Easy Nutella Marshmallow Cookies in Under 60 Minutes

Some recipes exist purely to create joy and destroy willpower. Nutella Marshmallow Cookies exist for exactly this purpose and execute it with extraordinary efficiency. A chewy, chocolate-hazelnut cookie dough wrapped around a large marshmallow, baked until the outside crinkles gold and the inside becomes molten, pulling, outrageously gooey. These are not subtle. They are not restrained. They are magnificent.

I made these for the first time when someone brought similar cookies to a bake sale and I had to reverse-engineer them immediately. After two test batches — both of which received zero complaints from my household — I landed on this version. It has since ruined every other cookie I make in the sense that everything else now has to compete with these. Nothing really does.

Have you ever bitten into a cookie and been genuinely surprised by what you found inside? That is the experience these deliver every single time. Let us make them properly.

Why Nutella and Marshmallow in a Cookie Is Absolutely Genius

The Nutella serves two roles in this recipe. Part of it goes into the dough itself, adding chocolate-hazelnut richness throughout every part of the cookie. A spoonful also gets placed on top of each warm cookie right after baking, where it melts into the cracks and creates a glossy, fudgy top layer. Two Nutella moments per cookie. You are welcome.

The marshmallow provides the surprise element. During baking, it melts outward from the centre while the cookie dough around it firms and crinkles. The result is a cookie that looks relatively normal from the outside but opens into a web of pulled, caramelised marshmallow strings when broken apart. That moment — the pull, the stretch, the gooey reveal — is why these go viral every single time someone photographs them.

The flavour combination is not accidental. Chocolate and toasted marshmallow is the campfire s’more translated into a cookie — nostalgic, warm, and deeply satisfying on every level. IMO, the Nutella element takes s’more flavours upmarket in the most approachable way possible.

What You Need

Nothing here is difficult to find. The one non-negotiable is using large marshmallows rather than mini ones — you need a whole large marshmallow in the centre of each dough ball to get the dramatic gooey pull. Mini marshmallows disperse throughout the cookie and melt before creating the stretchy centre effect you are aiming for.

For the Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (135g) Nutella (for the dough)
• 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (35g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (170g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the Marshmallow Filling and Topping

• 18–20 large marshmallows (one per cookie)
• 1/3 cup (90g) additional Nutella for spooning on top of warm cookies
• Flaky sea salt for finishing (optional but highly recommended)

Why Chilling the Dough Matters HereThe dough needs 30 minutes in the fridge before rolling and baking. Warm, soft dough cannot be wrapped firmly around a marshmallow without sticking to your hands and losing its shape. Cold dough is firm enough to handle easily, wraps cleanly around the marshmallow, and holds its shape as you seal the ball. Chilling also slows the cookie’s spread during baking, which helps the dough bake up thick and chewy rather than thin and flat. FYI — this is the step most people skip and most people regret.

How to Make Nutella Marshmallow Cookies Step by Step

Four stages: make the dough, chill it, wrap and seal the marshmallows, then bake. Each stage is straightforward and the most important thing throughout is patience — specifically, not skipping the chill time and not overbaking. These cookies look underdone when they are actually perfect. Trust the timer and trust the cooling rack.

Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter with both the granulated and brown sugar using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed for a full 3 minutes until the mixture looks pale and noticeably lighter in colour. The brown sugar gives chewiness and a caramel-like depth while the white sugar contributes crispness at the edges and structure. Creaming for the full three minutes — not one, not two — builds the air structure that keeps these cookies thick and soft.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and the half cup of Nutella and beat for another 30 seconds until the Nutella is fully incorporated and the mixture looks uniformly chocolate-brown and slightly glossy. The dough will look quite wet and sticky at this stage — this is correct and expected. The Nutella adds both fat and moisture that makes the finished cookie exceptionally rich and tender.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Add this dry mixture to the wet mixture all at once and fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined — stop as soon as no dry flour streaks remain. Fold in the chocolate chips with the final three or four strokes. The dough should look thick, dark, and slightly sticky. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Preheat and Prepare Your Trays

While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Pull out your jar of Nutella for topping and the large marshmallows and have them within arm’s reach for the next step. Set up a small bowl of flour or lightly grease your hands — the chilled dough handles much better with slightly floured or oiled hands.

