Chocolate Hazelnut and Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies.
{This post is brought to you buy the Turkish Hazelnut Promotion Group. I have partnered with them to bring you these KILLER Chocolate Hazelnut Christmas Cookies. The perfect treat for Santa and his elves! 🙂 }
Cookies, cookies, cookies. Gimme all the Christmas cookies…
Especially those stuffed with chocolate hazelnut spread and milk chocolate caramel. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love holiday sugar cookies, but let’s be honest, you all know I’m all about the chocolate, and umm, these cookies? They are no joke, talk about a chocolate lovers dream!
It’s also no secret what a huge fan I am of chocolate hazelnut spread (little Asher can’t get through a day without it!), so naturally a cookie of this nature was bound to happen sooner or later.
With the holiday season in full force, bakers are baking, the Christmas shopping is happening and Santa’s doing his thing getting ready for his big night.
So what does all this mean?
It means you sort of have to make these cookies happen.
Hear me out. Whether you’re running around trying to get the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, planning the perfect holiday party or just trying to get dinner on the table and the kids into bed at a semi reasonable hour, these are the cookies that will totally save your sanity.
Picture this: you get home from the beyond crowded mall after first putting in a full day of work. I’m thinking it’s maybe Thursday or Friday night? You still need to make dinner, clean up the house, finish the laundry… yada, yada, yada, yada. Your to-do list could go on for miles. Sure, you could do all those things and go to bed exhausted OR you could be smart…
Light a candle, put some Christmas music on, bake these cookies, make a fast salad while the cookies bake, eat your salad (you know, so you have something in your stomach other than cookies), remove your cookies from the oven, pour a giant glass of cold milk, find your spot on the couch, turn on a sappy Christmas movie and enjoy a cookie or two (hey, you had salad for dinner!).
Major chill time with some chocolate. Sounds like the perfect night, right? Well, at least that’s my perfect night. Hey, maybe we should both should try it?!?
I bet you have all these ingredients in your pantry right now.
…chocolate: check (always)
…baking essentials (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder): check
…eggs: check
…butter: check
…vanilla extract: check
…chocolate hazelnut spread: check
…milk chocolate caramel: okay, so you may not have these… BUT
For this recipe, I used a mix of bittersweet and dark chocolate since I didn’t want the cookies to be overly sugary. The cookie filling is pretty sweet, plus there’s a light sprinkle of pomegranate sugar on top, so the bittersweet and dark chocolate combo really balances the sweetness in these cookies nicely.
The cookie itself is pretty dense, almost like a brownie. My secret ingredient is a little bit of cream cheese. The cream cheese keeps the cookies from being cakey and also makes them incredibly moist and soft. I had to test this cookie recipe several times, but I found that the best way to make them is also the simplest way. Once the dough is all mixed, instead of refrigerating, let the cookies sit on the counter for 10 minutes or so to let the dough stiffen just slightly. The softer dough makes stuffing the cookies much easier. Then just bake! If you’re trying to make the cookies ahead of time, once you’ve stuffed the cookies, you can chill them until ready to bake, but I would take them out of the fridge while the oven preheats to help the cookies come to room temperature before baking. When the cookies are super cold, they don’t really spread at all and it leaves you with a pretty large cookie.
Once the cookies come out of the oven, you can lightly drizzle them with melted chocolate and sprinkle with just a pinch of the pomegranate sugar, which is um… awesome and SO festive!
I can’t lie; I did add a little food coloring to my pomegranate sugar. The sugar just turned out too pink for my liking, reminding me more of Valentines Day than Christmas. Typically I am highly against food coloring, but I only used a tiny little drop and it made all the difference. If you don’t mind the pink color the pomegranate juice gives off, you can omit the food coloring (or maybe use a natural food coloring?). The pomegranate sugar is definitely not needed, but it adds such a fun and festive touch. If you’re not into it, you can simply leave it off completely or add holiday sprinkles for a little Christmas cheesiness!
Also, little miss Asher…AKA mini Mrs. Clause, deemed these Chocolate Hazelnut and Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies her favorite cookies ever! Granted the girl has a serious addiction to chocolate hazelnut spread, but then who doesn’t? The stuff is spoon worthy. <–truth.
