Chocolate lava cake meets Nutella stuffed cookies! These Nutella chocolate lava cookies are the definition of decadence. With a chewy and fudgy chocolate cookie (that tastes like a brownie!) surrounding a melty and gooey Nutella stuffing, this is one of THE BEST cookies.
You know what the best kind of chocolate cookie is?
The kind that basically makes you question if it's a cookie or a brownie. The sort of cookie that makes you keep reaching for more. The kind that you probably need a fork to enjoy, but don't bother because who has time for that anyways??
This is that cookie.
It tastes like a Nutella stuffed brownie, but in cookie form. It has crisp and crunchy edges with chewy and gooey centers. When you break into one, you're met with a PUDDLE of warm Nutella goodness oozing out. So in conclusion: HEAVENLY.
what are Nutella lava cookies?
This is basically a combination of stuffed Nutella chocolate chip cookies and chocolate lava cake - with a little bit of fudgy brownie vibes too! This recipe starts with freezing heaping scoops of Nutella for the filling.
After those are nice and chilled, we whip up an easy chocolate cookie dough that will be used to cover the Nutella filling. Once it's all baked up, the chocolate cookie dough will crackle a little on the surface like a brownie and the edges will be deliciously crisp while the centers are fudgy and chewy. The Nutella bakes up into a deliciously ooey and gooey filling that pours out like lava when you break into one of the warm cookies!
how to make Nutella lava cookies
* Note: as always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts further below in this post. This is just a quick overview of the steps involved along with step by step photos.
- Scoop balls of Nutella onto a parchment lined tray. Freeze the scoops of Nutella until they're frozen solid before using. Keep the tray in the freezer until you're ready to use the Nutella.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. We have a mix of flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch. Cornstarch is the little secret ingredient of this mix because it keeps the cookies thick, chewy, and tender!
- Cream together butter and sugars. The mixture should be smooth and lightened in color. It will still be gritty, but you shouldn't see any clumps of butter. This is easiest to do with an electric mixer, but you could also do it by hand with a wooden spoon.
- Whisk eggs in one at a time, whisking the vanilla in along with the second egg. The mixture may separate a little bit after you add in the second egg but that's fine.
- Mix in the dry ingredients to complete the dough. Now it's time to stuff and bake these beauties!
how to stuff Nutella cookies
Once the scoops of Nutella have frozen solid and the chocolate cookie dough is whipped up, it's time to assemble these cookies! I recommend keeping your tray of Nutella balls in the freezer and just take one out at a time because they will soften quite quickly at room temperature.
To stuff the cookies, start by scooping out ¼ cup sized portions of the chocolate cookie dough. Flatten the dough ball into a disk that's the size of the Nutella ball + a 1 inch border all around. You can see below what I mean:
Place a frozen scoop of Nutella into the middle of the disk of dough. Lift the sides of the dough up and over the Nutella. Use your hands to move the cookie dough to cover the Nutella completely then roll into a smooth ball. No Nutella should be peaking out of the dough. If any Nutella is exposed, it can melt out of the cookie as it bakes.
Arrange the stuffed cookie dough ball onto a parchment lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. I recommend only stuffing the number of cookies you can bake per batch and then stuff the next round of cookies right before baking to ensure the Nutella stays cold. When placing the cookies onto your baking sheet, make sure to leave at least 3 inches of space between each one to give them room to spread as they bake.
Bake the cookies in your preheated oven until they've spread, the surface has crackled slightly, and the dough no longer appears wet. Cool the cookies for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. They will be quite soft so do be careful when moving the cookies.
when to serve Nutella lava cookies
In order to get the best "lava" effect, I love to serve these cookies while they're still warm for a gooey pool of Nutella!! I find about 10-15 minutes of cooling is the perfect amount of time to wait before serving, but that will change slightly depending on the temperature in your home.
