Kitty