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Caramel Nutella Crisps

Oh my, these Caramel Nutella Crisps are addictive! Nutella-flavored cookie dough is wrapped around a caramel candy, rolled in sugar, then baked. Go ahead and try to just eat one!

Six caramel nutella cookies on a white plate.

I don't know about you, but while I love the classics, like chocolate chip, I also love trying new cookies. Each year, I'll try a new cookie recipe or two (or three) in addition to the ones my family loves and always requests.

Sometimes, like in the case of these Caramel Nutella Crisps, they become part of the standard rotation. And it's no wonder. They're so delicious!

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Ingredients

The first four ingredients for Nutella cookie dough: butter, brown sugar, Nutella and granulated white sugar.
  • Unsalted butter: slightly softened. You don't want it to be completely soft.
  • Granulated white sugar
  • Brown sugar: light or dark, use whatever you have on hand.
  • Chocolate hazelnut spread
  • Eggs: two large eggs
  • Flour: all-purpose.
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Salt: the regular table kind.

See recipe card for quantities.

A broken Caramel Nutella Crisp showing the caramel center.

Instructions

The dough for these cookies is made like most other drop cookies. Cream together the butter, sugars and Nutella.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well before adding the second egg. Why do most baking recipes tell you to add the egg one at a time? Well, because you're trying to mix fat (from the butter) with water (from the egg), two ingredients which, as you probably know, don't like to mix. What you're doing is creating an emulsion (like mayonnaise or aioli). If you added both eggs at the same time, you could end up with a bad emulsion that leads to tough cookies.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, then add to your cookie dough. Mix just until incorporated. Mixing too much after the flour is added is another way to end up with tough cookies.

Raw nutella cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

Next, the dough needs to chill for a bit. At least one hour, but you can wait as long as 48 hours before continuing with the recipe. I store my dough right in the mixing bowl with one of these re-useable bowl covers.

The bowl of cookie dough, a cookie scoop, a bowl of sugar and a box of Milk Duds on a silicone mat-lined baking sheet.

Then, you can begin scooping the dough and rolling it around a piece of caramel candy. I got a 5-ounce box of Milk Duds (about the size that you buy at a movie theater), and used about ⅔s of the box. I love scooping cookies because it's faster than using two spoons, and it ensures that your cookies are consistently-sized. Consistently-sized cookies all take the same amount of time to bake.

Each cookie gets a roll in additional white sugar before baking, to give it extra crispiness at the edges.

A scoop of Caramel Nutella Crisp cookie dough after being rolled in sugar.

These cookies spread a lot, so give them lots of room on the baking sheet. I recommend using silicone baking mats rather than parchment paper for these cookies, for reasons I'll explain further in the Tips section.

Substitutions

If you don't want to use Milk Duds candies, you can use Kraft soft caramels (often found in the baking aisle). They come individually wrapped in plastic. Once you unwrap them, cut each into quarters, and use one quarter in each cookie.

Also, if you want to leave the caramel out, go ahead! These cookies are delicious without the caramel, too.

A stack of caramel nutella crisps on a white plate in front of a Santa hat.

Storage

Store the baked and fully cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. I recommend placing a sheet of wax paper between layers of cookies so that they don't stick together or sag and break. They should last up to two weeks if stored properly (if they even last that long, that is).

Tips

These cookies are very soft when they come out of the oven. If you have straight-line cooling racks like I do, the middles will start to sink down. I recommend baking these cookies on silicone mats because you can pull the whole mat (cookies and all) onto the cooling rack and let them cool completely on the mat. Parchment isn't sturdy enough to move this way.

A stack of caramel nutella crisps with one standing on its edge leaning against the stack.

Caramel Nutella Crisps

Yield: 30 cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 30 minutes

A little nutty, a lotta chocolate, with a chewy caramel center.

Ingredients

  • 6 oz (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, slightly softened
  • 6 ⅓ oz (½ cup + 2 tablespoons) Nutella spread
  • 3.5 oz (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 5.625 oz (¾ cup) light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 8.5 oz (2 cups) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon table salt
  • 30 Milk Duds (from a 5-ounce/142 g box)
  • Additional sugar for coating cookies (about ¼ cup)

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, Nutella, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated before adding the next egg.
  3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer, stirring on low speed just until incorporated.
  5. Cover the mixing bowl and chill the dough for at least one hour (up to 48 hours).
  6. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  7. Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough. Press one Milk Dud into the center of each scoop of dough. Roll into a ball to cover the Milk Dud, and roll the ball in sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  8. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for two or three minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Store the cookies in an airtight container (place sheets of wax paper between the layers to prevent them sticking together) in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

If you can't find Milk Duds, substitute Kraft chewy caramels (often found in the baking aisle). Unwrap the caramels, and cut each into four pieces. Use one quarter in each ball of cookie dough.

Also, these cookies are delicious without the caramel center, if you're not a caramel fan.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 154Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 69mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g

I am not a certified nutritionist. This nutrition information is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only.

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Recipe by My Kitchen Addiction

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Katy @ MonsterProof

Tuesday 18th of December 2012

It's sooner than you think! I am a complete failure in writing the post that I've been sitting on, but my 18-month-old fully helped bake the cookies this year. He may have stolen a few handfuls of cookie dough, and he may have spilled MANY things, but he also knows where all the ingredients are, says "cook", "crack", "hot", and a lot of ingredient names. He cracks the eggs (sometimes too enthusiastically), stirs, dumps ingredients in... And actually now looses it if he's not allowed to pull a chair into the kitchen and help. SO fun.

Coleen

Tuesday 18th of December 2012

Oh, how fun! I loved your story -- thanks for sharing!

Books n' Cooks

Monday 10th of December 2012

These sounds great! I'm definitely going to have to try them out.

Eva @ Eva Bakes

Monday 10th of December 2012

These definitely sound addictive. This is the first I've heard of adding Milk Duds to a cookie, and I just think it's brilliant! Need to try these ASAP.

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