These 3 ingredient Nutella cookies are tender and rich, and couldn't be easier. Make the quick cookie dough in a food processor, and they're ready to eat in about 15 minutes, start to finish.
How many ingredients?
Calling this recipe 3 Ingredient Nutella cookies without counting the filling in the number of ingredients is sort of like getting on the 12-items-or-less checkout line at the grocery store with 12 items—but one of them has more than one part.
The cookies have 3 ingredients. I promise! Nutella, an egg and my gum-free flour blend. That's it. During cookie ? season, when you're baking a million types of cookies, some fancier than others, sometimes you just need a super quick ace in the hole. And these cookies can just be made without the filling.
When I was putting together the annual 22 boxes of cookies for my husband's coworkers this year, I needed a last minute addition to fill out the boxes a bit. You can guess what cookie made that happen.
Since then, I've also created a super simple recipe for 3 Ingredient Oatmeal Cookies. They're healthy and hearty, and perfect for an after-school, after-sports snack.
Even easier still
If you'd like to simplify these cookies even further, you have three other options. One, leave out the filling entirely. If you don't plan to fill the cookies with anything at all, roll the dough into balls and then press each ball into a thick disk. Don't poke holes, but rather just bake as is.
Two, you can fill the cookies with straight-up Nutella, before baking. Three, place a chocolate disk or chip in the center of each cookie the moment the baking tray comes out of the oven. It will melt into the hole, and then firm up again as the cookie cools.
These cookies are so tender and rich, and they basically taste like everything that is lovely about Nutella. Warm, hazelnut goodness with deep chocolate taste, and no one will ever know that they're this easy. Unless they read this blog. And then you can just tell them: who said something had to be difficult to be delicious? Amiright?
Ingredients and Substitutions
This one's a hard one for substitutions, my friends! There are only three ingredients in the cookies themselves. But I'll give it my best shot:
Dairy-Free: For the filling, just replace the heavy cream with coconut cream. But the real problem is that Nutella has dairy, and it's the most prominent ingredient in these cookies.
I've made batch after batch of these cookies, and my oldest who is currently dairy free (to her misery) didn't have even one. I honestly don't know if you could substitute another nut butter. Nutella is thinner and really bakes differently than other nut butters.
Maybe try no-stir peanut butter in its place, but you'd probably have to cut back on the flour. Instead, I'd really go for these flourless chocolate peanut butter cookies. They're naturally dairy free.
Update! At one lovely reader's recommendation, I've tried Nicciolata Dairy Free Organic Hazelnut & Cocoa Spread, and it's heavenly! I bought it on Vitacost.com, I think? Search around for the best price. I haven't yet tried it in these cookies, so I don't know if it would work but it's definitely thicker than Nutella so most likely the proportions would be a bit different. If I try it in this recipe, I'll be sure to update again!
Egg-Free: It's only one egg, so I'm tempted to suggest my favorite egg replacement, the “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel). But again, there are only 3 ingredients. Substitute at your own risk!
Flour Blend: If you'd like to try make this recipe using something other than my gum-free gluten free flour blend (which itself has 3 simple ingredients), like perhaps with Better Batter, the cookies will be dry and much denser.
3 Ingredient Nutella Cookies
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
For the cookies
- ⅔ cup (200 g) Nutella hazelnut spread at room temperature
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature
- ¾ cup (105 g) gum free gluten free flour blend (69 g superfine white rice flour + 23 g potato starch + 13 g tapioca starch/flour) or Nicole's Best
For the filling (See Recipe Notes)
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream at room temperature
Instructions
Make the cookies.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, place the Nutella and egg and process until smooth. Add the flour blend and and process until well-combined. The mixture will clump into a ball rather quickly.
- Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheet, about 1.5-inches apart. Roll each into a ball, and replace on the baking sheet. Press a moistened index finger into the center of each ball and press all the way down.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 9 minutes or until just set on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet until firm.
Make the filling & fill the cookies.
- In a small bowl, place the filling ingredients and melt either in the microwave in 30-second bursts at 70% power, stirring in between until smooth, or in a double boiler.
- Either place the prepared filling in a pastry bag fitted with a small open piping tip and pipe into the hole of each cooled cookie, or spoon into the center of each.
- Allow the filling to set and serve.
Notes
- Roll each cookie into a ball and then press into a disk and leave out the filling entirely;
- Fill each hole with more Nutella before baking; or
- Press a chocolate disk or chip into the center of each cookie the moment they come out of the oven.
3 Ingredient Nutella Cookies
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
For the cookies
- ⅔ cup (200 g) Nutella hazelnut spread at room temperature
- 1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg at room temperature
- ¾ cup (105 g) gum free gluten free flour blend (69 g superfine white rice flour + 23 g potato starch + 13 g tapioca starch/flour) or Nicole's Best
For the filling (See Recipe Notes)
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream at room temperature
Instructions
Make the cookies.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, place the Nutella and egg and process until smooth. Add the flour blend and and process until well-combined. The mixture will clump into a ball rather quickly.
- Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheet, about 1.5-inches apart. Roll each into a ball, and replace on the baking sheet. Press a moistened index finger into the center of each ball and press all the way down.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 9 minutes or until just set on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet until firm.
Make the filling & fill the cookies.
- In a small bowl, place the filling ingredients and melt either in the microwave in 30-second bursts at 70% power, stirring in between until smooth, or in a double boiler.
- Either place the prepared filling in a pastry bag fitted with a small open piping tip and pipe into the hole of each cooled cookie, or spoon into the center of each.
- Allow the filling to set and serve.
Notes
- Roll each cookie into a ball and then press into a disk and leave out the filling entirely;
- Fill each hole with more Nutella before baking; or
- Press a chocolate disk or chip into the center of each cookie the moment they come out of the oven.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Terri says
Hi from Oz! Just cooked these cookies and they are a big thumbs up from my kids.
One question Nicole? When I mixed the flour to the wet ingredients it was more like the consistency of brownies so I couldn’t roll it. Did I do something wrong?
Nicole Hunn says
If you made any ingredient substitutions, including the precise flour blend, or didn’t measure by weight, especially in such a simple recipe, that will dramatically affect the result, Terri.
Cheryl says
We absolutely love these cookies!! My son asked if I could add something crunchy to them…like GF rice Krispies? He said then they would be like a fererro rocher
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Cheryl,
These are the simplest of cookies, and I really don’t recommend adding anything at all to the batter. They won’t hold their shape, most likely. You could try adding something crunchy on top after you fill them perhaps?