Nutella Stuffed M&M Cookies

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Warning: this may just be your new favorite cookie. They’re chewy, loaded with mini M&M’s and chocolate chips, and stuffed with Nutella. It’s one unreal cookie combination. 

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Let me introduce you to your new obsession. These cookies are a combination of all of my favorite things: brown butter, lots of chocolate, and gooey Nutella. The different types of chocolate — semisweet, milk, and the hazelnut/chocolatey taste of Nutella — pair together perfectly and are further enhanced by the brown butter and a touch of sea salt.

I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of coming up with different variations of cookie flavor combinations. It’s so fun to experiment and interesting to see how swapping in/out one ingredient can change everything. Feel free to experiment with this recipe and customize it to your liking. Add in mini peanut butter M&M’s or toss in some dark chocolate chips…the possibilities are endless.

And if you’re new to making stuffed cookies at home, this recipe is the perfect one to start with. It’s simple and straightforward — you’ll be surprised by how easy it actually is and I’m sure it’ll inspire you to experiment with more stuffed cookie recipes with different fillings. 

Now, let’s get into it!

Read on for the full recipe for these dreamy Nutella Stuffed M&M Cookies.

If you’re new here — hi, my name is Kim and I’m obsessed with brown butter. No, but really. I just love the flavor that it adds to cookies and how it pairs with chocolate. So, if you haven’t caught on by now, this cookie recipe uses melted brown butter.

While brown butter is something that I utilize in a lot of my recipes, I realize that it still may be unfamiliar to others. In short, all we’re doing is melting butter and then cooking it further until it creates milk solids and turns a light golden/amber color. The toasted milk solids are what give brown butter its nutty flavor.

To make brown butter, place the butter in a light-colored, medium-sized saucepan. On low to medium heat, melt the butter on the stove, stirring constantly. Once the butter is melted, within a minute or two, the butter will begin bubbling and appear foamy on top. You’ll start to see golden bits floating at the bottom of the pan (these are toasted milk solids that add so much flavor!). Continue stirring, ensuring that the butter doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove the butter from heat when it is a golden/amber color and set aside to cool.

As I always mention in recipes that utilize melted butter (whether it’s regular melted butter or melted brown butter), it’s extremely important that you use room temperature eggs and chill your cookie dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. By doing both of these things, your cookies will bake up thick and tall. If you skip these steps, the dough will spread more while baking, resulting in flatter cookies (that are still delicious!).

Ingredients you’ll need

• Nutella
• Unsalted butter 
• All-purpose flour 
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Cornstarch
• Brown sugar
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract 
• Eggs 
• Mini semisweet chocolate chips
• Mini M&M’s 
• Flaky sea salt

Kitchen tools you’ll need (linking my favorites below!)

• Mixing bowls 
• Measuring cups
• Spatula
• Whisk
• Cookie scoop
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Cookie turner
• Cooling rack

How to make these next-level Nutella Stuffed M&M Cookies

Line a baking sheet or plate with wax paper. Measure out 12 dollops of Nutella (about ½ tbsp to ¾ tbsp each) and freeze for an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the cookie dough. On low to medium heat, brown 1 cup of butter (2 sticks). Remove the butter from heat when the top is foamy and the butter is amber/golden brown in color. Set aside to cool.

Combine 2¼ cups flour, 1½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp cornstarch in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together 1½ cups brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and brown butter until it is smooth and combined.

Add 2 tsp vanilla and 2 eggs. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and lighter/paler in color.

Add the dry ingredients and fold in with a rubber spatula.

Fold in 1 cup mini chocolate chips and 1 cup mini M&M’s.

Chill the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scoop out 12 equally sized dough balls. Flatten each with the palm of your hand, place a frozen dollop of Nutella in the middle, and wrap the cookie dough around the dollop. The Nutella must be fully covered.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set the cookie dough balls on the sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until the edges are golden and the tops of the cookies still look slightly wet. 

Remove from the oven and shape the cookies with a spoon, bowl, or circular cookie cutter. Top with extra chocolate chips and M&M’s, if desired.

Let the cookies rest for about 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Once on the wire rack, let the cookies cool and set for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips for success

• When measuring dry ingredients, use a kitchen scale or the spoon and level method. Before scooping out dry ingredients, use a spoon and run through them, fluffing them up and removing any clumps. For the spoon and level method, spoon the ingredient into the measuring cup and use a flat top tool to level off the top and remove any excess. 
• In order to ensure your cookies have a soft and chewy texture, be careful to not overmix your cookie dough. When adding in dry ingredients, only mix until a few flour streaks remain, then gently fold in your toppings. 
• To prevent having flat cookies, it is key that your eggs are at room temperature and that you let the dough chill for about 1 hour. Chilling the dough helps enhance the flavors and will result in taller, thicker cookies. If you forgo chilling the dough, these cookies will bake up flat.
• Be careful to not overbake your cookies. These cookies are done when the edges are set and a light golden color. The tops will still look wet and not fully set — and that’s what we want them to look like! The cookies will continue to bake on the baking sheet even after you remove them from the oven. If overbaked, you will lose some of the softness and chewiness.

FAQs

Can I freeze these cookies?

Absolutely! Store the cookies in a freezer-safe storage bag or container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat the cookies, set them out for about 20-30 minutes and let them come to room temperature before eating.

Can I make this dough in advance?

Yes! This dough can be made up to 3 days in advance. I recommend scooping and stuffing the cookie dough balls prior to storing in the refrigerator. If you choose to scoop and store the dough later, you will need to set the cookie dough out to soften for about 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to baking. Since we’re stuffing these cookies, the dough needs to be soft enough to spread and place the Nutella dollop inside. 

Is it required for the dough to chill?

If you want your cookies to be tall and thick — YES! Since we’re using melted brown butter for this recipe, we need to give the dough time to chill. Otherwise, the cookies will still be delicious, but flat. Chilling the dough also helps to develop the flavors, bringing out that amazing brown butter flavor even more.

How to store

Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing, set the cookies on the counter and let them come to room temperature before eating.

Soft, gooey cookies that are full of chocolate and stuffed with Nutella? YES PLEASE. Pro tip: don’t forget to add that flaky sea salt on top — it’s an absolute game changer. Go on. You know you want to bake a batch. And, if you do, please let me know what you think!

If you try this recipe, share and tag me on socials using @itsbrunchoklock or #itsbrunchoklock