The Snickerdoodle is a chewy cinnamon-sugar cookie that originated in New England. This update stuffs them with frozen nuggets of chocolate-hazelnut spread (see note*) that melts into gooey chocolate goodness when baked.
Ingredients
- For the filling
3/4 cup chocolate hazelnut Nutella-type spread (see note*)
- For the dough
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons corn syrup
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
- For the garnish
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and drop 24 heaping teaspoons of hazelnut spread onto the sheet. Put in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until solid.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment. In a large bowl, mix the butter, sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, egg and corn syrup until well blended. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well combined; set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon. With a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons), make a ball of dough and flatten it into a pancake. Place a nugget of frozen hazelnut spread in the center of the pancake and wrap so that the nugget is evenly covered in dough. Roll in cinnamon sugar and place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Note that the hazelnut spread softens quickly so you may have to keep it frozen and take out a few pieces at a time.
- Return your cookie dough-laden baking sheet to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This will keep the cookies from flattening too much. Bake 12-14 minutes or until edges are golden. Allow to cool on baking sheets until they can be safely moved to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
- * Despite the photo, I prefer alternatives to Nutella that don’t contain palm oil. One brand that tastes fantastic and contains no palm oil is Costco’s home brand, Kirkland Signature. It’s cheaper, too! Here is a great review of the Kirkland-brand product. Here are some other brands that don’t contain palm oil.