Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

Here's a cookie for the chocolate chip cookie lover who wants to add a few embellishments to take their cookies to the next level. Between the brown butter (which adds a nice nuttiness) and the rich, creamy Nutella, it's already a winner. But sprinkling sea salt on top is what keeps them from being cloying and probably what makes them so irresistible. 

I don't know how often I'll make these...to be honest, stuffing each dough ball with Nutella is kind of a pain-in-the-ass. Mostly because it's hard to get the dough very flat (since it's full of chips) and so it cracks. And the longer you sit there making them, the warmer (and oozier) the Nutella gets, so the harder it gets to encase it in the dough without it escaping through the cracks I mentioned earlier. Of course the more I eat them, the foggier my memory gets.

NUTELLA STUFFED BROWN BUTTER

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH SEA SALT

Yield: 1 1/2 to 2 dozen large cookies

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup Nutella, chilled in refrigerator

coarse sea salt for sprinkling

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1.      Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to foam, start whisking constantly. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a large mixing bowl (to prevent burning). Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

2.      In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

3.      With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the chocolate chips.

4.      Chill the dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

5.      Preheat oven to 350º F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

6.      Once dough is chilled, roll into balls (about 3-4 tablespoons each). Flatten each dough ball thinly into the palm of your hand. Place 2 teaspoons of chilled nutella in the middle and fold dough around it; gently roll back into a ball (it doesn’t have to be perfectly round). Make sure that the nutella is not seeping out of the dough. Add more dough if necessary. Place dough balls about 3 inches apart on baking sheet and very gently flatten just the tops with your hand.

7.      Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes or light golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven.

8.      Immediately sprinkle with a little coarse sea salt while still warm. Let cookies cool completely before removing from baking sheets.

slightly adapted from ambitiouskitchen.com

melted butter getting foamy

brown butter

adding the sugars

adding the egg, vanilla & yogurt

adding the flour mixture

adding the chocolate chips

I used Ghiardelli...for some reason they're gigantic.
I think that might be one of the reasons my dough
was hard to flatten.

dough all mixed

chilled Nutella

Nutella on flattened dough ball

rolled back into a ball

I forgot to flatten the tops of mine
like the recipe says. Oh well.

baked

sprinkling with salt

I was kind of generous with the salt
(I figured some of it would fall off).

Nutella Stuffed Brown Butter
Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

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Bieber Fever Wonton Skeevers (Nutella Banana Dumplings)

One day my daughter asked me why she didn't have anything with Justin Bieber on it. And not in a fun, lighthearted way either. She was genuinely irritated at the lack of JB merchandise in the house. I think I replied "why would you have anything with Justin Bieber on it?" Then, while she glared at me, I asked "do you even know who Justin Bieber is?" To her credit, she did. She even started singing that song baby. Which she still sings frequently, crowbarring it into my head. And for that, Biebs should rot in hell (what? - he's 18 now - all bets are off). So when she needed a new folder for school, I got her a JB folder, which I figured was harmless enough. When I surprised her with it, she hugged and kissed it and said she was going to marry JB. When I told her he was dating Selena Gomez, she was undeterred (let's hope that's not the start of a pattern). Since then she's developed a pretty acute case of Bieber fever (not to be confused with a cute case, although kissing her folder was a little cute).

Biebs tasting a Bieber fever wonton skeever.
Fun fact: JB's favorite food is spaghetti.
Eh - it's actually not all that fun.

Fast forward a few weeks...I had wonton wrappers leftover from making pork potstickers, so I thought it would be tasty to make a dessert dumpling. I asked Maddie what we should call them and big shock, she said we should name them after Justin Beiber. Then when I told my husband I was putting banana in there, he was reminded of the aebleskivers we made. So we tacked on the skiver (but spelled it so people would rhyme it with fever). And that's my way too long explanation of the inception of the Bieber Fever Wonton Skeever. Sorry about the two minutes of your life that you'll never get back.

    

BIEBER FEVER WONTON SKEEVERS

(Nutella Banana Dumplings)

Yield: 24

24 square wonton wrappers

1/2 cup nutella, or as needed

2 large (ripe) bananas, each sliced into 12 rounds

coconut oil (or canola oil or other no-taste oil) as needed

1/4 cup cinnamon-sugar, or as needed

1.      Lay a few wonton wrappers out on a dry surface; keep remaining wrappers covered. Place roughly a teaspoon of nutella in the center of each square. Top nutella dollops with banana slices (or you can do it the other way around, banana then nutella).

