Nutella® Chocolate Lava Cookies

From 101 Greatest Cookies on the Planet by Erin Mylroie, this recipe for a chocolate lava cookie with a semiliquid center of warm Nutella just had to be included on that list – hands down – it’s dynamite!

Makes 12 cookies

Nutella® Lava Cookies: Ingredients

11⁄2 cups (387 g) chocolate hazelnut spread, divided (I recommend Nutella)
1⁄2 cup (114 g) unsalted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
1⁄3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
11⁄2 tsp (4 g) cornstarch
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp baking soda
11⁄2 cups (188 g) all-purpose flour

For the topping:

2 tbsp (32 g) chocolate hazelnut spread, warmed in the microwave to drizzling consistency (I recommend Nutella)
Powdered sugar

Nutella® Lava Cookies: Instructions

To make the cookies, line a glass dish with waxed paper.

At least 2 hours before baking, scoop 1 tablespoon (16 g) of the chocolate hazelnut spread onto the waxed paper. Repeat until you have 12 dollops. Freeze for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining chocolate hazelnut spread and butter. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix until light and fluffy.

Stir in the egg and vanilla.

Sprinkle the cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda over the dough and mix well. Gently stir in the flour.

Remove the chocolate hazelnut dollops from the freezer.

Shape the dough into 12 equal balls.

Flatten each dough ball in the palm of your hand, press a chocolate dollop into the center of the dough and wrap the dough around so that no part is exposed.

Place the cookie dough balls, seam side down, on the cookie sheets.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until just set on top. Once the cookies have cooled, drizzle the warmed chocolate hazelnut spread over the tops and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

The filling is delicious warm, but the taste and texture are also lovely—and maybe even better—at room temperature.

Tip: Keep some extra frozen chocolate hazelnut dollops in a zip-top bag on hand for when you want to bake this cookie.

Reprinted with permission from 101 Greatest Cookies on the Planet by Erin Mylroie, Page Street Publishing Co. 2020. Photo credit: Ekaterina Smirnova

Readers might also be interested in: