These stuffed Christmas cookies are everything you could want in a holiday cookie! They're thick, golden, and filled with a rich, gooey Lindt Lindor chocolate truffle. Finished with a drizzle of white chocolate and festive Christmas sprinkles, they're a delicious treat for cookie exchanges, holiday parties, or Christmas dessert trays.
And let me tell you, these cookies took some trial and error!
My first attempt didn't go as planned. The cookies spread too much, and the chocolate filling leaked out while baking. After experimenting with the freezing and baking process, I finally found a method that worked for my batch: freezing the assembled cookies overnight and baking them directly from frozen at 420°F for 12 minutes.
The result was a golden cookie with that beautiful melted chocolate center I was hoping for!
These Christmas cookies use familiar baking ingredients, plus a few special touches for the holidays.
All-Purpose Flour: Gives the cookies their structure and helps them hold the chocolate filling.
Baking Soda: Helps the cookies bake with a tender texture.
Salt: Balances the sweetness of the cookie dough and chocolate.
Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and flavor to the cookies.
Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and a delicious caramel-like sweetness.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cookies and contributes to their texture.
Egg and Egg Yolk: Help bind the dough together and create a rich, chewy cookie.
Vanilla Extract: Adds classic homemade cookie flavor.
Lindt Lindor Truffles: The star of this recipe! Each cookie has a whole chocolate truffle tucked inside, creating a rich, melted chocolate center.
Christmas Sprinkles: Add festive red, green, and white colors.
White Chocolate: Melted and drizzled over the finished cookies for a pretty holiday decoration.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate large bowl, combine the melted, slightly cooled butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix until well combined.
Add the egg, followed by the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined.
If you're adding Christmas sprinkles directly to the dough, gently fold them in at the end.
Cover the cookie dough and refrigerate for approximately 45 minutes, or until firm enough to handle.
This makes it easier to shape the cookies around the chocolate truffles.
Scoop a generous portion of cookie dough and flatten it slightly in your palm.
Place an unwrapped Lindt Lindor truffle in the center.
Add additional cookie dough over the top if needed, then carefully pinch the edges together until the truffle is completely enclosed.
Roll the dough gently between your palms to form a ball.
Make sure there are no openings where the chocolate can escape.
Repeat with the remaining cookie dough and truffles.
Arrange the assembled cookie dough balls on a freezer-safe tray or plate.
Cover and place them in the freezer overnight, until completely frozen.
This was the biggest change that helped my cookies turn out successfully!
I originally tried refrigerating the assembled cookies, but they spread too much while baking. Freezing the dough overnight helped the cookies hold their shape.
When you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 420°F.
Arrange the frozen cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper rated for that temperature, or use another baking surface suitable for high heat.
Leave plenty of space between the cookies so they can spread without touching.
Bake directly from frozen for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden and the dough is set.
This is the temperature and timing that worked for my cookies. Because 420°F is hotter than most cookie recipes, watch them carefully, especially if your cookies are a different size.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
This allows the cookies to firm up before you move them.
After 5 minutes, carefully transfer them to a wire cooling rack.
The chocolate filling will be very hot immediately after baking, so allow the cookies to cool before biting into them.
Once the cookies have cooled enough for decorating, melt white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in short intervals, stirring until smooth.
Drizzle the melted white chocolate over the cookies.
Immediately add red, green, and white Christmas sprinkles before the chocolate sets.
Allow the drizzle to firm up before serving or storing.
The biggest challenge I had when making these cookies was keeping the chocolate filling inside while the cookies baked.
During my first attempt, the dough spread too much and the melted chocolate escaped.
After some experimenting, I made two important changes.
First, I froze the fully assembled cookie dough balls overnight. This made the dough much firmer before baking.
Second, I baked the cookies at 420°F for 12 minutes, directly from frozen. In my test batch, this helped the cookies hold their shape while developing a golden exterior.
I also let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
That combination finally gave me the results I wanted!
Keep in mind that oven temperatures, dough portion sizes, and ingredients can affect how cookies bake. If you're making these for the first time, I recommend baking one test cookie before baking the entire batch.
Completely seal the chocolate truffles. Make sure the dough surrounds the entire truffle, including the bottom.
Freeze overnight. This was an important part of my successful method. Don't substitute a short refrigeration period and expect identical results.
Bake directly from frozen. There's no need to thaw the cookie dough balls before baking.
Watch the baking time. My cookies baked at 420°F for 12 minutes. Smaller cookies may bake faster, and larger cookies may need adjustments.
Use a baking surface suitable for 420°F. Some parchment papers have lower temperature limits, so always check the manufacturer's instructions.
Let the cookies rest. Cooling them on the baking sheet for five minutes helps them firm up before transferring.
Add the decorations last. White chocolate drizzle and Christmas sprinkles give the cookies a festive finishing touch.
Yes! In fact, this recipe works well as a make-ahead Christmas dessert because the assembled cookies need to be frozen overnight.
Prepare the dough, wrap the Lindt truffles, and arrange the cookie dough balls on a freezer-safe tray.
Once frozen solid, you can transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container or bag.
When you're ready to bake, place the frozen cookies on your prepared baking sheet and bake directly from frozen.
For the closest results to my tested batch, I recommend baking after an overnight freeze. Longer freezer storage hasn't been separately tested for this version.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before storing.
Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days for best quality.
For a warm chocolate center, gently reheat an individual cookie in short microwave intervals until just warmed through.
Be careful because the chocolate filling can become very hot.
Yes! I used Lindt Lindor truffles to create the melted chocolate center in these Christmas cookies. The key to my successful batch was freezing the assembled cookies overnight and baking them directly from frozen.
Several factors can cause cookies to spread, including the dough's ingredient ratios, butter temperature, portion size, and chilling method.
My first batch spread too much even after refrigeration. Freezing the assembled dough overnight and changing the baking temperature worked better for my cookies.
For this version, I recommend it. Overnight freezing was part of the method that worked in my kitchen, and I haven't verified that a shorter freezing time produces the same results.
You can experiment with other Lindor flavors, although I tested the baking method with the truffles I used in my batch. Different fillings may behave differently when heated.
Absolutely! The white chocolate drizzle is optional. You can leave the cookies plain or decorate them with just Christmas sprinkles.
I don't recommend changing that step for this version. My refrigerated batch didn't hold its shape as well as I wanted, while the overnight-frozen batch worked much better.
Sometimes a recipe takes a little experimenting before it turns out exactly how you imagined, and these Santa's Stuffed Christmas Cookies were definitely one of those recipes!
After a few adjustments, I finally got the thick, golden cookies and melted chocolate centers I was hoping for.
They're festive, chocolatey, and a fun addition to any Christmas cookie tray.
Whether you're baking for a holiday party, making homemade treats for friends and family, or just looking for something special to make during the Christmas season, these stuffed Christmas cookies are worth trying.
If you make these cookies, leave a comment below and let me know how they turned out! I'd love to hear which Lindt truffle flavor you used.
Santa's Stuffed Christmas Cookies are thick, soft sugar cookies loaded with festive red and green sprinkles and stuffed with a rich chocolate truffle center! These bakery-style Christmas cookies are perfect for holiday cookie trays, homemade gifts, or leaving out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
Combine the ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Gently fold in the white chocolate chips.
