These delicious Nutella Thumbprint Cookies 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 strangely comforting about chocolate hazelnut spread.
Whether you’re spreading a dollop of Nutella on toast or a graham cracker, or using it for a delicious dessert, the options are endless!
For example, I love making Ninja Creami Nutella ice cream for a cool treat on a hot day.
But when I want to spruce up a cookie sheet for the holidays or just add delicious morsels to the dessert table at a family gathering, these Nutella Thumbprint Cookies they 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.
Will not disappoint you!
Thumbprint cookies with Nutella
As a kid, long before I was introduced to the delights of Nutella, I used to make a thumbprint cookie called “Brown-eyed Susans.”
They were simple shortbread-like buttery cookies with a sweet chocolate sauce added to the indentations in the center of the cookie.
But using chocolate hazelnut spread for the center of the cookies is a next level move, bringing a deeper flavor and making these cookies irresistible!
Plus, these delicious Nutella fingerprint cookies are rolled in chopped hazelnuts, giving them a crunch that pairs beautifully with the soft interiors.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes:
How to make Nutella Thumbprint Cookies
It’s easier than you think to make these simple cookies, one of those delicious recipes that are perfect for holiday gatherings, cookie exchanges, handmade gifts, and more.
Ingredients you will need:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs, each separated into egg yolk and egg white
- Nutella (or another similar chocolate hazelnut spread)
- Vanilla extract
- all purpose flour
- Salt
- cocoa powder
- finely chopped hazelnuts
How to make Nutella Fingerprints:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Butter cream and sugar. In a medium bowl with a handheld electric mixer (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add wet ingredients. Add the egg yolks, Nutella cream and vanilla extract to the sugar mixture, mix on low to medium speed until just combined.
Add the flour mixture. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients of flour, cocoa powder, and salt, just until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer the cookie dough to the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
Roll up and press. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Place the egg whites in a small bowl and beat for one minute. Add the chopped hazelnuts to a separate small bowl.
Scoop out the cookie dough and roll it into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the egg whites followed by the chopped hazelnuts and place on prepared baking sheets at least 1 inch apart.
Press your thumb (or a tablespoon) into the center of each cookie.
Bake. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.
Fill. Place Nutella on a small microwave-safe plate. 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 to 5 days.
- Don’t skip the chill or you won’t be able to make the fingerprints in the dough.
- You probably won’t find chopped hazelnuts at the grocery store, but you can buy whole hazelnuts (I prefer toasted and unsalted) and chop them by hand or with a food processor. You can also buy hazelnuts on Amazon.
Recommended equipment:
Yield: approx. 16 cookies
Nutella Thumbprint Cookies
These Nutella Thumbprint Cookies are a chocolate lover’s dream come true!
preparation time
10 minutes
Time to cook
10 minutes
Extra time
1 hour
Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
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 bowl with an electric mixer (or in a stand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar.
- Add the egg yolks, Nutella, and vanilla extract, mix well to combine.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the wet mixture, mix on low speed until just combined.
- Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with a fork for one minute. Place the chopped hazelnuts in another small bowl.
- Using a cookie scoop or your hands, roll the cookie dough pieces into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in egg whites, then in the chopped hazelnuts. Place the balls of dough on a prepared baking sheet, spaced at least 1 inch apart.
- Press your thumb or tablespoon into the center of each cookie to create an indentation.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are cool, place 1/2 cup Nutella on a small microwave-safe plate. Heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add a tablespoon of the heated Nutella to each thumbprint on the cookies. Allow Nutella to cool before serving.
grades
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 to 5 days.
- Don’t skip the chill or you won’t be able to make the fingerprints in the dough.
- This recipe has not been tested with other brands of chocolate hazelnut spread. The generic brand will likely work well, but I’m not sure the more “natural” types of chocolate spreads with hazelnuts will work, as they have a different texture and typically contain less sugar.
- You probably won’t find chopped hazelnuts at the grocery store, but you can buy whole hazelnuts (I prefer toasted and unsalted) and chop them by hand or with a food processor. You can also buy hazelnuts on Amazon.
Nutritional information:
Produce:
sixteen
Portion size:
1
Amount per proportion:
Calories: 246Total fat: 16gSaturated fat: 8gTrans fat: 0gUnsaturated fat: 6gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 82 milligramsCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 2 gSugar: 14gProtein: 4g
Nutritional information is calculated automatically and its accuracy is not guaranteed.
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