Step 3: Wrap the Marshmallows

Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator. Using a cookie scoop or a large spoon, portion the dough into balls of about 2 tablespoons each. Flatten each ball into a thick disc in your palm — roughly 7–8cm in diameter. Place one large marshmallow in the centre of the disc, pressing it down lightly so it stays put. Now bring the edges of the dough disc upward and over the marshmallow, pressing them together firmly to seal the dough completely around the marshmallow.

Roll the sealed ball gently between your palms to smooth the seam and create a round, uniform shape. The seal must be thorough — any gaps or thin spots allow the marshmallow to push through the dough during baking and pool onto the tray rather than staying inside the cookie. Press the seam area with your fingertips to close any gaps you notice before placing the ball on the prepared tray. Space the dough balls at least 5cm apart — they spread significantly as they bake.

If the dough sticks to your hands during this process, return the bowl to the fridge for another 10 minutes and lightly flour your palms before continuing. The colder the dough, the easier the wrapping. Work through all 18–20 balls, placing them seam-side-down on the trays so the smooth side faces upward and the sealed base sits against the parchment.

Step 4: Bake the Cookies

Slide the trays into the preheated oven on the centre rack. Bake for 11–13 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges look set and the tops have crinkled — they will look slightly underdone and soft in the very centre, which is exactly right. The marshmallow inside will have melted and created a visible dome at the top of each cookie as the dough bakes around it.

Do not overbake these. An overbaked Nutella Marshmallow Cookie looks set and dry at the centre, the marshmallow has overcooked and toughened, and the chewy, gooey quality that makes them extraordinary disappears into a denser, less interesting result. At 11–13 minutes, the cookies set to the right texture as they cool on the tray — soft and gooey while hot, chewy and firm when cool, always melty inside when broken apart.

Remove the trays from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the tray for exactly 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. The cookies are extremely soft and fragile immediately out of the oven — moving them too soon causes them to collapse and lose their shape. After 5 minutes they have firmed enough to handle without distorting.

Step 5: Add the Nutella Topping

While the cookies are still warm on the tray — within that 5-minute resting window — spoon a small teaspoon of Nutella onto the top of each cookie and spread it very gently using the back of the spoon. The residual heat from the warm cookie melts the Nutella slightly, helping it spread into the cracks and settle into a glossy, fudgy top layer rather than sitting as a thick blob. Finish with a small pinch of flaky sea salt over the Nutella layer on each cookie while the Nutella is still warm and slightly sticky.

The flaky sea salt is optional on paper but genuinely transformative in practice. The contrast between the salt crystals and the sweet Nutella-chocolate-marshmallow combination is what makes these taste complex and grown-up rather than just sweet. It also makes them look gorgeous — those white salt flakes against the dark glossy Nutella surface are exactly the kind of finishing detail that makes a homemade cookie look truly special. Allow the cookies to cool for another 10 minutes before eating.

Breaking the Cookie Apart — The Right MomentThese cookies deliver their most dramatic reveal — the long marshmallow pull — when they are still slightly warm, about 15–20 minutes after baking. Completely cooled cookies still taste excellent but the marshmallow sets firmer and does not pull as dramatically. If you want the full theatrical gooey-pull experience (which, genuinely, you do), eat them warm.

Variations Worth Making

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookies

Replace the Nutella in both the dough and the topping with smooth peanut butter. Reduce the cocoa powder by half and increase the flour by the same amount to compensate for peanut butter’s different fat content. The peanut butter and marshmallow combination is classic American comfort food energy — nostalgic, indulgent, and deeply satisfying. Use chocolate chips in the dough and a drizzle of melted dark chocolate over the peanut butter topping for a visual finish.

S’mores Version

Add 1/2 cup of crushed graham crackers to the dough when you fold in the chocolate chips. Press a small piece of milk chocolate bar and a fragment of graham cracker on top of the Nutella topping while still warm. This version goes the full s’more experience — chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker, and Nutella together in one cookie — and works especially well for children’s parties and anyone who grew up around a campfire.

