Vanilla Sugar Cookies with a Nutella Surprise! (Gluten-Free)

A simple vanilla cookie, sparkling with sugar crystals on top. Pick it up expecting the usual flavors and take a bite. The explosion of nutty chocolate is shocking and delightful. This is the experience of these cookies! 

When we were little we loved Twinkies and Ding Dongs, Sees candies, any sweets with a filling inside. These cookies have the same degree of fun, but are a lot healthier with tons less sugar and are gluten-free if you need them to be. They turned out beautifully with the GF blend that I use all the time.

The Nutella filling is a little like a big chocolate chip or a drop of ganache, but made with Nutella. It would be good in any number of recipes and I’m dreaming up ways to use it again.

As I was making these cookies my mind started thinking of all the different things you could use in the place of these delicious Nutella chips. Of course regular chocolate chips are an option, but what about white chocolate, butterscotch or vanilla chips? Maybe cinnamon chips for a snickerdoodle flavor, or a lovely nugget of ganache like the center of a truffle. Maybe even homemade marshmallows cut into tiny pieces would work. I think a few toffee chips could be fun too and give the cookies a nice crunch. Hmmmm, something to think about for future batches!

Next time I will make the cookies slightly bigger so it is easier to cover the Nutella. Besides, who doesn’t love huge cookies? 🙂

I sprinkled the tops of my cookies with coarse sugar. It gives them a nice crunch and enhances the sugar flavor. You could also roll the dough balls in the sugar if you want even more crunchiness.

If you have children (of any age) who love Nutella, make these cookies and watch their eyes light up when they discover the secret inside!

Happy Chocolate Monday!

Jane’s Tips and Hints:

A lot of recipes call for piping batters for a variety of projects. If you don’t want to mess with a piping tip and bag, just put your batter into a heavy-duty plastic bag and force it down into one corner. Seal the top and twist it to keep the batter nice and snug in the corner. Use a pair of scissors and snip a small piece off the corner, creating an opening to squeeze the batter through. If it isn’t big enough, cut the hole a little bigger. When you are done just throw the whole thing away and voila, no mess!!

Gluten-Free Tips:

Nutella is gluten-free! Be sure your work area is free of possible cross-contamination.

Sugar Cookies with Nutella Filling (Gluten-Free)

2015-06-18 14:54:11

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Ingredients

1. Nutella Chips
2. 1/2 cup (220g) Nutella
3. 3 tsp pure coconut oil, stirred until smooth before measuring
4. Cookies
5. 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
6. 1/2 tsp baking soda
7. 1/2 tsp salt
8. 10 tbsp (140g) unsalted butter, softened
9. 1/2 cup (110g) granulated sugar
10. 1/2 cup (112g) brown sugar
11. 1 large egg
12. 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
13. Toppings
14. Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tsp water)
15. Chocolate jimmies, coarse sugar, crushed nuts, or sprinkles, optional

Instructions

1. Prepare Nutella Chips: Line a small baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat. In a small bowl, whisk together the Nutella and coconut oil. Transfer the Nutella to a small resealable plastic bag and press it into one corner. Cut off the corner of the plastic bag and gently squeeze the Nutella out onto the parchment into 24 evenly sized chips. Each will be about the size of your thumbnail. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the Nutella is firm, about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Make Cookie Dough: In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt (if using). Whisk until thoroughly blended. Set aside.
4. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium in a stand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated.
5. Using a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop, portion the dough into 24 pieces and flatten each into a disk. I used the bottom of a water glass dipped in a little extra flour. Remove the Nutella chips from the freezer. Working quickly, press one chip into each ball of dough and roll the dough into a ball around the Nutella chip.
6. Place the cookie dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Place sheet in the refrigerator while you make the egg wash.
7. Make Egg Wash: In a small bowl, whisk the egg and the water together. Brush the egg wash over the tops of the dough balls. Sprinkle with toppings if desired.
8. Bake the Cookies: Bake for 5 minutes then spin the tray and continue cooking until the edges of the cookies start to turn golden, about 5 minutes longer. My oven took 6 minutes on each side and the cookies were beautifully golden.
9. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool thoroughly.

Notes

1. Yield: about 2 dozen cookies
2. Variation: If you do not have Nutella on hand or don’t want to take the time to make the Nutella chips, you can substitute a combination of regular chocolate chips with peanut butter chips to approximate the flavor. You probably could even chop up peanut butter cups for an interesting change of pace!

Adapted from Inquiring Chef

Adapted from Inquiring Chef

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