These Nutella filled snickerdoodle cookies are stuffed with gooey chocolate hazelnut spread and perfectly soft and chewy on the inside while slightly crispy on the outside.
I love, love, love cookies that are soft and chewy, and I also LOVE Nutella flavored anything! Lol, I guess that pretty much sums up why we have this Nutella filled snickerdoodle cookies.
But seriously, they are addicting! They are just sweet enough for me to keep eating without second thoughts. Just imagine, crispy edges AND soft and chewy insides. Then, there's the gooey Nutella when you break open the cookie and the perfect dusting of cinnamon sugar on the outside. I really don't know if anyone can resist these goodies...which makes them the perfect holiday cookies! Plus, anything cinnamon screams holiday to me, haha.
Why are snickerdoodles cookies called snickerdoodle?
It was thought that snickerdoodles derived from the German word "schneckennudeln" which roughly translates to "snail noodles." But honestly, these snickerdoodle cookies looks nothing like swirly snails or noodles. Perhaps, snickerdoodle is a cookie derivative of Schneckennudeln, the German cinnamon rolls? I mean, there's even cinnamon and sugar on both. So what do you guys think?
What is the difference between snickerdoodle cookies and sugar cookies?
One of the main difference between snickerdoodle and sugar cookies is of course the shape. Snickerdoodles cookies are usually scooped then rolled in cinnamon sugar while sugar cookies are rolled out then cut into shapes.
The other major difference between the two cookies is the amount of butter to flour used in the two cookies. Snickerdoodles cookie dough contains more butter and less flour to achieve that chewy texture and allows the cookies to spread out and get that classic crinkly look. On the other hand, sugar cookie doughs have a higher flour ration to butter, making the dough drier, which keeps the cookies from spreading as much and able to be decorated.
What does snickerdoodle cookies taste like?
Snickerdoodle cookies should be kind of sweet, buttery, and perfumed with a slight essence of vanilla. The cinnamon sugar coating on the outside lends more sweetness to the cookie while also giving it a nice subtle flavor of cinnamon.
Why did my snickerdoodle go flat?
In my opinion, the best snickerdoodle cookies got to be flat! The flatness gives snickerdoodles their classic crinkly look and that pleasant chew on the inside and crisp on the outside. Now, scientifically speaking, the reason why snickerdoodles spread out and go flat when they bake is due to the ratio of butter to flour. Cookie doughs that are wetter, aka has more butter, will make a cookie that tends to spread more and becomes flatter, versus a drier cookie dough which sometimes barely spreads and stay in a ball.
Do I need to flatten my snickerdoodle cookies?
That's really up to personal preference whether to flatten or keep keep doughs in a ball. Personally, I like to flatten my cookie doughs out of habit and also because I like my cookies on the flatter side than tall. For this Nutella stuffed snickerdoodle cookies, it's really not necessary at all to flatten the cookies. They'll spread perfectly fine and keep the Nutella gooey. But if you flatten the cookies out of habit...like me... it's just as good!
How do I know when snickerdoodle cookies are done baking?
For snickerdoodle cookies and cookies that doesn't color much while baking, I look for the puffiness at the center as an indication. For these decently large snickerdoodle cookies, it took about 11 minutes of baking, and usually by minute 9-10 of baking, the center of the cookies will have puffed up completely. I then let the cookies bake for an additional 1-2 minutes after the puff to cook the center a little more. This results in snickerdoodles that are slightly soft and chew interior with crispy exterior.
The 11 minute time is how long it takes for room temperature cookies to bake. If the cookies were chilled in the fridge, do increase the bake time accordingly.
What's an easier way to stuffy my snickerdoodle cookies with Nutella?
We found that an easier and less messy way to stuff cookies with Nutella is to pre-freeze the Nutella until semi-solid. Once the Nutella is more solid and manageable for scooping, portion the Nutella with a cookie scoop onto a chilled plate layered with cling wrap. Freeze the portioned Nutella before attempting to shape it into a more circular shape and then keep it frozen until needed.
If you're looking for other cookie recipes, you may like these:
- Easy Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cranberry Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Honey Chrysanthemum Shortbread Cookies
- Easy Gluten Free Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
Bake with love!
Mei ❤️
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Nutella Filled Snickerdoodle Cookies
Ingredients
- 9 Tablespoon Nutella
- 1⅓ cup all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter , softened (or 1 stick)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Scoop tablespoon size of the Nutella hazelnut chocolate spread and freeze them until needed.*To make scooping easier, I recommend pre-freezing the Nutella until semi-solid to scoop and portion into tablespoon size balls.*
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare sheet pans lined with parchment paper.
- Combine the 3 Tablespoon of sugar and 2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and mix until well distributed. Set aside until needed.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter and ¾ cups of granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add the flour and mix by hand or on low speed just until the flour is incorporated.*DO NOT overmix or it will result in tough cookies!*
- Divide the dough into 9 two inch balls, about 2 full but flat scoops of standard 1½ inch cookie scoops. Make a deep indentation in the cookie dough and stuff it with the pre-portioned frozen Nutella balls. Pinch together the opening and roll the cookie dough into a smooth ball to seal the Nutella filling. Repeat with remaining cookie doughs.*Make sure to work fast because Nutella melts pretty fast and will get messy.*
- Once all the cookie doughs have have been stuffed with Nutella, roll each cookie dough in the cinnamon sugar mix and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on each dough ball. Place all cookie doughs onto the prepared sheet pans about 2 inches apart.*Optional: to make the cookies extra flat, you can gently flatten the cookies to about 1 inch thick, but it's really not necessary.*
- Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, or until the edge of the cookies set slightly and the middle of each cookie has puffed up for about 1-2 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar evenly amongst the cookies.
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
Notes
- These cookies are good for up to 4 days at room temperature if properly stored in an airtight container.
- You can also make the cookies ahead of time, freeze the dough after stuffing it with Nutella, and simply let it thaw and come to room temperature before baking. If baking the cookies while they are cold, make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.
- If you wish to multiply this recipe, make sure to add the eggs 1 at a time and beat until incorporated after each addition.
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