Name: Soft Nutella Cookies (Only 4 Ingredients)
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 18 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Nutella - room temperature; 1 cup All-Purpose Flour - spooned and leveled; 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar; 1 large Egg - room temperature

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These Nutella cookies deliver pure chocolate-hazelnut flavor in the softest, chewiest texture imaginable. Made with just four ingredients—Nutella, flour, egg, and sugar—they’re impossibly simple but taste like you spent hours in the kitchen. The Nutella acts as both the fat and the flavoring, creating cookies that stay soft for days.

Quick Summary

Nutella cookies made with only 4 ingredients for soft, chewy texture and rich chocolate-hazelnut flavor. No butter, no mixer needed. Ready in 20 minutes with no chilling required.

Why This Recipe Works

Nutella replaces butter providing both fat and flavor in one ingredient—its oils create tender texture while hazelnut-cocoa delivers instant depth
Minimal flour keeps cookies soft and fudgy rather than cakey or dry
Single egg binds everything together without making cookies puffy or cake-like
Granulated sugar adds sweetness and helps with spread and crisp edges, balancing Nutella’s richness
No leavening creates dense, brownie-like texture that stays chewy for days

Ingredients Notes & Substitutions

Nutella – The star ingredient. Use regular Nutella, not store-brand hazelnut spread—Nutella’s specific consistency and oil content are formulated to work perfectly here. Let it come to room temperature for easier mixing.

All-Purpose Flour – Just enough to give structure. Measure by spooning and leveling. Too much flour makes cookies dry instead of fudgy.

Granulated Sugar – Adds sweetness since Nutella isn’t quite sweet enough on its own. It also helps cookies spread and creates slightly crisp edges.

Egg – One large egg binds the dough. Room temperature egg mixes more smoothly into Nutella.

Optional Add-ins – Chocolate chips, chopped hazelnuts, or a pinch of sea salt on top before baking all work beautifully. Keep add-ins to 1/2 cup maximum.

How to Make Nutella Cookies

Mix the Dough

Stir together the Nutella and sugar in a bowl until smooth and well combined. The mixture will look thick and glossy. Add the egg and stir until fully incorporated—the mixture will loosen slightly and become smoother.

Add the flour and fold with a spatula until just combined—no flour streaks should remain, but stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together. The dough will be thick, sticky, and very soft, almost like thick brownie batter. This is correct.

If adding chocolate chips or hazelnuts, fold them in now.

Shape and Bake

Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. The dough is very sticky—wetting your hands slightly or using a cookie scoop makes this easier. The cookies spread moderately during baking.

You can leave the dough balls rounded, or gently flatten them slightly with your palm or the back of a spoon for more even spreading.

Bake at 350°F until the edges look set and the tops have a matte finish but the centers still appear soft and slightly underdone. They should look puffed and feel tender when lightly touched. They firm up significantly as they cool—pulling them while they look slightly underdone is key to keeping them soft and chewy. If they look fully baked and flat in the oven, they’ll be dry after cooling.

Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring. They’re very delicate when hot and need time to set.

Pro Tip

For visual appeal and extra flavor, press a few hazelnuts or chocolate chips onto the tops of each dough ball before baking. You can also sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt on each cookie right after they come out of the oven—it enhances the chocolate-hazelnut flavor beautifully.

Expert Tips

Always use parchment paper. Nutella is sticky and these cookies will fuse to unlined baking sheets, making them impossible to remove cleanly. Parchment ensures easy release and cleanup.
Use a wet glass bottom to flatten cookies if you want them thinner and crispier. Dip the bottom of a drinking glass in water, press gently onto each dough ball before baking. This creates more uniform, flatter cookies with crispier edges.
For thicker cookies, chill scooped dough balls for 20-30 minutes before baking. This slows spread and creates taller cookies with softer centers.

Storage & Freezing

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. These actually get even softer and chewier after a day as moisture redistributes through the Nutella.

Freezing baked cookies: Freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes or microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Freezing dough: Scoop dough balls, freeze on a parchment-lined sheet until solid, then store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time. Perfect for fresh cookies anytime.

FAQ

Can I use other chocolate hazelnut spreads?
Nutella works best because its specific oil and consistency are ideal for cookies. Other spreads may have different fat contents, causing cookies to spread too much or not enough. If you use a substitute, results may vary.

Why are my cookies too flat?
The dough may have been too warm. Nutella softens quickly in warm kitchens—warm ingredients cause excessive spread during baking. Make sure your Nutella and egg are at room temperature but not warm.

Can I make these gluten-free?
Yes. Use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose flour. The texture will be slightly different but still delicious and soft.

Can I double this recipe?
Absolutely. This recipe doubles and triples perfectly. Just make sure to mix in batches if needed—the dough can be sticky and harder to handle in very large quantities.