But, these cookies are far better than any spoon. Caramel + chocolate hazelnut center!?! Brownie cookie?!?! Not even the Grinch could say NO to these.
One last note: I’m really excited to share that I have partnered with Turkish Hazelnuts to bring awareness to their “Falling for Hazelnuts” Sweepstakes this December. The Sweepstakes has a $500 prize and if you love all things hazelnut and chocolate, you can enter to win here on their Facebook page.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Chocolate Hazelnut and Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies with Pomegranate Sugar.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brownies, caramel, chocolate, christmas cookies, cookies, hazelnuts, pomegranate
Whether you’re running around trying to get the perfect gifts for everyone on your list, planning the perfect holiday party or just trying to get dinner on the table and the kids into bed at a semi reasonable hour, these are the cookies that will totally save your sanity.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped, mine was 60%
- 6 ounces dark chocolate chopped + extra for dipping later
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons dark chocolate/Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 36 teaspoons chocolate hazelnut spread
- 36 milk chocolate covered caramels
Salted Pomegranate Sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons flaky sea salt divided
- 1 teaspoon pomegranate juice
- 1-2 drops red gel food coloring optional
Instructions
Salted Pomegranate Sugar
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Add the sugar and 1 tablespoon salt to a mixing bowl. Add the pomegranate juice and food coloring. Use your hands to mix everything together until the sugar is combined, and red in color (or pink if you did not use the food coloring). Spread the mixture out evenly on the cookie sheet and let dry at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Once dry, mix in the remaining tablespoon of salt. Pour mixture into a jar and seal.
Chocolate Hazelnut and Caramel Stuffed Brownie Cookies
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In a microwave safe bowl or glass measuring cup, melt together the butter, bittersweet chocolate and dark chocolate. Microwave for 30 second increments, stirring until totally melted. Set aside and let cool completely. You can also do this over a double broiler.
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In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
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In the bowl of your electric mixer, add sugar and eggs, beating on high until pale in color and light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add in vanilla extract, cream cheese and melted chocolate/butter, beating for another 1-2 minutes until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure everything is combined. Now stir in the dry ingredients with a large spatula until fully mixed. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes to allow the dough to stiffen slightly.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper (or a silpat) on an un-greased baking sheet. Grease your hands with a little canola oil (cooking spray works really well, but water can also be used) then begin to scoop out about 1 tablespoon of dough. Flatten the dough slightly into a round and spoon a scant teaspoon of hazelnut spread into the center of the round. Add the chocolate covered caramel. Scoop another tablespoon of dough out and flatten it slightly. Place the dough over the caramel/hazelnut spread and then seal the edges together. Repeat with remaining cookie dough. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet.
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Once cool enough to handle, dip/drizzle lightly in melted dark chocolate and then sprinkle very lightly with pomegranate sugar. Eat warm or let cool and store in an airtight container for up to four days.
That center though, I can’t even…
I watch White Christmas and bake Christmas cookies each year and I’m off school today so it’s time to bake cookies and the new recipe looks really good.
Love the idea of eating a salad prior to the enjoyment of these cookies. These look Ahh-mazing!!! And that pomegranate sugar is beautiful!
That chocolate melting on top of those cookies looks insanely good! And pomegranate sugar?! Brilliant! Love! <3
I think I totaly need these in my life. Like right now!! Oh man…
http://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/
Whoa. These look amazing.
Thanks Michelle!
love the sound of that pomegranate sugar; what a great way to add a bit of brightness (flavor wise and color wise; almost thought it was peppermint at first) and tang to rich cookies!
Oh my sweet heavens. I’m drooooling over these Tieghan! So delicious!
Oh my gosh! I just told my friend that I was having the worst day and wanted to make chocolate hazelnut cookies when I got home and then I came on here (like every day…) and saw this. You read my mind 🙂 Thanks for making my day so much brighter!
These are so beautiful. Love the Salted Pomegranate Sugar.
These are stuffed with so much goodness!!! I love this recipe!
Oh these are KILLER alright Tieghan!! On my Christmas cookie list!
These look amazing!! I’m wondering if I could leave out the caramels and just make them with nutella…
Hey Jamie! Yes, that would be amazing!!
Just wondering if your chocolate covered caramels were hard caramels or soft centers? These look AMAZING. I feel some baking coming on.
