Friday, March 1, 2013

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nutella, Sea Salt & Browned Butter

Cookies.  I’m soooo obsessed with them.  I have a few good recipes posted on here but I can never get enough.  The thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies that I posted last year are simply the BEST.  I kind of felt that I would be cheating on my favorite recipe, so I’ve always resisted the urge to try another one.  Sounds very strange, I know.  I don’t like messing with perfection.   But I got over it quickly once I saw this recipe: I have fond memories of nutella-my sisters and I used to eat it by the spoonful when we were young.  Fun times indeed!  

I know it seems that it would be difficult to stuff cookies with nutella but if you pipe the nutella onto wax paper and freeze for 2 hours, it makes it a whole lot easier to work with.  The cookies expand quite a bit when they bake, so be sure to space them about 3 inches apart just to be safe.  I could hardly wait for these cookies to come out of the oven, they smelled so good.  Waiting for them to cool was painful!  The cookies were soft, goo-ey and moist and I really enjoyed the addition of the sea salt-it worked with the cookies (a nice surprise!).  So, everyone, what’s your favorite cookie recipe?  Do you enjoy cookies as much as I do?  Hope you all have a pleasant week!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nutella, Sea Salt, and Browned Butter
Makes 20-24 cookies

INGREDIENTS

1/2-3/4 cup Nutella

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon fat free sour cream

1 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Spoon the nutella into a pastry bag (or sandwich bag), and pipe approximately 1-2 teaspoons on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and freeze for 2 hours or until firm.

While the nutella is in the freezer, brown the butter.  In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Once the butter has melted, it will foam and bubble. Whisk often and cook until it turns brown and smells nutty. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter on medium speed until well combined. Add in the egg + egg yolk, vanilla and sour cream. Mix well. Reduce the speed to low, add in the flour and mix until well incorporated. With a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball with the palm of your hands and place a dollop of the frozen nutella in the centre. Fold the edges over the nutella and enclose it in the dough. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2-3 inches apart.

Bake for 13-15 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.

Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. They will harden over a couple of days, so reheat for 10-20 seconds to soften.

Source: Pink Parsley, originally from Ambitious Kitchen