Nutella & Sea Salt Stuffed Sugar Cookie Recipe - Best Sugar Cookies! (2024)

Published: Dec 13, 2011 · Modified: Oct 20, 2022 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 180 Comments

You may never go back to your usual sugar cookie recipe after tasting these ones. Stuffed with Nutella and sprinkled with sea salt. Heavenly!

Nutella & Sea Salt Stuffed Sugar Cookie Recipe

After making the first batch of Chocolate Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt last year, my family (kids, grandparents and brother-in-law included) immediately determined it was a must-have for each Christmas, to be served alongside my husband's great-grandmother's spritz butter cookies and my dad's irresistible ginger cookies. Yeah, okay...twist my arm. That fudge set off a cascade of gooey chocolate and hazelnut baking in our house, from to . It was only a matter of time before the Nutella weaseled its way into the center of my favorite sugar cookie recipe (typically made with crumbled Heath Bars).

When making drop cookies, I like to be fairly precise about the size of each cookie so that they cook as evenly as possible. No loosey-goosey dropping from a spoon in this elf's kitchen. For years, I have used cookie scoops to dole out an equal amount of batter. It makes the process of doling out the dough go quickly and the scoops are fun for little hands to use, too. You can use the small scoops for bite-sized cookies, medium scoops for your average sized treats and large scoops for those gargantuan cookies like what you may see in your favorite bakery.

Of course, if you decide to make bite-sized cookies, that means you get to eat a minimum of three cookies. Santa's rule. I swear on Rudolph's shiny red nose. It's a good thing this rule exists because it is virtually impossible to eat only one of these cookies.

The Nutella sugar cookie recipe:

Using a 1 teaspoon measure, scoop out Nutella and place in small mounds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer set on medium speed until the mixture is creamy and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract.

Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually beat in the flour mixture until it is just combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir the mixture a few times to make sure all of the flour mixture is incorporated.

Place ⅓ cup granulated sugar in a small bowl. Use 2 tablespoons cookie dough for each cookie. Split the piece of dough in half and slightly flatten the bottom half. Sprinkle 5 or 6 grains of sea salt on the dough. Use a small metal spatula to lift the mounds of Nutella from the baking sheet and lay on the bottom half of cookie dough, on top of the salt. If the Nutella starts to soften, place back in the freezer for a few minutes.

Cover with the other piece of cookie dough. Seal the edges with your fingers. Roll the ball in the sugar to coat it and place it on a prepared baking sheet.

Bake the cookies, one sheet a time, rotating from front to back halfway through baking. They are done when the edges are set and beginning to brown, 10 to 13 minutes.

The centers of the cookies should still be soft and puffy. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let cool on a rack. Serve.

Other desserts with Nutella:

Chocolate Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt

Printable Recipe

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by OXO and they provided me with OXO products for my personal use and the giveaway. All opinions are my own. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.