Easy Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies (Secretly Vegan + Gluten Free!)

These gooey vegan Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies are downright addictive and secretly dairy free, egg free, and refined sugar free! With chewy edges and a soft center, it’s the perfect cookie!

Why you won’t know that these Nutella stuffed cookies are vegan

If you couldn’t tell, I have a thing for both Nutella and chocolate chip cookies. All vegan and dairy free, of course. But my goal is to always make something that you wouldn’t even know is vegan and dairy free.

This is how I know you’re going to love these Nutella chocolate chip cookies. They’re undetectably vegan and dairy free, so don’t let the fact that these are eggless cookies scare you away from making them (if you’re not vegan- if you are vegan, then you’re probably ready to get baking!).

How do I know you won’t be able to tell that these Nutella cookies are vegan? Because my younger brother, who is not exactly quite on the plant-based train (we’re working on it, don’t you worry haha), had no clue that I made these cookies.

He thought my mom had just bought them from a bakery, and had them sitting out on the table (I’ve had to get a bit more clever with how I get others to try my recipes without any bias ha! They all know I’m a vegan baker 😉 ).

To him, these just tasted like the most gooey and chewy chocolatey chip cookies, stuffed with a delicious Nutella spread. When in fact, these cookies were secretly dairy free, eggless, and actually gluten free too (though if you don’t need gluten free, you don’t need to make them as such!).

What’s more, you don’t even need to chill the dough! These cookies can be made within 20 minutes!

Recommended Ingredients & Equipment

• Vegan butter: I used Flora Plant Butter here. It’s one of my favorite vegan butters on the market. You can also use coconut oil, but I’ve found these cookies taste better with a vegan butter.
• Applesauce: this replaces eggs found in regular Nutella chocolate chip cookies. Use unsweetened for a not overwhelmingly sweet cookie.
• Coconut sugar: coconut sugar is much like brown sugar in a cookie recipe! It also helps to keep these Nutella stuffed cookies entirely refined sugar free (even the Nutella part!).
• Flour: I used all purpose flour, but for gluten-free, you can use gluten free 1:1 baking flour.
• Leavening agents: this is the baking powder and baking soda.
• Dairy free “Nutella”: or chocolate hazelnut spread. I make my own vegan Nutella. It’s refined sugar free and super easy. However, you can also use store bought. Artisana Organics and Rigioni di Asagio Nocciolata make a dairy free chocolate hazelnut spread.

In terms of equipment, you’ll need a hand mixer, medium bowl, and a cookie scoop!

I recommend using a lighter colored baking sheet, as this will help the cookies spread more. Also using parchment paper or a silicone mat helps as well.

How to make Nutella chocolate chip cookies

As with all of my recipes, the full recipe is found down below in the recipe card! But we’ll go over the steps briefly here.

To make these secretly vegan Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies, you’ll first need to gather your ingredients and equipment. I like to measure out all of my ingredients before I begin so that the process is seamless.

Because we aren’t weighing the flour, I recommend spooning and leveling the flour so that you don’t use too much. Too much flour will lead to dry cookies!

Then we’ll begin:

1. Cream together the vegan butter and coconut sugar. This creates a bit of aeration in the dough, which leads to slightly puffier and chewy cookies instead of flat pancakes!
2. Then add in the remaining wet ingredients and mix again: this is your applesauce and vanilla extract.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda: use a rubber spatula to gently fold the flour into the wet mixture, mixing it until it forms a very soft dough and the flour is just mixed into the wet.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips being careful not to over mix the dough.
5. Make the Nutella stuffed cookies: use a cookie scoop, and scoop about 1 tbsp of dough into a ball. Press your thumb slightly into the middle to create an indent. Place 1 tsp vegan Nutella into the middle. Scoop another 1 tbsp dough ball and place the dough ball on top. Gently seal the edges with your thumb where the two cookie dough balls meet. Repeat for the remaining cookie dough, separating each cookie about 2.5″ apart. 
6. Bake: I always give a baking time, but it’s best to go by what’s happening in your own kitchen! Everyone’s ovens are slightly different.
7. Enjoy! Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a cookie cooling rack. 

Do I really not need to chill the dough?

You are correct! As long as your vegan butter is at room temperature and not melted (and you haven’t handled the dough too much with your hands- which will soften the dough too much!), you’re good to go bake these right ahead!

I will say that it’s always good to test one cookie first in the oven, to see how much it spreads. Once you get an idea of how your batch of cookies is baking, you can go ahead the rest of the batch.

I hope you love these vegan Nutella stuffed chocolate chip cookies as much as I do! They’re seriously so good, no one in my family knew they were vegan!

If you give these cookies a go, let me know by leaving a comment down below, as well as a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others may find this recipe!

As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy Cookie Baking!

More vegan chocolate chip cookie recipes you’ll love:

Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Best Ever Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flourless Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Funfetti Cookies (Cake Batter Cookies)

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