Chocolate Nutella Surprise Cookies {Recipe}

Mmmmm.

Apparently I'm a little late getting in on the action, but it seems that the rest of the world has already long been enjoying the rich, delicious, eat-it-straight-from-the-jar chocolatey goodness of Nutella.

It's not that I hadn't heard of it before (and I'm pretty sure I had it in a crêpe in Paris many, many years ago), but why I hadn't picked up a bottle right there off the shelf at my local grocery store until recently? It'll remain a mystery, I guess.

But as well as just eating it off of my spoon (even though I was having a good time doing that), I wanted to take things a step further and found a recipe for Nutella Lava Cookies that I had to try.

I didn't find that they turned out much like lava, so I think a better name is Chocolate Nutella Surprise Cookies because it's like a yummy surprise burst when you bite into them. I've already eaten far too many, but really, is there ever too much chocolate?

Chocolate Nutella Surprise Cookies

1 cup butter
1¼ cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1½ cups large semi-sweet chocolate chips
Nutella for filling

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

If you're a snazzy baker, line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. If you're like me, just brush off your regular old cookie sheets and you're set to go.

Cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the cocoa powder at low speed until well blended.

Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Original instructions: Scoop up about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. Flatten the ball in the palm of your hand and put about ½ tbsp of Nutella in the middle of the dough. Then wrap the edges around to form a ball and to cover the Nutella completely.

My take: My dough was like normal, sticky cookie dough and there was no way that I was going to be able to roll it into a ball, even if I added some flour. Instead, I took about 1 tablespoon of dough and flattened it on the sheet, added a dollop of Nutella, and then placed a second tablespoon of dough on top. Using the spoon, I ran it around the edges to form enough of a seal that the Nutella wouldn't leak out when baking.

Continue placing balls about 2" apart. Bake about 13-16 minutes, but don't overdo it because you want the centers to still be soft. Serve while warm. Leftovers can be kept in a container and popped in the microwave for around 5 seconds to enjoy the next day... and the next... and the next...