Shortbread is the ultimate buttery cookie that welcomes the festive season. Although best associated with the holiday period; it is enjoyed all-year round. It is my absolute favorite and I have posted a recipe over on my Miller In The City blog before. My take on the best shortbread cookie is that it should be light, buttery and crisp. I turned it up a notch by combining the buttery goodness with chocolate. My Nutella Shortbread Cookies are delectable and will melt in your mouth.
Chocolate and shortbread is the perfect combination. In fact chocolate just elevates every thing to a higher level of deliciousness. These shortbread cookies are stuffed with Nutella that gets all melty and oozes out with every bite – as I would like to call it a heavenly surprise. Honestly, these cookies are so yummy, you will devour an entire batch in no time.
The best thing is that you can make batches of these and freeze the dough to bake off whenever you crave these beauties.
Tips for the best shortbread cookies
- Don’t skimp on butter as it gives it is the foundation of a shortbread cookie and gives it that buttery flavour and crumbly texture.
- The butter must be room temperature – don’t use melted butter!.
- Cream the butter and sugar. I use powdered (icing) sugar for my shortbread cookie recipe.
- One the dough is formed make sure to wrap it in clingwrap and to refrigerate it for at least an hour.
- Once I form balls or use a cookie cutter to shape the cookies – the dough tends to become soft again. I therfoer place it on the baking sheet and chill it for another 30 minutes. This will ensure that the butter in the dough is chilled and will prevent it from spreading when baking.
- Lastly don’t overbake the shortbread cookies. Only bake for 10 – 12 minutes until slightly golden.
How to stuff the Nutella in the shortbread cookies
The Nutella must be frozen in order to stuff the shortbread cookies with it.
- Drop dollops of Nutella on a silicone mat or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Freeze until Nutella is hard.
- Once dough has chilled – break off a teaspoon size of the dough, place the Nutella in the middle making sure the dough completely covers the Nutella. Then roll to form a ball.
- Place the cookie balls on the lined baking sheet and chill for another 30 minutes before baking.
Nutella Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 24 tsp Nutella (heaped dollops)
- 240 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups cake flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp corn flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 200 g chocolate (dark or milk)
Instructions
- Prep Nutella balls by dropping teaspoon dollops on a silicone mat or lined baking sheet and freeze until hard.
- With a stand or hand mixer; cream the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla essence until creamy. Scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Sift in flour, salt and corn flour.
- Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Wrap dough in cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator for one hour.
- Break off teaspoon sizes of the dough, placing the Nutella in the middle of each, making sure the Nutella is completely covered with dough.
- Form balls and place on a lined baking sheet – spreading it out.
- Chill in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
- Just before taking the cookie balls out of the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Slightly press down each ball and bake for 10 – 12 minutes until golden.
- Allow to cool.
- Place chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat at 30 second intervals until melted. Drizzle over shortbread cookies.
