These are buttery sugar cookies with hints of almond and vanilla, stuffed with Nutella. The almond really compliments the Nutella! I guess hazelnuts and almonds make good company.

I first made these cookies over 10 years ago and they’re still a cookie I love to make. Because they’re cutouts, I tend to save them for special occasions, but the extra time is so worth it!

These cookies melt in your mouth and keep you going back for more, despite being a generous size to begin with! They’re also pretty little things, which makes them suitable for nice occasions, especially with a little dusting of powdered sugar or cocoa powder on top. You can use different shapes for different occasions, which makes these not only delicious and beautiful, but also versatile! These are always a winner.

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Nutella-Filled Pillow Cookies

Makes about 12 large cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup / 225g butter
1/2 cup / 100g sugar
1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp / 15g vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 cups / 360g flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
about 2/3 cup / 200g Nutella
powdered sugar and/or cocoa powder for dusting, optional

Directions:

Oven preheated to 375°F / 190°C. Ungreased cookie sheets.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in extracts.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk.
Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, mix until thoroughly combined. If dough seems too wet, add a bit more flour until a thicker consistency is reached.
Cover and place dough in refrigerator until chilled, at least 1 hour.
Remove dough from fridge. Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 1/4in / 1/2cm. Use a 3in / 7.5cm cookie cutter to cut the cookie dough. Re-roll and cut more.
Place half of the cut out cookies onto a cookie sheet. Spoon or pipe about 2 tsp of Nutella onto the middle of the cookie. Place a second cookie on top, using fingers or a fork to seal edges together.
Bake in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes, or until edges just barely start to turn golden. Allow cookies to cool for several minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to cooling racks or the counter.
When cookies are completely cool, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

Jenny’s Notes:

Round or square cookie cutters work best for these pillow cookies, but any shape will do, as long as it has a large enough center area for the Nutella to be able to be sealed in. I like to do heart shapes for Valentine’s day, as pictured!
While these may have Nutella in the name, I’ve stuffed these with other things before that were also delicious! Small chocolates like Reese’s, Dove chocolates, etc. could be used. I once used these hazelnut chocolates that are common in Italy, Gianduja, and they were wondeful in these!
Don’t over bake! Not only can this lead to dry cookies, but it can affect the filling, as well.