Red Velvet Nutella Cookies
Day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipes 2020
A soft red velvet cookie filled with a gooey Nutella center and the perfect amount of white chocolate…you’d better unbutton those holiday pants of yours because there is a high likelihood you won’t be able to stop eating these cookies. They are SO delicious. I love how the red velvet adds the perfect touch of holiday cheer…and then you discover even more holiday cheer with each bite you take! If you’re a red velvet lover or Nutella lover, these are going to make your whole holiday season.
Not a huge red velvet fan? That’s okay! Check out my other holiday cookies like these egg nog snickerdoodles or these amazing chocolate mint Oreo cookies.
Red Velvet Nutella Cookies
Can anybody else remember the first time they tried Nutella? I sure can. My brother was living in France and had written home about how amazing this chocolate hazelnut spread was that the French put all over the crepes and pastries. I was pretty young at the time, maybe 12 or so, but I remember him sending some across the Atlantic so that all of us poor uncultured Americans could try the amazing-ness that was Nutella. Needless to say, he converted us all and I remember thinking I was super cool when I was ahead of the “Nutella” fad that came to the United States a few later. I’ve been able to travel to Europe a few times and this is all I can say: they know what they’re doing- I’ve never seen a European breakfast buffet without a pile of Nutella available!
Of course I thought of Nutella while brainstorming which flavors I wanted to bring forth for my first 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Recipes. I have a handful of other recipes that use Nutella that I could have used but none fit the line up quite right…until I thought of none other than a red velvet cookie base with white chocolate chips. I did some experimentation in the kitchen, and my goodness…these cookies are (ok I’ll say it again) absolutely delicious. Divine. Other-worldly. You get what I mean.
Is Red Velvet Chocolate?
In case you haven’t already learned this, red velvet isn’t really a flavor. It’s actually just chocolate! Red Velvet desserts are chocolate desserts hiding behind a bold, flashy red cover. I don’t know why but it seems like that red food coloring makes these cookies even more delicious!
How to Make Red Velvet Nutella Cookies
To make the cookies you will need the following ingredients:
- Cold Butter, cut into tablespoons
- Granulated Sugar
- Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Cocoa Powder
- Red Food Coloring (I recommend using a high quality red food coloring like this one)
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- All Purpose Flour
- Cake Flour
- White Chocolate Chips
- Cold, refrigerated and somewhat stiff Nutella
MIX. To make the red velvet Nutella cookies, beat the cold butter on low in an electric mixer until somewhat softened. Add sugars and cream until butter is smooth. Add egg, vanilla, cocoa powder and red food coloring *see note*. Mix on LOW until well combined. Sift other ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to wet ingredients. Mix on low until well combined. Fold in white chocolate chips.
*The amount of red coloring you will need to use will depend greatly on the quality of the red food coloring you use. You can add more/less than this recipe to achieve the red color you are desiring.
MEASURE AND SCOOP. Measure cookie dough mounds into 3 ounces (small cookies) or 5 ounces (large cookies). Create a little indentation with your fingers for a place for the Nutella to go. Remove Nutella from the fridge (I often pop the Nutella in the freezer about 30 minutes before I bake these cookies and then pull it out. The Nutella MUST BE COLD and stiff or else it will just bake into the cookies and not just be filling. Place about 1 tsp of Nutella for small cookies of 2 tsp for large cookies into the center of the cookie. Fold the edges up around the Nutella, making sure to maintain a round cookie dough shape (without rolling) while containing the Nutella completely. If you are nervous your cookie dough or Nutella are too warm, refrigerate for 30 minutes and then bake.
BAKE. Place cookie mounds onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mats to bake at 400 for 10-14 minutes. Cookies will be slightly browned on top and start to crack. Allow them to cool on the sheet for at least 15 minutes and then ENJOY!
For more holiday inspired cookies:
Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Cookie Recipe
Without further ado, here is the recipe for these delectable cookies:
Red Velvet Nutella Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 C Unsalted butter, COLD, cut into tablespoons
- 3/4 C Brown Sugar
- 1/2 C Granulated Sugar
- 1/3 C Cocoa Powder
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1-2 tsp Red Food Coloring (dependent on quality of red food coloring)
- 1 C Cake Flour
- 1 ¾ C All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 or ¾ bag White Chocolate Chips
- 1 small jar Nutella (COLD)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Cut COLD unsalted butter into tablespoon chunks. Mix on LOW until somewhat softened.
- Add sugars, mix on LOW until well creamed (combined) and there are no chunks of butter.
- Add eggs, cocoa and vanilla. Mix on low.
- Add red food coloring. 1-2 tsp depending on the quality of your red food coloring. I would HIGHLY suggest using high quality red food coloring as cheap kinds can be quite weak and not dye the color of your dough. Mix on low, scraping sides, until well distributed through the wet ingredients.
- Sift together the dry ingredients and then mix on LOW with wet ingredients. Mix until well combined.
- Fold in 3/4 to a full bag of white chocolate chips.
- Form cookie dough into round mounds that weigh either 3 ounces (small) or 5 ounces (large).
- With your finger, create an indentation in the center of the cookie dough mounds and place 1 tsp (small cookies) of COLD Nutella or 2 tsp (big cookies) of COLD Nutella. Fold cookie dough around the Nutella, keeping a round shape. Cookie dough mounds should be tall.
- Place cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes, making sure to check at 10 minutes. Place cookies at least 2 inches apart for the small cookies or 3 inches apart for the large cookies. Cookies will be ready to remove from oven when the tops start to crack a little and the color is browning somewhat.
- Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for the next 30 minutes. They will finish baking on the hot sheet so it is important to not remove them!
