Lookie at my Cookies: Nutella Lava Cookies

Here at Nosh and Tell we LOVE Nutella. The milk chocolatey hazelnut spread just hits the spot. After all, it puts together chocolate and nuts which I have already explained is a winning combination. Use it as pretzel dip, spread it on some crackers or bread, or just get a knife (or your finger) and eat it straight outta the jar. It's always delicious. Because of my love for Nutella I have been wanting to make these cookies for a while now. I found the recipe for the Nutella Lava Cookies on Cookie Madness. These double chocolate cookies have a gooey Nutella center and are chock full of hazelnuts to compliment the flavors of the chocolate and the Nutella inside. I'm gonna make this short and sweet: they're great, bake them. To make sure the center stays gooey bake them as the recipe instructs, for exactly 12 minutes. I didn't make any big changes except that I didn't roast the hazelnuts with butter, and I ended up making about 16 normal sized cookies as opposed to 8 large ones. Don't be afraid to get your fingers messy with batter and Nutella while filling the cookies--after all, you'll get to lick your fingers then! 

Nutella Lava Cookies

From Cookie Madness

2 oz (56 grams) chopped hazelnuts plus about 1 tablespoon unsalted butter*

3 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, divided use
1 cup (170 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips (Guittard)
1 large egg*
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 scant teaspoon (a little less than 2 ml) salt
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1/2 cup (63 grams) lightly spooned and leveled flour
1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) baking powder
8 teaspoons Nutella

*Healthy Swaps: I used egg whites instead of eggs (2 egg whites per egg called for) and did not use the butter to saute the hazelnuts in, I dry sauteed them.

Melt butter in a large skillet set over medium heat. Add chopped hazelnuts and sauté, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until aromatic. Remove nuts from skillet and lay on a piece of foil to cool and crisp.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and stir in chocolate chips. Stir until melted; remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Beat the egg, sugar, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl for about 2 minutes using high speed of an electric hand-held mixer. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture.

Thoroughly stir together the flour and baking powder, then stir flour mixture into chocolate mixture and nuts. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for an hour or more.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Working one at a time, scoop up generous heaping tablespoons of dough and shape into a mounds a little larger than a golf ball. Press a hole into the mound and stuff it with a teaspoon of chilled Nutella. Seal the whole with some more dough.

Place dough balls about 3 inches apart on lined baking sheet. Bake cookies one sheet at a time for exactly 12 minutes. Cool 3 to 5 minutes.

Bon Eating

Whitney