Sourdough Nutella Cookies

Recipe Ingredients

All you need are a few simple ingredients to make these Sourdough Nutella Cookies.

Unsalted Butter: I use unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter reduce the salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon. There is about ¼ teaspoon of salt per stick of salted butter.

Brown and White Sugar: This recipe uses both types of sugar. The brown sugar adds moisture while the white sugar helps the cookie dough spread while it is baking.

Sourdough Discard: Don't worry your cookies won't be sour. There is plenty of sugar to eliminate the sourdough flavor. Bring your sourdough discard to room temperature before adding it to the recipe. It will be easier to incorporate. Active starter or sourdough discard can be used.

Pro Sourdough Tip: Keep a glass jar in your refrigerator to store your sourdough discard. Continue adding to it until you have enough to make your chosen sourdough discard recipe.

Egg Yolks: Using egg yolks only helps to offset the additional liquid in the sourdough discard.

Hazelnut Liquor: The hazelnut liqueur helps to intensify the hazelnut flavor.

Nutella: In this recipe, we are using Nutella and just Nutella no additional cocoa powder is necessary. I really wanted the hazelnut flavor in these brownies to be strong.

All-Purpose Flour: No special flours are needed for these cookies. All-purpose flour is perfect. For accuracy, the best way to measure the flour is by using a digital kitchen scale.

Tip: If you don't have a digital scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it with the back of a butter knife. Try not to compress the flour into the measuring cup. Too much flour creates dense cookies.

Salt: I add at least a pinch of salt to all of my recipes. Salt complements and intensifies the other flavors. For all of my recipes, I use Morton Kosher Salt which is saltier than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. If you are using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt you will want to double the amount of salt you add.

Hazelnuts: You can purchase already roasted and chopped hazelnuts or purchase whole hazelnuts and roast them yourself.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Sourdough Discard: You can use either sourdough discard or active sourdough starter.

Hazelnuts: If you don't have hazelnuts you can substitute any of your favorite nuts.

Hazelnut Liquor: If you prefer to cook without alcohol you can substitute 2 teaspoons of vanilla or almond extract. Use a smaller amount. Extracts tend to have a stronger flavor.

Espresso Powder: Add a tablespoon of espresso powder to the wet ingredients to create mocha brownie cookies.

Caramel: Stuff the cookies with a piece of caramel to create caramel-filled chocolate chip cookies. Check out my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookies or these Salted Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies for detailed instructions.

Chocolate Chips: For even more chocolate flavor, stir in a cup of your favorite chocolate chips. You could even try white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or caramel chips.

Flakey Sea Salt: For an extra bit of contrast, try sprinkling the cookie dough balls with flaky salt before baking.

Make-Ahead, Storing, and Freezing Instructions

Make-Ahead: You can mix up the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Chilling cookie dough keeps it from spreading too much as it bakes by hydrating the flour and solidifying the butter.

Chilling the dough is especially important when you bake cookies made with browned butter like these Sourdough Snickerdoodles or these Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies.

Storing: Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three weeks.

Freezing Cookie Dough: Unbaked cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. I always have a batch of Amaretto Chocolate Chip Cookie dough in my freezer for when a cookie craving strikes.

Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, remove from the baking sheet and place in a zip-top bag. Label with the date and contents.

When you are ready to bake cookies, remove the cookie balls from the freezer, let them sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, and then bake. You may need to add a minute or two to the baking time.

Freezing Baked Cookies: Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Once the cookies have cooled completely, place them on a sheet pan and freeze until solid. Transfer the frozen cookies to an airtight container or zip-top bag. Label with the date and contents.

Thaw frozen cookies overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter.