Chocolate Nutella Cookies

This next month is going to be tough. Before every marathon or half marathon that I run, I always do a bit of a detox. Not a juice diet or anything wild like that…I EAT! I just don’t eat sweets or drink alcohol for a month. Simple sounding, but not for a baker like me.

Yesterday was my first full day off of sweets and I felt like a crazy woman. All I could think about was cookies. These Nutella cookies to be exact. I made them recently and they had me dreaming chewy, Nutella dreams (wait, what?) for a week. I seriously recommend these…but only if you’re not planning of going off of sweets any time soon. They’re addictive!

To begin, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about two minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat until extracts disappear….don’t mind the weird lighting in this picture either. Weird!

Add the Nutella and mix until batter is smooth.

Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternately with the milk in one batch, mixing well. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. Or eat it all.

When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking sheets. Take a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll it into a ball (or use a medium cookie scoop if you’re lazy like me). Place on lined baking sheets and gently press down on the dough ball. Continue making dough balls until the cookie sheets are filled-leave two inches in between cookies.

Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes or until soft, but starting to set. Remove cookies from the oven and let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Nutella Cookies
Recipe lightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod’s book Cookie Cravings
Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup good quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/3 cup Nutella
1/3 cup milk

Directions:
1. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa, set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about two minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat until extracts disappear. Add the Nutella and mix until batter is smooth.

2. Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternately with the milk in one batch, mixing well. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes before baking.

3. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Take a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll it into a ball (or use a medium cookie scoop if you’re lazy like me). Place on lined baking sheets and gently press down on the dough ball. Continue making dough balls until the cookie sheets are filled-leave two inches in between cookies.

4. Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes or until soft, but starting to set. Remove cookies from the oven and let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Swirly Nutella Banana Bread

Everyone needs a classic banana bread recipe in their life. This is fact.

Me? I like chocolate. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good healthy banana bread too. I just prefer chocolate over oats. Don’t judge. You know you do too.

This banana bread is lovely. NUTELLAAAAAA. Whoops, minor side track there….this bread is tasty, pretty, and perfect. Let’s get swirlin’ shall we?

To begin, pre-heat your oven and spray your pan. Then, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

Mash your banana.

In a separate large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add banana, yogurt and vanilla; beat until blended.

Add flour mixture. Nom nom.

Beat at low speed just until flour is incorporated. Don’t over mix! This is important.

Spoon Nutella into a medium dish and soften in the microwave for about 10 or 15 seconds.

Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella. Spoon some into your mouth…whatever.

Stir until blended well.

Spoon a bit of plain batter into prepared pan.

Then spoon Nutella batter on top. Alternate Nutella batter with plain banana bread batter into the same pan. This is getting good.

Swirl batters together with a knife at the end. I just shoved my knife in at the end of the pan and worked my way to the other end. I did this once.

Bake 60 to 70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Swirly Nutella Banana Bread
Recipe taken from Recipe Girl
Yields 1 loaf – about 12 slices.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 large size bananas, very ripe and mashed
1/3 cup plain low fat yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 8×4-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate large bowl, beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until flour is incorporated (don’t over mix).

4. Spoon Nutella into a medium dish and soften in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Add 1 cup of the banana bread batter to the Nutella and stir until blended well. Spoon Nutella batter alternately with plain banana bread batter into the prepared pan. Swirl batters together with a knife.

5. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Check the oven at 45 minutes to check the top of the bread for browning. If it’s browning too quickly, cover lightly with foil for the remainder of the baking. Cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.