What happens when you take a family childhood cookie recipe and give it a Nutella update? Chocolatey magic, that’s what! Thumb cookies are such a nostalgic bake for me, usually flavoured with almond essence and filled with sticky apricot or strawberry jam. We made and enjoyed them often as kids, and when I taught my own children how to make them they loved them too. Such fun to make!
The cookies themselves are flavoured with cocoa this time instead of almond and, once baked, are filled with spoonfuls of ooey goeey Nutella. I did try and bake the cookies with the filling but the texture of the Nutella was not as nice, so I decided to fill them after baking. You could use any chocolate spread or even a thick ganache if you are feeling particularly extravagant.
The cookies will keep well in an airtight container for several days, if they last that long! I hope you enjoy these Nutella thumb cookies, and would love to hear what your favorite nostalgic treats are. Do leave a comment below!
NUTELLA THUMB COOKIES
- Servings: Makes 30
- 100g butter, room temperature
- 115g castor sugar
- 100g light brown sugar
- 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 15ml (1 tbsp) milk
- 240g flour
- 15g cocoa powder
- 1.25ml (¼ tsp) baking powder
- 75ml Nutella
1.) Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with baking paper.
2.) Cream the butter, castor sugar and brown sugar together for a few minutes until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, egg and milk and mix to combine.
3.) Add the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Mix until just combined into a dough.
4.) Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, you should be able to get about 30 out of the mixture. Arrange the balls on the lined trays and use your thumb to press a deep hole into each. Be sure not to press your thumb through the bottom!
5.) Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Turn the tray around and bake for a further 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. If the cookies have risen in the center press them down gently again while they’re still warm.
6.) Give the Nutella a stir if it’s very thick. (As the weather has been cold I warmed mine up slightly to make it more runny.) Add half a teaspoon to each cookie once they’ve cooled.