Soft Nutella Thumbprint Cookies

Thanksgiving is over here in America. So, is everyone ready for Christmas?

 

It seems like this time of year flies by with holidays, parties, my birthday, New Year's, and tons of baking. I am always ready for Christmas (whether I have my cards and gifts out on time or not.)

 

This weekend I started my first dose of holiday cookie baking. I took a recipe online and made some adjustments to make the Nutella flavor really prevalent. If I had green and red sprinkles, I would have made these a little more festive. But sprinkles or not, they sure tasted good and were even better with a glass of milk!

Soft Nutella Thumbprint Cookies (adapted from Kirbie's Cravings)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup+ Nutella
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour and baking soda and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until creamy and fluffy.
3. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Mix in the flour mixture at low speed. Stir in the chocolate chips until fully incorporated into the dough.
5. Make balls of cookie dough about 1 1/2 inch in diameter and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or silpat mats, spacing dough balls about 2 inches apart..
6. Bake for about 7 minutes and then carefully remove from oven. Mark each cookie in the middle with a spoon and then fill indents with Nutella.
7. Replace cookie sheets in the oven and bake from 3-5 minutes more. Let cookies cool on cookie sheets before removing.

Bake well and prosper!