Imagine a cookie that is soft, delicate and cakey made with the best semisweet chocolate and the creamiest nutella chocolate spread. A rich blend of hazelnuts and chocolate, nutella seems to be one of those food items found in everyone's pantry these days; some of my friends & family swear it's a separate food group. This particular chocolate cookie is a delicious brownie batter dropped onto cookie sheets with an ice cream scoop, which is then baked to perfection. Nutella is added to the recipe for a boost in flavor, in addition to being spread onto the tops of the finished cookies once they've cooled. For chocoholics everywhere, my Nutella Chocolate Cookies are a joy to eat and they're the type of treat you'll want to reward yourself with whenever the craving for chocolate beckons. Other than the rich, delicious flavor of a good quality semisweet chocolate (imported or domestic), I love how quickly and easily these cookies come together. Everything is mixed by hand without the need for a mixer. Let's start baking so that you can enjoy one now!
The Ingredients
8 oz. semisweet chocolate {230 grams}, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter {60 grams}
3 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar {140 grams}
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
4 tablespoons Nutella {80 grams}
1 cup all-purpose flour {125 grams}
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Yield: approximately 24 cookies.
Position oven racks in the lower third of the oven.
Line several baking sheets with parchment or silpats.
Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C)
In a double boiler, or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the chopped chocolate and unsalted butter until it's smooth and glossy. Set the mixture aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until lightened and thick. Add the vanilla extract & almond extract; mix well.
Add the creamy nutella and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
With a sieve set over the bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and fine salt. At this point, mix the batter with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. You want to almost incorporate the dry ingredients completely. It's OK if there are flecks of flour still visible.
Add the cooled chocolate/butter mixture. Scrape every bit of it and leave nothing behind! Now begin to gently mix everything until the batter is smooth and thick.
A rich, smooth batter is what you want to see. Let it sit for 5 minutes so that it firms up a bit.
With a 1 1/2" ice cream scoop, drop the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing them about 3" apart. You will only be able to fit 6 cookies per sheet.