Dark Chocolate and Orange Version

Replace the semi-sweet chocolate chips with dark chocolate chips and add 1 teaspoon of orange zest to the dough with the vanilla. Replace the Nutella in the dough with dark chocolate Nutella (or use a dark chocolate hazelnut spread). The orange zest cuts through the richness of the chocolate and marshmallow with a bright citrus note that makes this version feel noticeably more sophisticated than the original. Finish with a strip of candied orange peel on top.

Storage Tips

Store Nutella Marshmallow Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The marshmallow centre stays gooey for the first 24 hours, then firms progressively with each passing day. A 10-second microwave blast revives the gooey centre remarkably well — warm for 8–10 seconds, allow to rest for 30 seconds, then eat immediately while the marshmallow is soft again.

These also freeze well before baking. After wrapping all the marshmallows in dough and placing them seam-side-down on a parchment tray, freeze the unbaked cookie balls until solid — about 2 hours. Transfer to a zip-lock freezer bag and store for up to 2 months. Bake directly from frozen at 175°C for 14–16 minutes. The results are essentially identical to fresh-baked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the marshmallow leak out of my cookies during baking?

Leaking marshmallow means the dough seal was not complete before baking. Check for any thin spots or visible gaps in the dough around the marshmallow before placing it on the tray — press additional dough over any gaps to patch them. Placing the balls seam-side-down on the tray also helps, as gravity keeps the seam pressed against the parchment. Using chilled dough is essential — warm, soft dough cannot create the tight seal that cold dough can.

Can I use mini marshmallows instead of large ones?

Mini marshmallows do not produce the same dramatic gooey-pull centre that large marshmallows create. They melt into the surrounding dough and disperse throughout the cookie as small sweet pockets rather than forming a central molten core. If large marshmallows are unavailable, use 4–5 mini marshmallows pressed firmly together into a cluster in the centre of each dough disc — this approximates the effect but does not fully replicate the dramatic reveal of a single large marshmallow.

Can I skip the Nutella and just make the chocolate marshmallow cookie?

Yes. Replace the Nutella in the dough with an extra 2 tablespoons of butter and an extra 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to compensate for the fat and flavour the Nutella provides. The result is a straightforward chocolate marshmallow cookie — delicious in its own right, slightly less rich and hazelnut-forward than the Nutella version. Skip the Nutella topping and use melted dark chocolate drizzled over the warm cookies instead for a visually similar but flavour-distinct finish.

Why are my cookies spreading too flat?

Flat cookies almost always result from dough that was not chilled properly before baking, butter that was too warm when creamed, or too little flour in the mixture. Ensure the dough chills for the full 30 minutes before rolling and wrapping — warmer dough spreads faster in the oven before the protein structure sets. Also check that your butter was softened to room temperature rather than melted — melted butter produces significantly flatter cookies than properly softened butter in cookie recipes.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Yes. The dough keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days before wrapping and baking. Longer refrigeration actually improves the flavour — the cocoa and Nutella deepen over 24–48 hours and the finished cookies taste noticeably more complex than cookies baked from just-made dough. You can also wrap all the marshmallows in advance, place the unbaked balls on a parchment tray, cover loosely with cling film, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking fresh.

Final Thoughts

These Nutella Marshmallow Cookies are exactly what their name promises — rich, gooey, hazelnut-chocolate cookies with a toasted marshmallow heart that pulls apart in dramatic strings when broken open. They require one bowl, simple ingredients, and a 30-minute chill — and they produce the kind of result that makes people reach for a second cookie before finishing the first. That is genuinely the highest compliment a cookie can receive.

They work for bake sales, for gift boxes, for after-school treats, for dinner parties where you want dessert to make a statement, or for any evening when regular cookies simply will not do. That is a versatile cookie with an extraordinary talent for generating happiness.

Chill that dough. Seal those marshmallows properly. Pull one apart while still warm and watch the marshmallow stretch. And please, please add the flaky salt. You will not regret it for a single second.