Peanut butter and Nutella stuffed cookies: Crisp edges and a chewy center that’s stuffed with peanut butter and Nutella make this chocolate chip cookie recipe absolutely epic. Don’t forget to sprinkle extra chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, and flaky sea salt on top!
I think these peanut butter and Nutella stuffed cookies might secretly be the reason my husband married me. Okay I exaggerate, but at the very least, they salvaged our first unofficial date back in college. Yep, Ben and I are college sweethearts, and these cookies go back several years!
Of course, Ben and I started out as just friends (classic) when we first got to know each other. So much so that the second time we ever interacted, he didn’t remember my name, who I was, or how he’d met me the first time. How’s that for making a first impression??
Somewhere along the way though, he came to his senses 😉 and we quickly became pretty good friends. One night, we decided to cook dinner together and it was basically our first date, even though we wouldn’t have acknowledged it at the time.
In typical ambitious-foodie fashion, I randomly decided that we should make ginger-crusted salmon. It was just kind of an idea in my head, but I was dead-set on it. So, we turned to google, found a recipe that seemed legit, and headed to the grocery store.
By the time we got back to my apartment, we were already hungry, but had a lot of cooking to do. To start with, I had suggested we should make our own breadcrumbs rather than buying the store-bought version because I like to make things unnecessarily difficult. It turned out though, that I didn’t have enough bread by about half, so things weren’t off to a great start. But I wasn’t worried, no big deal, it will totally be fine!
Next, the recipe we were using called for a totally reasonable amount of lemon juice, but I decided it wasn’t going to be enough because I “actually wanted to be able to taste the lemon”. So I instructed Ben to just juice the whole thing and add that in. The amount of fresh, grated ginger in the recipe sounded kinda measly too, so I figured we should probably… I don’t know…. just triple it? Ben is looking a little dubious at this point, but not knowing anything about cooking, he decides to trust me and go along with it.
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When the salmon finally comes out of the oven, I’m super excited about it. We added some green beans that we had sautéed in… you guessed it, more ginger and lemon, then we sit down to take our first bite. And (surprise, surprise)… it’s the worst thing I’ve ever made. EVER. The lemon and ginger flavors were so overpoweringly strong, it was practically tear-inducing. I mean, I would say that the dish was literally inedible, except that we both somehow suffered through and ate it. Probably because we were in those early and awkward stages of trying to impress each other, or something.
Unsurprisingly, Ben was ready to high-tail it out of there once we finished our dinner (probably so he could go order a pizza), but before he made it out the door, I forced him to take a bag full of peanut butter and Nutella stuffed cookies that I had baked. Why he would take more food from the girl who had possibly just poisoned him, I’ll never know, but I am convinced it was my saving grace because these cookies are AMAZING.
You already know that I think a Nutella filling goes perfectly with almost any kind of dessert. But as per usual, I wanted to add some peanut butter in with all this chocolatey goodness. And so, these peanut butter and Nutella stuffed cookies were born. Talk about taking your chocolate chip cookies to the next level!
The most important trick to stuffing these cookies is to freeze little dollops of Nutella and peanut butter together before rolling them inside the dough. I also used several more of my favorite cookie-baking tricks in this recipe to get them just how I like them – soft and chewy in the center, but a little crispy on the edges:
- Add cornstarch to the dough to get a fluffier cookie with a soft center.
- Chill the dough to prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- Scoop and measure the dough using a cookie scoop
for evenly sized cookies.
- Roll the balls of cookie dough slightly taller than they are wide for thicker cookies.
- Use a silicone baking mat
for more even baking.
- Bake for less time at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (vs. 350 degrees) to get slightly crispy, golden edges with a chewy center.
- Remove the cookies from the oven when they still appear underbaked in the center – they will cook a little longer on the pan.
for evenly sized cookies.
for more even baking.
Ben texted me later that night to tell me how awesome the cookies were, so I guess they were good enough to make him forget all about the dinner fiasco, which I counted as a major win!
If you’re looking for more drool-worthy baking inspiration, follow along with me on Instagram and Pinterest. And don’t forget to tag @flourcoveredapron if you make a recipe, it makes me so happy to see what you’re baking!
Peanut Butter and Nutella Stuffed Cookies
Peanut butter and Nutella stuffed cookies: Crisp edges and a chewy center that’s stuffed with peanut butter and Nutella make this chocolate chip cookie recipe absolutely epic. Don't forget to sprinkle extra chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, and flaky sea salt on top!
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup chocolate chips/chunks + more for topping
- peanut butter (about a half cup)
- nutella (about a half cup)
- sea salt
Instructions
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In a medium-size bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt.
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Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and both sugars. Mixing on low, add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time. Once everything is incorporated, gradually fold in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Fold in the chocolate chips and chunks.
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Chill the dough for at least 2 hours.
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In the meantime, portion out the Nutella and peanut butter: Cover a small cookie sheet with wax paper. Spoon about a teaspoon-sized dollop of Nutella on to the wax paper and flatten slightly into a thin disc, about the size of a quarter in diameter. Top with an equal-sized dollop of peanut butter and flatten it slightly as well. This recipe makes about 22 cookies, so you should make as many fillings. Put in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
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Once the dough is chilled, use a cookie scoop to scoop out about a tablespoon and a half of dough. Roll into a ball then flatten slightly into a disc. Place one of the frozen Nutella/peanut butter fillings in the center and cover with another equal-sized disc of cookie dough. Press the edges of the cookie together and seal. Very gently roll into a ball, making sure not to expose the filling. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
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Place on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches of space between cookies, and freeze for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Remove cookies from freezer (in batches if necessary) and bake for 13-15 minutes. Cookies should look under-baked in the center, but golden brown at the edges.
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Immediately after removing from the oven, press a few more chocolate chips/chunks onto the top of each cookie and sprinkle with sea salt. Let cool for a couple minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.