Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
TASTE: These cookies are perfectly peanut buttery, while the Nutella in the middle is a puddle of hazelnut-chocolaty heaven.
TEXTURE: The cookie is chewy and soft, and the Nutella adds a wonderful gooiness and velvety texture to every bite.
EASE: So easy – you don’t even need a mixer!
PROS: Unique, delicious cookie everyone will love.
CONS: None.
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? Absolutely.
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Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies are rich, decadent, and packed with irresistible flavor.
As a peanut butter fanatic and chocolate lover, I knew I had to put a chocolaty twist on my Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies.
Nutella’s creamy, nutty flavor pairs perfectly with peanut butter, and wow – this combination in cookie form is practically otherworldly!
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These cookies will look gorgeous on your Christmas cookie platters, right alongside my go-to Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies, crowd-favorite Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies, and nostalgic Hostess Cupcake Cookies.
I’m so excited to add these unique cookies to my cookie recipe collection. And the best part? They’re ready to enjoy in just 40 minutes – no mixer needed!
If you make these Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies this holiday season, please share a photo of your beautiful bake in the comments below so my team and I can drool over what you’ve made. It truly makes me so happy to know my recipes are part of your holiday celebrations!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
Moist, Chewy, Thick Peanut Butter Cookie Tips:
- Measure your flour correctly: I recommend using a digital kitchen scale to ensure precision when measuring your flour. When using measuring cups, it’s super easy to unintentionally compact your flour and add too much, creating tough, dry, or cakey cookies that don’t spread. If you don’t have a scale, use the spoon-and-level method.
- Do not reduce the sugar: Sugar actually plays a big part in a cookie’s texture, doing so much beyond sweetening. Learn more about sugar’s role in baking here.
- Avoid overbaking: Pull these cookies from the oven when they’re just set at the edges for perfectly soft cookies. Using a high-quality baking pan helps too – learn more about the best (and worst!) baking pans here.
- Use natural peanut butter: More on this just below.
What Type of Peanut Butter for Cookies?
- I recommend using natural peanut butter in these cookies.
- Natural PB helps make these cookies thick and chewy with a stronger PB flavor.
- Be sure to stir your peanut butter thoroughly before measuring so no dry bits or oily pockets remain.
- If you only have conventional peanut butter, that will work fine, but your cookies may not be quite as thick or flavorful.
- For extra peanut butter crunch, feel free to use crunchy PB.
Can I Use Almond Butter Instead of Peanut Butter?
We haven’t tried using almond butter in this recipe, but it works just fine in my Classic Peanut Butter Cookies, so it should be fine here, too. Simply swap the peanut butter for almond butter at a 1:1 ratio. Let us know in the comments below if you give this a try!
Can I Use Store-Brand Nutella? Can I use Another Spread Instead?
I used real Nutella for these cookies, but any hazelnut spread should work. Just remember that other brands may have different fat content, so it might help to chill your hazelnut spread before using it to prevent leakage as the cookies bake.
If you wish to use jam or jelly instead, check out my Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies!
Can I Halve This Recipe? Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes! Simply divide all ingredients in half to yield about 10-11 cookies, or double all ingredients to yield about 42 cookies. No other modifications needed.
How to Assemble Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
Assembling these cookies is easy, but it can get a little messy. Just have fun with it! Here’s the simple breakdown:
- Use a large 3-tablespoon cookie scoop and roll large balls of dough between your palms.
- Create a well in the center of each dough ball with your thumb.
- Use a teaspoon or a small piping bag to add 1 heaping teaspoon of Nutella in the well of each cookie.
- Carefully bring the edges of the dough over the Nutella pocket with your fingers, keeping some of the Nutella peeking out.
- If your cookies come out of the oven a little misshapen, use a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookies and swirl it around each cookie to create a perfectly round cookie. Do this as soon as the cookies come out of the oven before they have a chance to set.
Can I Make Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies Ahead of Time?
Sure! Fully assemble the Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies and place the balls of dough inside an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Bake as directed below, adding a minute or so to the bake time. Once baked, pull from the oven and lightly bang the pan on your countertop several times before continuing with cooling instructions. This will help the cookies even out and beautifully show the Nutella.
How to Store Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
Store Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies inside an airtight container for up to 2 days. The cookies will be even more flavorful the next day, but they will also soften more the longer they sit.
How to Freeze Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
- Freeze the fully assembled cookies on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet until solid, then transfer to an airtight container.
- Store in the freezer for up to one month.
- Before baking, thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as directed in the recipe, adding a minute or so to the bake time to account for the cold dough.
- You may also bake cookies from frozen, but note that your cookies will be much thicker. Reduce the oven temperature by 25° and add a minute or two to the baking time.
- Because you’ll be baking cold cookie dough either way, I recommend lightly banging the pan on your countertop several times immediately after pulling the cookies from the oven for beautiful, evenly spread cookies.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (270 grams) creamy natural peanut butter*, very well stirred
- 1 cup (200 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups (318 grams) bleached all-purpose flour**
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon milk, any kind
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (222 grams)
Nutella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter in 20-second bursts until melted. Add the peanut butter and stir until well combined. Add in the sugars and whisk together. Set aside to cool until just warm.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- To the cooled butter mixture, add the eggs, milk, and vanilla and whisk very well until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture and stir with a sturdy spatula until combined.
- Using a large spring-loaded cookie scoop, form the dough into 3-tablespoon rounds. Roll between your palms to smooth. Using your thumb, create a well in the center. Add 1 generously heaping teaspoon of Nutella and only slightly seal it with dough. Keep a generous amount of Nutella visible. This process is a bit messy, but have fun with it! Place on baking sheet with the visible Nutella facing up. Repeat with remaining dough balls, spacing about 3 inches apart.
- Bake for about 14 minutes, or until lightly brown at the edges.
- Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to two days. The longer they sit, the softer they’ll become.
Recipe Notes
Photos by Joanie Simon.
Hi Tessa! You provided information on how to freeze these cookies before baking, but I am wondering about after they’re baked. Any special instructions for this? Many thanks, from Alberta, Canada 🇨🇦
Hi, Terry – I always prefer to freeze drop cookie dough instead of baked cookies. I find their texture changes slightly and they become more mushy after freezing and thawing. Plus, there’s nothing better than a cookie still a little warm from the oven!