2.      Keep a small bowl of water next to you for moistening your fingertips. Using a wet finger, moisten the border of each wonton square. Fold one corner into the center, then fold in the opposite corner. Then fold the remaining two corners in (sealing with water as you go). Pinch any openings so all edges are sealed. Continue with the remaining wontons and filling, setting the folded ones on a large plate or parchment lined baking sheet.

3.      Heat a large nonstick skillet with about 1/4” oil over high heat. Pan fry the dumplings until golden on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.

4.      Drain hot dumplings on paper towels and roll each dumpling in the cinnamon-sugar while still hot.

5.      Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Serve warm.

putting the nutella in a ziploc bag

Piping it was way easier than using a spoon. When you're doing
this alone, do yourself a favor and use a glass to hold the bag.

sliced banana

piping nutella on a banana slice (on a wonton wrapper)

two corners folded in

three corners folded in

four corners folded in (of course now,
you've got yourself four new corners)

pinching the new corners so the filling doesn't ooze out

I also made some into triangles and then
folded in those corners to make this shape.

pan frying

flipped

ready to be sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar

adding cinnamon to sugar

I didn't measure, but if I had to guess,
I would say I used between 1/4 to 1/2
teaspoon per 1/4 cup (I like it very cinnamony).

cinnamon sugar mixed

Don't wait until your dumplings are cooked 
to mix the cinnamon-sugar (it should be ready
while the dumplings are still hot).

sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar

Next time, instead of sprinkling, I would roll the hot
dumplings in a bowl of cinnamon-sugar so more
of it sticks (I already updated that in the recipe).

the sweet, warm, gooey inside...so good!

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Nutella Booze Balls

These do seem very Christmasy, but I figured if my grocery store can put Halloween displays out in August, then I can post this recipe in September. Besides, that gives those of you who are interested ample time to do a delicious test run before December sneaks up on you.

Obviously the inspiration for these delectable orbs comes from our kicky little friend the rum ball, a perennial holiday favorite. And just like rum balls, there's no baking required. And because they're not cooked, you can really taste the booze (which definitely helps keep your Christmas merry and bright).

NUTELLA BOOZE BALLS

Yield: about 65

1 1/2 cups (about 16 oz.) Nutella (hazelnut/cocoa spread)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 pinches salt

2 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers or vanilla wafers (10-12 oz.)

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/4-1/2 cup liqueur (or liquor) of choice (like amaretto, rum, frangelico, brandy or bourbon), 

   plus more if needed

possible coatings:

finely crushed cookies

shredded, toasted coconut

finely chopped or ground nuts

cinnamon sugar

powdered sugar

cocoa powder

finely crushed cereal

melted chocolate

sprinkles

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1.      Combine nutella, butter and salt in a large bowl and mix until thoroughly blended. Add crushed cookie crumbs, cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons of the liqueur; mix thoroughly.

2.      Let stand for 2-3 hours (the cookie crumbs will absorb the liqueur and the mixture will become dry and crumbly).

3.      Add more liqueur, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is the right consistency to form into a ball that is moist, but will still hold its shape nicely.

4.        Roll nutella mixture into small balls (about 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons each). Roll each ball in your coating of choice. If using melted chocolate, dip and place on a parchment or wax paper lined sheet pan; refrigerate until set. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Copyright © by Susan Cleland, bloatalrecall.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

I was feeling very indecisive, so I split the difference
and used both vanilla wafers and graham crackers.

cookie crumbs

Nutella jar

creamy Nutella

more creamy Nutella (I could take pictures of it all day)

mixing softened butter with Nutella

adding cocoa powder

amaretto added

I used amaretto (almond liqueur), but any
complimentary tasting liqueur will work.

adding cookie crumbs

all mixed

I did let it sit and then add more amaretto before
mixing again (but I forgot to take a photo of that).

Nutella mixture rolled into a ball

rolling in toasted, shredded coconut

rolling in cinnamon sugar

To make cinnamon sugar, just mix sugar with
cinnamon to taste (don't be shy -- use a lot).

coated with cookie crumbs

a variety of Nutella balls with different coatings

I did roll some in cocoa powder (on the bottom right),
but they're so messy (both when you roll them and
eat them), that I decided I liked the other ones better.

Nutella ball cross section

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