affection for flavor: nutella chocolate chip cookies!

When it comes to baking, a single ingredient can illuminate a recipe; it can add depth of flavor and enhance your confectionary experience. Today I wanted to return to basics, to the chewy, buttery cookies I remember from childhood. Think Duncan Heinz and Chewy Chips Ahoy out of a plastic tray, but warm, sugary and succulent. And after sampling nutella cookies this week, I decided to turn up the volume on a classic and slip in a touch of hazelnut flavor.

INGREDIENTS: Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, adapted from All Recipes
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1-2 tablespoons of Nutella

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

It’s rare that you’ll hear me say this, but abandon the Kitchen Aid. Shove back in the pantry and yank out the mixing bowls. Believe me when I say that I found myself blissed-out to work dough with my hands and reconnect with my passion on a tactile level. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.

Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the dough until just blended. With a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips and Nutella. Dop a tablespoon of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. As you may size your cookies differently, I would advise you to keep checking, as no one wants a crumbly mess of a cookie. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 5:19 pm and is filed under foodie gal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.