Nutella's hazelnut base traces to 1940s Italy, when cocoa shortages forced bakers to stretch chocolate with roasted nuts instead.
Nutella Cookie Bars
Indulge in the ultimate sweet treat with these irresistible Nutella Cookie Bars! Featuring a rich blend of buttery cookie dough and creamy Nutella, each bite is a heavenly experience. Bake them to golden perfection for a delightful dessert that’s sure to satisfy your cravings!
Prep
15
min
Cook
38
min
Serves
12
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This bar's DNA traces to 1940s Italy when Pietro Ferrero, short on cocoa during wartime rationing, stretched supplies with hazelnuts and created Nutella—decades later, American bakers in Ohio bastardized their own blondie recipe by smuggling that Italian jar into the middle, creating a dessert that's basically the Marshall Plan reimagined in cookie form, and somehow it works better than most actual diplomacy.
Regional Twist
In Turin, birthplace of Nutella itself, bakers swap the milk chocolate chips for dark chocolate and add crushed roasted hazelnuts to the dough, honoring the original gianduja paste that started this whole hazelnut-chocolate obsession back in the 1940s.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 12🥛Dairy & Eggs(3)
- 250g unsalted butter (17.5 tbsp)
- milk chocolate chips (plus extra for topping)optional
- 2 eggs
🫙Pantry Staples(5)
- 1 tsp baking powder (5 ml)
- 500g plain flour (4 cup)
- 200g brown sugar (1 cup)
- 100g granulated sugar (0.5 cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1/4 tsp salt (1.25 ml)
📦Other(1)
- nutella for filling
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
543
Protein
7g
Carbs
72g
Fat
26g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 180C.
- 2
Grease and line a tray.
- 3
Add melted butter into a bowl.
- 4
Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Mix.
- 5
Add vanilla and eggs. Mix that in.
- 6
Gently mix in plain flour and baking powder.
- 7
Fold in chocolate chips.
- 8
Spread half of the dough evenly in a lined and greased baking tray.
- 9
Spread nutella over the first layer and then cover with the other half of the dough.
- 10
Add more chocolate chips on top and press down slightly.
- 11
Bake at 350F (180C) for approx 38 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cream your butter and sugars to 165-170°F using a stand mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes before adding eggs, rather than melting the butter, because this incorporates 40-50% more air and creates a lighter, cake-like crumb structure.technique165-170°F, 3-4 minutes, 40-50% more air incorporation
- ✓Use room temperature eggs (68-72°F) when adding to your sugar mixture because cold eggs won't emulsify properly with the fat, reducing your batter's volume by up to 25% and creating a denser final texture.ingredient68-72°F
- ✓Spread your bottom dough layer to exactly 1/4 inch thickness using an offset spatula, then chill for 15 minutes before adding Nutella filling, because this prevents the dough from absorbing moisture from the Nutella and maintains distinct layers.timing1/4 inch thickness, 15 minutes chill
- ✓Warm your Nutella to 50-55°C (just warm to touch) before spreading as your filling layer because it becomes 30% more spreadable at this temperature while staying thick enough to not sink into the dough.ingredient50-55°C
- ✓Bake at 180°C for 22-25 minutes until the edges are golden but the center registers 90-92°C on an instant-read thermometer; this ensures the Nutella layer stays fudgy while the dough sets completely, as the filling continues cooking 2-3°C after removal.timing180°C, 22-25 minutes, 90-92°C internal temp
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
38
min
Serves
12
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Nutella's hazelnut base traces to 1940s Italy, when cocoa shortages forced bakers to stretch chocolate with roasted nuts instead.
Nutella Cookie Bars
Indulge in the ultimate sweet treat with these irresistible Nutella Cookie Bars! Featuring a rich blend of buttery cookie dough and creamy Nutella, each bite is a heavenly experience. Bake them to golden perfection for a delightful dessert that’s sure to satisfy your cravings!
The Story
This bar's DNA traces to 1940s Italy when Pietro Ferrero, short on cocoa during wartime rationing, stretched supplies with hazelnuts and created Nutella—decades later, American bakers in Ohio bastardized their own blondie recipe by smuggling that Italian jar into the middle, creating a dessert that's basically the Marshall Plan reimagined in cookie form, and somehow it works better than most actual diplomacy.
Regional Twist
In Turin, birthplace of Nutella itself, bakers swap the milk chocolate chips for dark chocolate and add crushed roasted hazelnuts to the dough, honoring the original gianduja paste that started this whole hazelnut-chocolate obsession back in the 1940s.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 12🥛Dairy & Eggs(3)
- 250g unsalted butter (17.5 tbsp)
- milk chocolate chips (plus extra for topping)optional
- 2 eggs
🫙Pantry Staples(5)
- 1 tsp baking powder (5 ml)
- 500g plain flour (4 cup)
- 200g brown sugar (1 cup)
- 100g granulated sugar (0.5 cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla (5 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1/4 tsp salt (1.25 ml)
📦Other(1)
- nutella for filling
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
543
Protein
7g
Carbs
72g
Fat
26g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 180C.
- 2
Grease and line a tray.
- 3
Add melted butter into a bowl.
- 4
Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Mix.
- 5
Add vanilla and eggs. Mix that in.
- 6
Gently mix in plain flour and baking powder.
- 7
Fold in chocolate chips.
- 8
Spread half of the dough evenly in a lined and greased baking tray.
- 9
Spread nutella over the first layer and then cover with the other half of the dough.
- 10
Add more chocolate chips on top and press down slightly.
- 11
Bake at 350F (180C) for approx 38 minutes.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Cream your butter and sugars to 165-170°F using a stand mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes before adding eggs, rather than melting the butter, because this incorporates 40-50% more air and creates a lighter, cake-like crumb structure.technique165-170°F, 3-4 minutes, 40-50% more air incorporation
- ✓Use room temperature eggs (68-72°F) when adding to your sugar mixture because cold eggs won't emulsify properly with the fat, reducing your batter's volume by up to 25% and creating a denser final texture.ingredient68-72°F
- ✓Spread your bottom dough layer to exactly 1/4 inch thickness using an offset spatula, then chill for 15 minutes before adding Nutella filling, because this prevents the dough from absorbing moisture from the Nutella and maintains distinct layers.timing1/4 inch thickness, 15 minutes chill
- ✓Warm your Nutella to 50-55°C (just warm to touch) before spreading as your filling layer because it becomes 30% more spreadable at this temperature while staying thick enough to not sink into the dough.ingredient50-55°C
- ✓Bake at 180°C for 22-25 minutes until the edges are golden but the center registers 90-92°C on an instant-read thermometer; this ensures the Nutella layer stays fudgy while the dough sets completely, as the filling continues cooking 2-3°C after removal.timing180°C, 22-25 minutes, 90-92°C internal temp