Soft Nutella chocolate chip cookies

Who says you need chocolate chips for a good cookie? Omit the chips completely and swirl in dollops of Nutella instead.

Usually I'm good about following a new recipe exactly then making modifications later on. But sometimes I get bold and, coupled with a flash of inspiration, I'm getting more comfortable with just doing my own baking thing. There's no law that I have to follow a recipe exactly the way it's laid out. That was just my own mantra. But hey, mantras can change.

Sometimes I just look at a picture of a cookie and immediately want to make it so I can have something that looks as good as that picture I saw. Sometimes it turns out, sometimes it doesn't. I was inspired by the picture of this one because you can tell just by looking at it that the texture is going to be perfect. Chewy, soft perfection. And because I wanted that chewy soft perfection to be unmarred by the more rigid texture of chocolate chips, I decided to omit the chips completely and instead, added dollops of Nutella in the batter. Because I figured the 1/3 cup of Nutella that goes directly into the batter couldn't be enough to make it super Nutella-y, right? So why not actual pools of Nutella swirled throughout the cookie?

So that's what I did. I made the cookie dough first, dropped Nutella dollops on top, "swirled" it once or twice with a spatula (and I mean swirl, not mix or else you're just incorporating the Nutella into the dough again and not leaving distinct pockets of Nutella), then scooped out into balls of dough. You want generous amounts of pure Nutella in each dough ball. Freeze then bake later on. These turned out pretty well and I was glad I made the modification because then they really were "Nutella cookies." And delicious ones at that.

Soft Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
From American Heritage Cooking

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened heaping 1/3 cup Nutella
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup Nutella (or more), for dolloping

1. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

2. Beat together butter, Nutella, sugars, egg and vanilla on medium-high speed in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until well combined, about 3-4 minutes. 

3. Reduce speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Dollop the Nutella on top of the dough and swirl very slightly. Do not try to mix into the dough but leave distinct swirls of Nutella.

4. Scoop into golf-ball-size dough balls, cover and chill or freeze for several hours or overnight.

5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space dough balls about 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes or until the edges are set and the middles no longer look raw or shiny. Let cool for

6. 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

Related post on The Pastry Chef's Baking: Classic brownie swirled with Nutella