chocolate nutella cookies

These were the cookies that I had intended on making for my cookie swap matches and they didn’t turn out as spectacular as I had hoped & it’s nothing against anyone though so don’t get offended. I really wanted to like these because they had Nutella in them but they just didn’t turn out right. I could’ve just gone ahead and sent them anyway to avoid making a new batch of cookies, but I really didn’t want to send half-ass cookies to my cookie swap matches. That’s pretty lame and inconsiderate and definitely not who I am.

I think these didn’t turn out because the hazelnut flavor wasn’t as strong and they just tasted like chocolate wafer cookies. Which, by the way, the positive of this flubbed batch is that they’re awesome to dunk in milk, kinda like oreos and Jason loves these as mini sweet tooth snacks. So, I guess it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Anyway, I digress. You have no idea how hard it was and still is, to find hazelnut extract. I went to about 5 different stores in the area! However, I read that I could just add more vanilla extract to it instead, which I did, but obviously that didn’t really work. Amazon had hazelnut extract but they were sold in 3 packs and really, how often was I going to use it?

Anyway, I thought I’d share these anyway because even though they flopped, they are nice to have as a snack after dinner. They’re not super sweet but they’re soft and chocolatey and it’s got Nutella in it! If you have luck finding hazelnut extract, maybe yours will turn out better and bring out the Nutella flavor some more.

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

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Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup dutch-process cocoa

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. hazelnut extract (if you don’t have this, just substitute in 1/2 tsp. of vanilla)

1/3 cup Nutella

1/3 cup of milk

Instructions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and cocoa. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth.
3. Add in the vanilla and hazelnut extracts and beat until they disappear then add in the Nutella and mix until smooth.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the large mixing bowl in 2 batches, alternating one of the batches with the milk. Mix well.
5. Once your dough forms, cover the bowl in saran wrap and let chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before baking.
6. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to the 325 degrees and line your baking sheets with either parchment paper or cooking spray.
7. Take a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Place on the baking sheet and gently press down on the ball with a heavy bottomed glass.
8. Continue making balls and adding them to the baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
9. Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes or until soft and just starting to set. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets for a couple minutes.
10. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod