Giant Bakery-Style Kinder Bueno Cookies with Molten Hazelnut Core Step-by-step instructions

Before you start

Before starting, ensure the butter and eggs are cold, straight from the refrigerator. Measure all ingredients and have them ready. Freeze the Nutella in small dollops on a parchment-lined tray for at least 1 hour, or until solid.

Chop the Kinder Bueno bars into bite-size pieces, setting aside one bar for the final garnish. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 390°F (199°C) when ready to bake. Chilling the dough for 30 minutes is essential, so factor that into the plan.

Instructions

Mix the Dough

1. 1Make the Cookie Dough
   In a large bowl, beat the cold cubed butter with the dark brown sugar and caster sugar on medium speed until just combined and dense, about 2 minutes. Add the cold eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in the vanilla bean paste until the mixture is smooth and thick. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
   Look for The mixture should be thick and glossy, not fluffy or airy.
   Tip Keep the butter cold to maintain a dense, chewy texture.
2. 2Fold in the Dry Ingredients
   Add the cake flour, bread flour, and cornstarch to the butter mixture. Fold gently with a spatula until just a few streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix. The dough will be thick and slightly shaggy.
   Look for The dough should be cohesive but not overworked.
   Tip Folding keeps the cookies tender; overmixing develops gluten and makes them tough.
3. 3Add the Mix-ins
   Fold in the white chocolate chips and the chopped Kinder Bueno bars until evenly distributed throughout the dough. The dough will be chunky and studded with chocolate and wafer pieces.
   Look for The mix-ins should be evenly dispersed without breaking the wafers too much.
   Tip Chop the candy bars into bite-size pieces; larger chunks create gooey pockets.
4. 4Chill the Dough
   Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Chilling firms the butter and prevents excessive spreading during baking. While the dough chills, prepare the frozen Nutella dollops.
   Look for The dough should be firm enough to handle without sticking.
   Tip Chilling is essential for thick, bakery-style cookies.

After beating the butter and sugars, the mixture should be thick and glossy, with no visible butter chunks. When the flour is folded in, the dough should be cohesive but still slightly shaggy.

The mix-ins should be evenly distributed, and the dough should hold together when pressed. It should feel dense and cold, not soft or greasy. Chilling firms it up further, making it easy to handle.

Stuff and Bake

5. 5Portion and Stuff the Cookies
   Scoop about 1/4 cup of dough for each cookie and flatten it into a disc in your palm. Place a frozen dollop of Nutella hazelnut cream in the center, then bring the dough up around it and seal tightly into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and Nutella.
   Look for The dough should completely encase the frozen Nutella with no gaps.
   Tip Work quickly to keep the dough cold; if it softens, return it to the fridge.
6. 6Arrange on Baking Sheet
   Place the stuffed dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Gently flatten each ball slightly with your palm to about 1 inch thick. Do not press too hard; the cookies will spread during baking.
   Look for The dough balls should be evenly spaced and slightly domed.
   Tip Chill the shaped cookies for 15 minutes before baking to reduce spreading.
7. 7Bake the Cookies
   Heat the oven to 390°F (199°C). Bake the cookies for 11 minutes, until the edges are caramelized and golden but the centers still look slightly moist and set. The cookies will continue to set as they cool on the hot baking sheet.
   Look for Edges are deeply golden, centers are pale and just set.
   Safe temperature 160°F (71°C) internal temperature (egg dishes)
   Tip Rotate the baking sheet halfway through for even browning.
8. 8Cool and Press on Extra Bueno
   Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. While still warm, gently press a piece of the extra Kinder Bueno bar onto the top of each cookie. The heat will soften the chocolate slightly.
   Look for The pressed pieces should adhere to the cookie surface.
   Tip Do not move the cookies too soon; they are fragile while warm.

The stuffed dough balls should be perfectly sealed with no cracks. During baking, the edges will turn golden and caramelize, while the centers remain pale and slightly puffed. The kitchen will smell of butter and chocolate. After 11 minutes, the edges should be crisp and the centers just set. The cookies will look slightly underdone in the middle, which is exactly what you want.

Garnish and Serve

9. 9Serve and Enjoy
   Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, or serve them warm for the full molten effect. Pull one open to reveal the liquid hazelnut cream core. Serve immediately for the best texture contrast.
   Look for The center should be molten and the edges crisp.
   Tip Warm cookies are best within 15 minutes of baking.

After cooling for 5 minutes, the cookies should be firm enough to handle but still warm. Pressing the extra Kinder Bueno pieces on top should soften them slightly. When you pull a cookie apart, the center should be molten and flowing, with visible hazelnut cream. The edges should be crisp and the interior chewy. Serve warm for the best experience.

Common mistakes

Overmixing the dough after adding the flour can develop too much gluten, resulting in tough cookies. Beating the butter and sugar until light and fluffy incorporates too much air, causing the cookies to spread and become cakey.

If the dough is too warm, the cookies will spread excessively; always chill the dough as directed. Stuffing the cookies with unfrozen Nutella will cause the filling to leak out during baking. Finally, baking at a lower temperature will not create the crisp edges and molten center; stick to 390°F.

How to tell it’s done

The cookies are done when the edges are deeply golden and caramelized, and the centers are just set but still slightly soft to the touch. The internal temperature of the eggs should reach 160°F (71°C) to ensure food safety.

The cookies will continue to set as they cool on the hot baking sheet, so remove them from the oven while the centers still look slightly moist. Overbaking will result in dry cookies; the molten center relies on pulling them at the right moment.

• Egg dishes: 160°F (71°C) in the thickest part