Thanks Lisa!! I used Dove Milk chocolate soft caramels.
Could you tell us specifically which chocolate-covered caramels you used? Trying to get an idea of the size and caramel consistency. 🙂
I’m def gonna make these for my coworkers! They’ll love em!
Hey Ross! I use Dove milk chocolate covered caramels. Hope you love these and thank you!
I love it, perfect for entertaining, and gift giving.
I attempted the cookies and mine came out really cakey/puffy, where did I go wrong? I double checked recipe and I didn’t add or forget anything!
Hey Ali,
When they cookies come out of the oven they are a little puffy in general, but they should not be cakey. Did you chill the dough? I found that when I chilled the dough the cookies came out cakey. Also, it is important not to over bake the cookies, which can be hard since these cookies are very dark and it is hard to tell when to take them out.
I love a stuffed cookie and these are just beyond! So pretty and festive!
Oh my these look super sweet and so on my things to make list!
http://xoxobella.com
I’m excited to try these with the caramels but I’m also gonna use a few bourbon balls that I got from my Bouron Trail trip! I’ll let you know how that turns out 😀 Thanks for the recipe!!!
Well these cookies is the way to handle all that craziness!
Thanks Naomi! 🙂
Ooooooo…the gooey centers in those cookies!!
I know! 🙂
Thanks Brenda!
These are delicious! I made a half batch to test recipes for my hot chocolate party, and I’m so sad I didn’t just make a full batch! These are that good. Mine are a little puffy, but they’re nice and fudgy! I do wonder why the yield says 20 cookies and the recipe calls for 36 caramels? I thought I did something wrong when my half batch attempt only made 9 cookies, because I’d unwrapped 15 Dove chocolates! (My dad had no problem eating the strays, hah.)
So happy you love the cookies! THANKS!
Here is this cookie recipe!
Literally salivating at the thought of these! Recipe has been printed and will be served up to our guests for afternoon tea this winter! Thanks!
I made these cookies for a holiday cookie exchange. I used Riesens for the filling and they were rock hard after they had 12 hours to set. I definitely recommend using the dove chocolates and wish I would have read those reviews before I made these. The base recipe was delicious!
The recipe calls for only 3/4 cup of flour. This must be a typo. The dough is not firm and melts on the baking sheet. I used 1-3/4 cups.
HI! Did you chill the dough prior to baking? This is essential for helping the dough firm up. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s ? 🙂
Hello!
These look great. I was wondering if it would be okay to use bittersweet chocolate with 70 percent cacao ? if yes, in that case would i be required to reduce the amount of bittersweet chocolate i use or could i still use the quantity as mentioned in the receipe above?
Thanks!
Hi there! 70% chocolate will be great! I would recommend using and equal amount of chocolate. No need to adjust the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hello Tieghan,
Thanks for your reply. I do want to clarify two things before i try the receipe :
1. I can use 4 ounces each of bittersweet chocolate ( 70% cacao) and dark chocolate ?
2. Do we chill to dough prior to baking or just let it rest on counter for 10-15 minutes ? its confusing as the reciepe and comments have conflicting information
Hi Pallavi!
1. You need 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% is great!) and 6 ounces dark chocolate for this recipe.
2. Yes, allow the dough to sit on the counter for 15 minutes to stiff before forming the cookies. To speed the process up you can pop the dough in the fridge. Either option works well.
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hello again,
Never mind my previous questions. i went ahead with baking the cookies. Followed the receipe to the T and they came out wonderful. My son says they are the best chocolate cookies in the whole wide world .Thank you for a wonderful receipe .Cant wait to bake them again and again and again 🙂
So happy to hear that Pallavi! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hello Tieghan,
I had a follow up question for these cookies…
Can we use normal ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate bars for these or does it have to be ghirardelli bittersweet baking bars ?
What really Is the difference between using a baking bar or a normal chocolate bar anyways …I live in Korea and it’s so hard to source premium baking bars here …
Your recipe yield says 20 cookies but I see recipe calls for 36 chocolate caramels. I’m thinking of making these for my cookie exchange so I want to be sure on the yield.
Hi Tina! This will make 32-36 cookies. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and happy holidays! xTieghan
Hi! Do these freeze well?
Hi Renee! Yes, these will freeze nicely! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan