Growing up as a picky eater, small and skinny, my Mom used to keep a jar of Nutella around because if nothing else, she knew I would not be able to resist its calling. I would hit that jar several times a day, with a small spoon and a big smile. It didn’t make me tall and voluptuous, but I was hooked …
Of course, I now respect Nutella’s caloric content: nuts, chocolate, and sugar, a deliciously dangerous combo. The big jar sits in the pantry, waiting for a reason to come out and play, like in these cookies that Giada made a few months ago. They remind me of snickerdoodles with a suntan. 😉
NUTELLA DROP COOKIES
(from Giada de Laurentiis)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar (for rolling the cookies: optional)
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat type liners.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar (1/4 cup) on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. With the machine running on low speed, gradually add the flour until incorporated. Beat in the Nutella. Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, drop small balls of dough onto each baking sheet. Bake until the bottoms of the cookies flatten out slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
If you want to sugar-coat the cookies, place 1 cup of powdered sugar in a medium bowl, and roll the cookies in the sugar until coated. Alternatively, you can add the sugar to a sieve and sprinkle some on the surface of the cookies once they are cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
If you read the many reviews of this recipe in the FoodTV website, you’ll notice not everyone fell in love with it. I suspect it’s all related to how long you bake these cookies: under-baking is the key, or they’ll be too hard and dry.
I liked the simplicity of the recipe, very few ingredients, quick to put together and bake. But the best is that it gave me the chance to use for the first time my brand new cookie dough dispenser – loved it!
ONE YEAR AGO: Dreaming of butternut squash
TWO YEARS AGO: Simply Elegant: Salmon Curry (one of my very favorite dishes!)
Bewitching Kitchen 
I grew up on nutella too 🙂 what a simple and approachable cookie: thanks for baking!
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Great women grow up alike… 😉
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I bought a jar a month or so ago and meant to find a recipe or two, I did and promptly forgot about them and now I have to try these cookies! Thanks for the reminder Sally.
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I’ve got two more recipes more or less lined up to use the rest of the jar. But, it’s a big jar…. which poses a few problems, you know…
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Under-baking cookies is totally the key for me! I like them crispy on the outside but completely soft on the inside. Yum!!! While I’m not a huge nutella fan, the kids love it. And these cookies look just like my mom’s spice cookies. 🙂 The story of your mom and nutella reminded my of my mom and sister. My sister was so super skinny as a kid. My mom would send her to school with fluffernutter and peanut butter sandwiches!
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Apart from Nutella, the other weapon my Mom used was “doce de leite” – she would cook a can of condensed milk in the pressure cooker just until it got to the thick paste stage – and keep the open can in the fridge… such great memories! I would hit that with the same smile, but a much bigger spoon
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Oh, Sally… these do look dangerously good!! – yikes… the problem with this stuff for me is it’s just so hard to stop…… it’s like trying to have one chip or French fry; I never quite manage it 🙂 But a mouthful of bliss, these are no doubt. Hope your weekend is going well.
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Well, I can leave the Nutella in the pantry, only glancing at it every once in a while. But stuff like Gardetto’s, potato chips with salt and vinegar, pita chips…. I have ZERO will power against them. Rarely buy them, knowing myself too well… 😉
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There is a new chip in town around here at least, NC sweet bbq and another tangy version…sucked me in, but I have great restraint. Head me to seagood and I’m done.
I’ll be Scarlett and think about Nutella dessert tomorrow, the brownies probably since I will want to make the cookies and pannacotta.
Tonight Virginia Willis’ N’awlins BBQ Shrimp…
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Nutella brownies – one way ticket to heaven! 😉 Let me know how you liked them…
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Thank you Sally for another great recipe. I made these cookies last night and they were a hit.
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So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for letting me know – I think next time I;ll push the under-baking a little further, I got too excited watching the crinkles develop on the surface, could have baked mine a little less
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Ah, a different cookie for Christmas! They sound delicious.
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Indeed… can you believe the festivities of the end of the year are only a couple of months away? Scary how fast 2011 is flying….
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Ovens vary…but I baked mine for 12 minutes last night and today they are still soft in the center. This recipe will be part of my Xmas baking. I wonder how they freeze.
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Indeed, Darlene… come to think of it, the fact that I kept opening the oven to peek and take pictures certainly did not help with a precise timing 😉
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Those look SO good! My hubby is allergic to nuts, so I’m thinking that I’ll have to make these for a girl’s night sometime soon. Ha, ha.
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what a sad allergy to have, don’t you think? Nuts are soooo good!
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Sally – I also found this recipe which looks interesting…..haven’t tried it yet. – Darlene
Nutella Surprise Cookies
Makes 24 cookies.
– 2/3 Cup Nutella
– 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
– 1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
– 1 Cup sugar
– 1 Large egg
– 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
– 2 Cups all-purpose flour
– 1/2 Teaspoon baking powder
– Pinch of salt
– 1/4 Cup milk
– 2 ounces melted bittersweet chocolate
– 1/2 Cup peanuts, finely chopped
The Filling. I was really worried about filling cookies. I mean, it seems like it shouldn’t work. It seems like the filling should just flow out and make a big mess all over the place.
But that doesn’t happen. The cookie dough seals it in and completely conceals the hidden fruits.
The good stuff.
In a small bowl, combine the Nutella and powdered sugar and stir to combine. Then form 24 small balls of Nutella. They should be about Teaspoon sized.
Just roll the balls quickly to make them roundish. They don’t have to be perfect obviously. Lay them out on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
Keep these on the small side.
Making the Cookie dough. This cookie dough is pretty straightforward to make. Start by creaming your butter and sugar together just like any cookie dough recipe. Once the mixture is light and fluffy, mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
Then in a separate bowl, melt the chocolate and milk together. You can either do this in the microwave (be careful not to burn it) or over a double boiler.
Let chocolate mixture cool to room temperature and then add it to dough.
Finally, mix in all the dry ingredients (flour, etc.) Try not to over-mix the dough.
Once you have it all combined, scrape it out onto a sheet of wax paper.
Chocolate cookie dough.
Making the Cookies. Roll the chocolate dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. When rolling it, it’ll be easier if you add a second sheet of wax paper on top of the dough.
Then slice off about an inch-by-inch section of dough and stick a Nutella ball right in the center.
Using your hands, form the chocolate dough around the Nutella ball. It shouldn’t be that hard to do. Then just roll the dough into a ball and dunk it into the chopped peanuts.
Kind of optional. Kind of…
Roll that around until the ball of dough is completely covered. Then store the ball of dough on a baking sheet lined with either a Silicon mat or parchment paper.
You should be able to fit 12 cookies on a standard baking sheet.
Once you have all the cookies formed, use a measuring cup to slightly smash each ball down until it’s flat.
Cookie Smash!
Baking the cookies. Bake these guys at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. They should be slightly soft when you take them out, but they’ll harden a bit as they cool.
Let them cool before biting into one if you can help it.
There should be a nice layer of Nutella right in the middle of each cookie!
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WOW! That sounds amazing! I would probably make an unbelievable mess in the kitchen, but who cares? 😉
Thanks for the recipe, this goes to my “tiny” folder of things to try in the near future…
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Lovely photo! I wish someone needed to keep a jar of in nutella in the cupboard for me to eat. But I don’t think I have that problem 🙂
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Well, it’s been MANY years… I certainly don’t need that anymore! 🙂
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Cute cookies! I bet they are very addictive.
Cheers,
Rosa
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It’s definitely hard to have just one…. 😉
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I have had this recipe set aside for some time, after seeing it on the FN website. When I saw it here, that was it! I vowed to make it, and I did this evening. Oh-my! My husband and I just can’t stay out of them. They are just so delicious 🙂
Thanks for the nudge!
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I know exactly what you mean… Quite a few times I have a recipe saved and for one reason or another postpone making it. Then, all of a sudden I see it in a blog or a friend tells it’s great… that is JUST the nudge I need to go for it
Glad I did it for you… 😉
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The moment I have Nutella in my cupbord I’m going to make these. I’ve been needing an excuse to make Nutella in the Thermomix and I think this could be it.
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You will use the Thermomix to make Nutella from scratch? Be still, my heart… that’s amazing… I heard a lot about those machines, so I hope if you try the Nutella thing you’ll blog about it or let me know by email 😉
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Oh I am so jealous Barbara you have a Thermomix 😉 – my girlfriend has one and she lets me use it. I’ve made corn soup and spaghetti sauce so far. The Thermomix is on my “wish list”.
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I’ve always been curious about it, wish I could use one just for fun, see what’s all about.
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It is amazing what you can do with the Thermomix….you can make great food in no time at all. Spaghetti sauce takes maybe 30 minutes. Sorbet takes 3 minutes. This gadget is used in restaurant kitchens. I loved the fact that my girlfriend got it first so I can test it….. I love cooking and experimenting new recipes or re-creating something that I ate at restaurant.
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