Nutella Sandwich Cookies (a.k.a. Yo-yos)
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These buttery shortbread cookies joined with a layer of creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread are cute and delicious!
These have got to be some of the world’s cutest cookies. They look just like little yo-yos, thus the name, and are popular in Australia. You make them by joining together two buttery shortbread disks with a layer of creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread. So delicious and perfect for the holidays!
Begin by whisking the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Next, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and creamy.
Mix in the vanilla, then add the dry ingredients.
Stir until the dough comes together.
Roll the dough by teaspoonfuls into balls (they will be quite small), and then flatten the balls slightly with a fork.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Cool the cookies completely on a rack.
Then spread a thin layer of nutella on half of the cookies, and top with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches.
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Nutella Sandwich Cookies (a.k.a Yo-yos)
These buttery shortbread cookies joined with a layer of creamy chocolate-hazelnut spread are cute and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with back edge of knife
- ⅓ cup cornstarch, packed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ⅔ cup Confectioners' sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- About ½ cup Nutella, or other chocolate-hazelnut spread
Instructions
- Set the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the butter and Confectioners' sugar until soft and light, 3-4 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Lower the speed and beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Roll the dough into teaspoon-size balls (these are bite-sized cookies, so the balls will be very small), and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1½ inches apart. Press each cookie with the back of a fork to flatten the cookies slightly (dip the fork in flour if it sticks to the dough). Bake the cookies, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back midway through, for about 15 minutes or until very lightly golden. Cool the cookies completely on a rack (if you add the filling while the cookies are warm, it will melt).
- Spread a thin layer of Nutella on the flat side of half of the cookies, and then cover with the remaining cookies to make sandwiches. Store the finished cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a cookie tin or container with a tight-fitting cover.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (18 servings)
- Serving size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 173
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 47 mg
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I think that you could use more than a thin layer of Nutella on the cookie and make the cookie more moistened so that it’s not as dry.
Made these cookies tonight and was not what I expected. The cookie itself was plain as far as flavor went. The sweetness of the nutella balanced it out however I don’t think I would make these again.
Loved the simplicity of the cookie flavor profile. I made them a little larger than the directions called for and that was a mistake. They are difficult to eat if they are too large. Plus I used a store brand of the hazelnut spread and it was runny so I suggest going with the tried and true Nutella. I was making a variety of Christmas cookies and these were different and added to the festive appearance of my plate as well as adding variety to the flavors.
Made these for teacher, neighbors and cookie exchange. Made 5x the recipe and it came out perfectly! I was a bit stressed thinking of how many I needed to bake but it was actually not too bad with 3 little ones having fun making the balls for me! They were a hit and look so cute. Thank you!
Just made these for the first time and they were delicious! With shortbread and Nutella how could you go wrong? The only change I made was I doubled the vanilla because I like vanilla extract. I also put the fork marks on the top and left the bottom flat so they can lie better on the plate. I ended up with 25 instead of 36 so next time I will make them even smaller! Another great recipe Jen. Thanks so much.
YoYos are from New Zealand and are one of our most popular biscuits and are made with custard powder which gives them the bright yellow colour. They are popular in Australia because so many Kiwis live in Aus.
The Aussie version which your recipe is based on uses cornflour (aka cornstarch) and is called a Melting Moment.
Question: can I make these cookies without the cornstarch ? In other words can I substitute more flour ? Thanks Jenn. I don’t use cornstarch and I’m trying to avoid buying something I will throw away!
Darlene
That’s fine, Darlene – the cookies just won’t be quite as tender.
How would you double this recipe? Any changes besides doubling ingredients?
Hi Melinda, I don’t think any adjustments would be needed – hope you enjoy!
These are soo delicious! I made them for a birthday party of one of our cousins. After 10 minutes of being on the table they were gone. It was a huge hit! Thank you
Love this recipe! Just curious if cookies can be frozen already assembled with Nutella. Or do I have to freeze just the cookies and then assemble the day of serving them.
Thanks for this recipe and the many others I have made from your site. Looking forward to your cookbook!
Glad you like these! Yes, I think you could freeze them after assembling, but the Nutella may not look as glossy and pretty when you defrost them. I think they’ll still taste great!