Vegan Nutella-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Nutella-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

CRISPY. CHEWY. A MOLTEN HAZELNUT-CHOCOLATE FILLING. What more could a human vegan need I hear you ask? The answer: nothing. Well, maybe a cup of coffee to really tip the scales over into party time, but I’ve been quite happy snaffling these gooey, golden-brown babies right out of the biscuit tin and LET ME TELL YOU they hold their own.

But first, a moment of silence for the jar of JimJams chocolate spread I have completely decimated in recipe testing these cookies. My first batch came out cakey (not enough flour) and under-baked (not enough patience) and, although edible, they were miles off the crispy-stuffed-cookie-vision I’ve had floating round my head ever since that first jar of JimJams graced my kitchen.

Luckily, round 2 was a resounding success: just the right amount of crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle, with a hunk of gooey chocolate spread just waitin’ to ooze out the centre. I also remembered to top them with flaky sea salt which is really a non-negotiable when it comes to the perfect cookie.

You may notice that the batter should chill in the fridge for 30 – 45 mins before baking. I highly recommend that you don’t skip this step! Chilling the batter controls the spread in the oven, and as these cookies already get pretty hefty, I can only imagine not chilling them would lead to an unruly molten cookie explotion. You could even chill the batter overnight to really make sure it doesn’t take on a life of its own once it’s let loose!

I haven’t tried these with gluten-free flour but switching the plain flour for GF plain should work just fine!

Vegan Nutella-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time: 60 mins (including chilling)

Bake Time: Approx. 15 mins

Total time: Approx. 75 mins

Ingredients (makes 9 large cookies):

• 9 tsp chocolate hazelnut spread (i.e. JimJams or Nutella if not vegan)
• 110g vegan butter (melted)
• 125g soft light brown sugar
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp soya milk
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 225g plain flour
• 1 tsp corn-starch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 100g dark chocolate chips
• Pinch flaky sea salt

Method:

1. Place nine teaspoon-sized scoops of chocolate hazelnut spread on a piece of greaseproof paper, making sure they’re not touching, and leave to chill in the freezer while you prepare the cookie dough.
2. For the cookie dough, cream together the melted butter and sugars. Add in the vegetable oil, soya milk and maple syrup and whisk until fully combined.
3. Add in the flour, corn-starch, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Stir through the chocolate chips and then chill the dough in the fridge for 30 – 45 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 190C, remove the dough from the fridge and the chilled chocolate balls from the freezer.
6. Use your hands to mold the dough around each chocolate ball so it is fully enclosed. I did this by flattening some cookie dough in my hand, placing a chocolate ball on top, covering with more cookie dough and pinching the sides together to encase the chocolate.
7. Place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, leaving a good amount of space between each one – they will spread! Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and bake for 12 – 14 mins or until golden brown.
8. Allow to cool before removing from the baking tray — they will feel soft when first brought out of the oven but firm up as they cool.

If you make these, or anything else on my website, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @charlotteemmma so I can see them!