These cookies still taste perfectly amazing after they've cooled completely, but the Nutella filling will set slightly as it cools and won't be quite as gooey. If the cookies have cooled and you want to warm them up, pop a few on a parchment lined baking sheet and warm in a preheated 350F oven for about 3-5 minutes or until they've softened.
storage
Keep these cookies stored in an airtight container or plastic bag to maintain maximum freshness. These cookies will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature or up to 1 week in the fridge.
how to freeze Nutella lava cookies
After stuffing the cookie dough with Nutella, arrange the balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. They can be placed very close together on the baking sheet - just leave a bit of space in between each cookie so they don't stick. Place into the freezer for about 1 hour or until the dough has frozen solid. Transfer the dough balls to a freezer bag in a single layer, push out as much air as you can, and keep stored in the freezer until baking time. They will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer.
To bake the frozen cookie dough, you don't need to thaw it first. Simply preheat your oven to 325F (instead of 350F) then arrange the dough you want to bake on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 3 inches of space between each cookie. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until spread out and no longer wet on top. You may need to tag on an additional 2 minutes to the bake time to account for defrosting.
Check out these other recipes!
• Giant Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Skillet Nutella Brownie
• Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oreo Balls
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Bars
Lastly, if you made this or any of my recipes, be sure to leave a comment and review below! I love hearing your thoughts! Also tag me on Instagram @eatsdelightfulblog so I can see what you're making.
Print
Nutella Chocolate Lava Cookies
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 15 cookies
Description
Chocolate lava cake meets Nutella stuffed cookies! These Nutella chocolate lava cookies are the definition of decadence. With a chewy and fudgy chocolate cookie (that tastes like a brownie!) surrounding a melty and gooey Nutella stuffing, this is one of THE BEST cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (300g) Nutella
- 2 ¼ cups (295g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup (80g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200g) light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt (optional - for topping)
Instructions
- Line a medium baking sheet or cutting board with parchment paper.
- Scoop (15) 1 tablespoon sized portions of Nutella and drop them onto your parchment lined tray. If the Nutella is too soft and is not holding a rough ball shape when you scoop it, chill it in the fridge for a few minutes then try scooping it again.
- Once the Nutella is portioned onto the tray, place it into the freezer for about 1 hour or until frozen solid. Keep in the freezer until ready to use.
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, cocoa, baking soda, and salt to combine.
- In a separate large bowl, combine butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
- Use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the butter and sugars until smooth and lightened in color (about 1-2 minutes of mixing on medium speed).
- Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time. Add the vanilla in with the second egg and mix to combine. It may separate a little but that's fine.
- Pour in the dry ingredients and mix together until streak free and fully combined.
- Scoop out ¼ cup sized portions of cookie dough and flatten into a roughly 4 inch wide disk. Add one of the frozen Nutella scoops into the middle then pull the sides of the dough up and over the Nutella to fully cover it in cookie dough. The cookie dough shouldn't be too sticky, but if it is, you can pop it into the fridge for a few minutes to make it easier to work with.
- Roll the dough into a smooth ball then arrange 5-6 cookies on your baking sheet, leaving at least 3 inches of space between each one.
- Bake the cookies in the center of your preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until spread out and the surface no longer appears shiny.
- Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the tray then move them onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Continue baking the remaining batches of cookies - making sure to allow the baking sheet to cool completely before adding the next round of cookies if you're using the same one for all the batches.
- For an extra gooey filling, serve these cookies while they're still warm. They're still delicious at room temperature but the filling will be more set. Serve plain or with a sprinkling of sea salt flakes on top!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Bake Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
Enjoy!
Cameron says
I made this with my sister, and we love it! Worked perfectly and was very tasty, I am 11 and I made this, very fool-proof and yummy! Though it took a bit longer to cook than the recipe, I think I might make this for the end of the school day!
Jaime Wilser says
These are delicious 😋 they are like brownies stuffed with nutella lava!! My 8yr old son picked this recipe and said he'd give a 10 out of 10!!!! 15 cookies are enough, they are BiG and dense. Must try if you are a nutella fan.
Athena says
What are the measurements of all the ingredients