Nutella-stuffed gingerbread cookies with a glossy chocolate-hazelnut center fully enclosed inside one chewy spiced cookie.
Cold chocolate-hazelnut portions are enclosed in spiced dough before baking. Keep the filling off the seam and pinch the dough closed all around it. Even portions help the outer cookie bake consistently while the enclosed center remains soft.
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Nutella-Stuffed Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Per tray: 9–11 minutes · 2 trays of 6–7 large cookies
Allow 137 minutes: 35 hands-on, 60 chilling, 22 for all baking trays, 20 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- US measuring cups/spoons and digital kitchen scale
- Mixing bowl and whisk
- Teaspoon for filling portions
- Two 13 × 18-inch pans and parchment
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Filling
Coating
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Firm the centers
- Spoon the filling into 13 teaspoon-size dollops, about 8 g each, on parchment. Freeze at least 1 hour until firm enough to lift. Keep frozen until sealing inside the dough.
Make the spiced dough
- Whisk the three flours, soda, salt and dry spices. Rub fresh ginger into both dough sugars, then whisk in lukewarm melted butter, molasses and egg. Stir in dry ingredients just until combined.
Firm the dough
- Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes until workable; this can happen while the centers freeze. Keep it cool while shaping. The stated waiting allowance covers the longer filling freeze.
Seal every center
- Heat to 375°F (190°C) conventional, or 350°F fan. Divide dough into 26 equal pieces, about 25–26 g each. Flatten two pieces, place a frozen center between them and pinch the edges firmly shut. Roll into one ball, ensuring no filling shows. Coat in the mixed sugars and place 2 1/2–3 inches apart on lined pans.
Set the edges
- Bake one tray at a time 9–11 minutes until puffed, starting to crack and set around the edges. Centers remain tender. Use a cool pan for the next tray.
Let the filling settle
- Rest 5 minutes on the pan, then cool on a rack about 15 minutes. Filling is very hot straight from the oven; let it cool before taking a bite.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Seal without gaps
Any exposed filling can escape onto the pan. Pinch the dough edges closed before rolling the ball.
Keep centers firm
Work with a few frozen dollops at a time and return the rest to the freezer.
Serve gently warm
The spread is softer when warm and firms at room temperature; avoid eating straight from the oven.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 3–4 days | Cool completely, then store airtight in a cool room. |
| Refrigeration | Raw dough: up to 2 days | Wrap dough tightly. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze portions airtight; thaw covered in the refrigerator before baking. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered at room temperature. |
| Restoring | Before serving | For a softer center, warm a cookie briefly in the microwave for about 5 seconds and check carefully; filling heats quickly. |
Notes
- The hazelnut spread is frozen in small dollops before sealing. Contains hazelnuts, milk, wheat and egg. The filling softens when warm and firms again at room temperature; optional surface decoration is additional.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why freeze Nutella first?
Firm dollops stay in the middle while you pinch the dough closed.
Is this a sandwich cookie?
No. One portion is fully enclosed inside a single cookie before baking.
Can I add more filling?
Keep to about 1 teaspoon per cookie. Overfilling makes the dough thinner around the center and increases leakage.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
