Nutella Brownie Cookies

The name says it all. I bet your ears flickered up like Scooby Doo accompanied by a rumbly "hmmm"??? Nutella. Brownie. Cookies. I love Nutella, but never bought it because in the states it can be pricey (at least when you're a full time student in graduate school). I fell in love with Nutella in Italy, and ate it with my breakfast at our hotel nearly every morning and swiped some packets for later. I was there for five weeks. Yeah. It's good stuff, Nutella. 

Well, yesterday I bit the bullet and bought some (well...er..."Nussa"...I think it's the Spanish version of Nutella). It's good, but it tastes more like chocolate frosting and you don't get a lot of hazelnut flavor, so maybe get the real stuff if you can. After pinning this recipe twice by accident on Pinterest, I thought it was high time I make them.

These are the easiest and quickest cookies I've ever made. If you've got the Nutella I'm willing to bet you have the remaining ingredients. They are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, and taste like a brownie. If you're particularly fond of corner pieces when you eat brownies (like me!) these are especially nummy.

Of course I'd rather use real cocoa in a chocolate cookie, but I just ran out, and I'll be moving back to the states in about 2 months. Plus, at $8 a pop I think I'll satisfy my chocolate cravings by paying half the price for "Nussa" and make these cookies or eat good ole chocolate bars until I'm back in America. I can live with that.

Nutella Brownie Cookies

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen 

Ingredients

1 cup Nutella

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup all purpose flour (I did half all purpose, half whole wheat)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk or water*

Directions

Blend together all ingredients until well combined. Form into 1 inch balls, spaced 2-3 inches apart**, and place on a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake about 7-8 minutes (8-9 minutes for large cookies) or until crisped on the outside and somewhat set in the middle. They will look underbaked. If you overbake them they will be crunchy and not very good. Cool on the pan for about 3 minutes to set, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Only add the milk or water if you feel the dough is too dry or crumbly. I just added it because it seemed to be what most reviewers did, but I think it would be fine with or without.

**If you do add the milk, the dough will be pretty soft and will spread...a LOT. I used a tablespoon to measure out the dough like I always do, and as you can see in the photos the cookies were pretty massive. I enjoyed the larger cookies. Also keep in mind when handling them fresh from the oven, that they are pretty fragile when they're that large and thin.