Christmas season is finally officially here. That means baking cookies just because you feel like it is completely appropriate.
The food and beverage section of Pinterest offers an overwhelming amount of sweets and treats for this holiday season. Out of all the delicious and mouthwatering desserts I saw on Pinterest, I decided to whip up a batch of these cookies. Every single part of this cookie makes me so happy.
Here's how to make these nutella-stuffed brown butter and sea salt chocolate chip cookies, or as this blogger says, "the best cookies in the world."
First, place a jar of Nutella in the refrigerator, then combine the dry ingredients by mixing 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Set this bowl aside and brown two sticks of unsalted butter in small saucepan over medium heat.
Let the butter completely melt, and begin to whisk once it begins to foam at the top. Continue to steadily whisk the butter until it begins to change from a bright yellow color to brown. This will take several minutes, so be patient.
Once the butter browns, take it off the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. This will ensure the butter does not burn. After the butter cools down, beat in 1 1/4 cups of dark brown sugar and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar.
Next, add one large egg and one yolk, 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt. I didn't have Greek yogurt on hand, so I used low-fat sour cream instead. You just need to add a little bit of tang to the recipe, so either Greek yogurt or sour cream will do the trick.
Beat all of these ingredients together, then slowly incorporate the dry ingredients with a mixer. Once the dough forms, fold in 3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup each of milk chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips.
I used Hershey's baking melts for the milk chocolate, then chopped the chocolate discs into smaller chunks for a variance in shape from the other types of chocolate.
Place the bowl in the refrigerator for two hours to allow the dough to cool before you add the Nutella.
After the dough cools, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and roll 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and flatten in your hands. You want to make the dough flat enough so you can fold the sides over the Nutella in the middle.
Once you have a tray full of flattened dough, place one teaspoon or so of chilled Nutella on the inside of each cookie. Fold the dough around the Nutella and roll into a ball. I had to add more dough because the Nutella oozed out on some sides. Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet and gently flatten the tops with your hands.
Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes in the oven. Once you take them out of the oven, they will be slightly gooey, but this helps hold on to the sea salt when you sprinkle it on top of the cookies.
These cookies are so rich and delicious that you might want to split one with someone else. The browned butter cookie dough gives off a nutty aroma and complements the chocolate-hazelnut spread inside. A little bit of sea salt with each bite enhances each delicious bite. I guarantee you'll love these cookies.
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