These dreamy peanut butter Nutella cookies are classic, soft-baked peanut butter cookies swirled with fudgy Nutella and rolled in sugar for crunch.
For extra indulgence, top these cookies with homemade Nutella frosting! And if you’re looking for another irresistible and easy cookie recipe, try these chocolate peanut butter cookies, next.
I LOVE peanut butter cookies but I don’t make them nearly as often as I should. These Nutella peanut butter cookies were inspired by one of my all-time favorite cookie cookbooks, Sally’s Cookie Addiction. They’re soft-baked and even a little airy thanks to ingredients like butter and shortening, loaded with peanut butter morsels, and swirled with fudgy Nutella. I roll the dough in sugar and add a criss-cross imprint, just like a classic peanut butter cookie. Only the flavor of these is completely over the top: Warm, buttery, a little chocolatey. They’re the absolute best!
Why I Love These Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
- Thick and chewy. These peanut butter cookies have such a delicious, light, and chewy texture. I leave them underbaked so they’re soft in the center, with crisp, sugar-coated edges and ribbons of chocolate hazelnut throughout.
- Make-ahead friendly. Since the dough does require chilling, this is the perfect cookie recipe to start on the day before.
- Anytime baking. These peanut butter and Nutella cookies are great for any time of the year. I make them winter, spring, summer, and fall for a sweet, peanut butter-loaded treat. They even find their way onto my holiday cookie trays!
Ingredient Notes
I’ve included some notes to get you started on this peanut butter Nutella cookies recipe. The ingredients are simple and pantry-friendly, and any possible substitutions can be found here. Scroll to the printable recipe card after the post for the full list with recipe amounts.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – You’ll need both for this peanut butter cookie recipe. Check the expiration dates on the packages to make sure they’re fresh.
- Shortening – I recommend a vegetable shortening, like Crisco, also at room temperature.
- Sugar – I use brown sugar and white sugar for extra-chewy cookies (plus extra for coating the cookie dough).
- Peanut Butter – I recommend creamy, shelf-stable creamy peanut butter, or you could use crunchy peanut butter if you’d like. However, natural peanut butter (the kind where the oil separates) isn’t suitable and makes the cookies greasy.
- Peanut Butter Chips – For even more peanut butter flavor! You could also use chocolate chips.
- Nutella – Everyone’s favorite chocolate hazelnut spread. Feel free to use name-brand Nutella or another variation of hazelnut spread.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cookies With Nutella
There’s a small amount of planning involved for this cookie recipe as the dough needs some time to set in the fridge. I recommend chilling the cookie dough for at least an hour, but I’ll often prepare the dough up to one day ahead! Follow the steps here and scroll down to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Take out a mixing bowl and whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. In another large bowl, cream the butter and shortening with brown sugar and ½ cup of white sugar. Next, beat in the eggs, followed by the peanut butter and a dash of vanilla extract.
- Mix the dough. Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and add the peanut butter chips. Lastly, fold in the Nutella by hand, just enough to swirl it throughout the dough. Be careful not to overmix.
- Chill the dough. Cover and chill the peanut butter cookie dough for at least 1 hour. You can even do this up to 4 days ahead! I like to use a cookie scoop to pre-scoop tablespoons of dough and refrigerate them until it’s time to bake.
- Roll in sugar. Roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar before arranging them on a lined baking sheet. Gently press the tops of the peanut butter cookies with a fork to create the signature criss-cross pattern.
- Bake. Bake these cookies in a 350ºF oven for 12-13 minutes. Take them out when they’re just browned on the bottom and still a bit soft in the middle, and leave them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Afterward, move the cookies to a wire rack.
Julianne’s Recipe Tips
- Line the baking sheet. Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. It keeps the Nutella cookies from sticking and prevents them from over-spreading and over-browning in the oven.
- Don’t overmix the Nutella. If you work the dough too much after adding the Nutella, you won’t get those nice, distinct swirls.
- For larger cookies, use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop. You’ll end up with fewer cookies and may need to adjust the baking time, so keep a close eye on the cookies while they bake.
- Scoop the cookies before chilling. Whenever a recipe calls for chilling the cookie dough, I find it much easier to portion the cookies onto a baking sheet beforehand. This way, I can bake the cookies straight from the fridge. Otherwise, the cold dough can be difficult to scoop (see my next tip).
- If needed, soften the cookie dough. In the case that you don’t pre-scoop the dough and it’s been in the fridge for longer than 3 hours, take the dough out 20-30 minutes ahead of scooping.
How to Store
- Store. Keep these peanut butter Nutella cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freeze. You can also freeze these cookies for up to 1 month. Pre-freeze them on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Thaw at room temperature.
More Peanut Butter Cookie Recipes
Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 28 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These thick and chewy Nutella peanut butter cookies are classic, soft-baked cookies swirled with fudgy Nutella and loaded with peanut butter chips.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups peanut butter morsels
- 6 tablespoons Nutella
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and shortening together until smooth, about one minute.
- Next add the brown sugar and ½ cup of the granulated sugar and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then add the eggs and beat until combined.
- Next add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and continue beating on medium-high speed until combined.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Next add the peanut butter chips and mix until combined.
- Finally, add the Nutella and mix by hand with a spatula to swirl into the dough. If you mix for too long, you will not have the swirls in the cookies.
- Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (and up to 4 days). OR Pre-scoop (1 tablespoon) your cookie dough and refrigerate as directed above. If you are not pre-scooping the dough (1 tablespoon size), and you’re refrigerating for longer than 3 hours, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before scooping as the dough will be quite hard.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Roll each ball of dough in the remaining ½ cup of granulated sugar. Place the dough 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. Press a fork into the tops to create the crisscross pattern.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom. The centers will look soft. Remove them from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- I used a 1 tablespoon size cookie scoop, which actually results in a larger cookie than I originally thought it would. I also made a few 2 tablespoon size cookies because I always love a big cookie (although using the larger scoop will result in a fewer number of cookies overall).
- Whenever the dough needs to be chilled, I always use my cookie scoop and place them on a baking sheet in the refrigerator. That way I can pull them out as needed when I am ready to bake them. When a dough requires chilling, it can be very difficult to scoop them after the fact.
when do you put the eggs in?
Hi Syd, sorry for the confusion. Add them after the sugar is beaten and before the peanut butter is added. Step 3. Thanks for pointing that out