Nutella-Filled Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

To all the OG readers out there who’ve been around since day one: remember when I used to do confessions with every blog post?

Because I confess that I have no memory of what these cookies taste like. Zero, zilch, NADA. The funny thing is (and I swear, it’s a total coincidence), I made them exactly one year ago today, took pictures, and never got around to posting them. And since then, one year’s worth of food has pretty much erased my taste memory of these cookies. I’m obviously really good at this food blogging thing.

Anyhow, I know they were good because a) I took pictures of them (wouldn’t do that if they weren’t blog-worthy), b) I remember getting compliments on them, and c) I wrote notes for myself. According to my “extensive” and ever-so-helpful notes, they taste “like a shortbread cookie-turned-macaroon” – with nutella in the middle. Are you sold yet? Because that’s pretty much all I’ve got.

In all seriousness though, cookies are kinda my thing and I’ve never had any dessert filled with a big dollop of nutella that didn’t taste pretty good, so I’m gonna go ahead and trust 22-year-old-me and say that you should make these. Besides, have you ever been steered wrong by flour, butter, sugar, toasted coconut, and sweet, creamy, nutella?

Yep, that’s what I thought.

Nutella-Filled Coconut Thumbprint Cookies

Think shortbread cookies-turned-macaroons, with sweet, toasted coconut on the outside and a dollop of Nutella in the middle for a nutty chocolate twist.

• Cook Time: 20 hours
• Total Time: 20 hours
• Yield: 32 cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Dough

• 14 ⅞ ounces (3 ½ cups, spoon and level) all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 12 ounces (1 ½ cups or 3 sticks) salted butter
• 3 ¾ ounces (½ cup, packed) brown sugar
• 3 ½ ounces (½ cup) granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Glazing and Rolling

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 6 ⅜ oz (1 ½ cups) sweetened shredded coconut

Filling and Sprinkling

• Nutella
• sparkling sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a bowl and handheld electric mixer), cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Wipe down bowl and beater and beat in vanilla.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix in on lowest speed until mostly incorporated. Finish folding in by hand, just until all ingredients are evenly combined.
4. Transfer dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and flatten into a disc. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 350ºF with oven racks in the top and bottom-third positions. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Whisk egg and water together for egg wash.
7. Pull off chunks of dough and roll into 1-ounce (about 1 ¼”) balls. One by one, dip each ball into egg wash and then roll in coconut to coat. Transfer to baking sheet and press an indentation into the center with your thumb.
8. Bake cookies in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until coconut is golden-brown, flipping and rotating trays halfway through baking time. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes (more is fine) before adding Nutella. If thumbprint indentations have puffed up during baking, gently press down again while cookies are still warm.
9. Spoon a small amount of Nutella into the center of each cookie and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.*

Notes

*If desired, you can store the cookies unfilled and add the Nutella and sprinkles just before serving. This will make them easier to store since you can then stack them.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten via Food Network

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