Description
Delightful Nutella-Stuffed Snowball Cookies with toasted hazelnuts, buttery dough, and a sweet Nutella center. These tender, melt-in-your-mouth cookies are coated in confectioners’ sugar, perfect for festive occasions and cookie swaps.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Nutella Filling
- 6 Tbsp. Nutella
For the Cookies
- 3/4 cup hazelnuts
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups (145 g) confectioners’ sugar, divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Toast Hazelnuts: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds. Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast on the top rack, tossing occasionally until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool, then finely chop.
- Freeze Nutella Dollops: Use a 1/2-tsp measuring spoon to scoop 36 dollops of Nutella onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze until very cold, about 15 minutes, to make filling easier to handle.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1/2 cup of the confectioners’ sugar with a handheld or stand mixer on medium speed until thoroughly combined and creamy, approximately 2 minutes.
- Add Flavorings and Nuts: Add the kosher salt, vanilla extract, and chopped hazelnuts to the butter mixture and beat until nuts are evenly distributed. Reduce mixer speed to low.
- Incorporate Flour: Add the flour in two batches, mixing on low speed just until blended after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Form Nutella-Stuffed Cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and create a deep indentation using your thumb. Place one frozen Nutella dollop into the indentation, cover with dough, and roll carefully into a ball. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all dough is used, making 36 cookies total (18 per two sheets).
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies at 350°F, rotating baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking, until golden brown on the bottom, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
- Coat in Sugar: Pour the remaining 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar into a bowl. Roll cooled cookies in the sugar until fully coated, creating their characteristic snowball appearance.
- Storage and Make Ahead: Nutella dollops can be portioned and frozen up to 1 week ahead; wrap tightly if freezing longer than a few hours. Cookies can be baked 1 week in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
- Ensure Nutella dollops are very cold or frozen to prevent them from melting into the dough while shaping.
- Toast hazelnuts just until golden brown to enhance flavor without burning.
- Roll cookies gently in confectioners’ sugar when cool to avoid melting the sugar coating.
- These cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to one week in an airtight container.
- For a crunchy texture, consider using coarsely chopped hazelnuts.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 85mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
