Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
Last week, I innocently tweeted:

Dear Nutella: I really think you should start selling Nutella baking chips. Seriously. They would rock.

I don’t know what made me say that. Maybe because these Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies have been on my mind, and when I went to my cupboard to check if I had chocolate chips, I saw two jars of Nutella sitting right in front of the peanut butter. Or maybe it was simply because I happened to overhear someone else publicly declare their deep and abiding love for that irresistible hazelnut chocolate spread. (That happens a lot.)

Either way, I thought it would be really cool to bake chocolate chip cookies with Nutella baking chips. Apparently, many others thought it was a great idea as well.

So I decided to try my hand at making my own Nutella chips. It can’t be that difficult, I thought to myself. Just … just don’t tell Jacques Torres I said that, because I know he’ll set me straight in 1.2 seconds.

For my first attempt, I simply spread the Nutella on a sheet of foil and stuck it in the freezer. They say Nutella gets hard in the refrigerator, so I thought, wouldn’t it be funny if it were that simple?

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
Well, apparently it isn’t that simple. After 24 hours in the freezer, it had the consistency of a soft fruit roll-up. No way was this going to stand up to being mixed in with dough. Besides, after only a minute or two out of the freezer, it had already begun to melt and return to its original spreadable state.

So I decided to throw in some chocolate chips and butter along with the Nutella and gently melt everything together. I figured the chocolate chips and the butter would help the resulting mixture solidify more after freezing. I used milk chocolate chips because I didn’t want the strong flavor of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate to overpower the delicate hazelnuttiness of the Nutella. (You can tell I’m excited when I start making up words.)

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
I just kept mixing it until it looked smooth and glossy.

Note: In a third attempt, I tried just mixing Nutella and butter and then freezing it. It worked wonderfully as well, and the Nutella flavor was better preserved. (Details at the end of this post.)

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
My plan was to once again just spread the chocolate on a sheet and let it freeze, but something got into me and I decided to find some ambition in my life. So I stuck the chocolate in a plastic bag and attempted to pipe out discs of chocolate.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
I’m no artist, I’ll tell you that. A friend of mine very kindly referred to my discs as “puppy poop.” (Thanks a lot, pal.) I did, however, eventually get the hang of it. Kinda.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
The good news is that the spiral mounds even out as the chocolate settles, and they look much better when you take them out of the freezer. I made the discs a bit larger than the usual chocolate chips because I wanted nice big chunks of Nutella in my cookies.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
Happy with the chips, all that was left to do was mix up a batch of my favorite Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies. I love that recipe not just because of the deep flavor imparted by the browned butter but also because it doesn’t require a mixer.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
The aroma of this browned butter is amazing and it leaves your kitchen smelling like toffee. Once the basic dough was done, it was time to take some chips out of the freezer.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
Nutella chips, welcome to the world. Allow me to introduce you to browned butter cookie dough.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
They make a cute couple, don’t you think? I decided to give them a little bit more alone time in the refrigerator overnight. Apparently, letting the dough rest in the refrigerator really deepens the flavor and gives it a richer, darker color.

I had to camouflage the dough in the vegetable drawer, though, under the napa cabbage. Leaving cookie dough out in the open in my house is a dangerous move.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
The dough thankfully escaped unharmed. I made large cookies the next day, using an ice cream scoop to measure out the dough. Into the oven for 14 to 16 minutes, and you get those lovely crunchy edges, moist center, and ooey gooey Nutella chunks all over.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
Even the cat outside groaned when I broke open the first cookie.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

This, my friends, is serious stuff. If you love Nutella, you’ll flip over this cookie. And if you don’t love Nutella, make these and you just might be converted.

 

Homemade Nutella Chips
Makes about 2 cups

Using the added milk chocolate chips gives the chips more structure and creaminess but it also mutes the hazelnut flavor. If you don’t mind a subtler Nutella flavor or if you will boost the flavor of the cookies with added toasted hazelnuts or ground hazelnuts, feel free to replace the butter with even more milk chocolate chips.

6.5 oz. Nutella
2 oz. butter
3 oz. milk chocolate chips (optional)

In a double boiler or a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering hot water, melt all the ingredients until you have a smooth, glossy chocolate mixture, about 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Take the mixture off heat.

To make chunks, spread in a 1/8-inch thick layer on Silpat or foil and freeze for at least 2 hours. When frozen solid, break into chunks with a knife (try not to handle the chocolate too much or the heat of your hands will start to melt it). Store in the freezer until ready to use.

To make chocolate chips or discs, put the melted chocolate inside a pastry bag or resealable bag with a corner snipped off. Pipe out the discs or chips onto a baking sheet lined with Silpat or a sheet of foil. When done, put the sheet in the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours. When frozen solid, loosen the chocolate chips and store in a bag or airtight container in the freezer until ready to use.
 

Nutella Chip Cookies

(Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen’s Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies)

 
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 sticks butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups homemade Nutella chips
3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted (optional)

 
Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl. Whisk and set aside.

Melt 1 1/4 sticks butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Keep swirling until butter has a dark golden brown color and a nutty aroma, about 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in the remaining butter until melted.

Add the sugars, salt, and vanilla to the butter and mix well. Add the egg and the extra yolk; whisk until smooth, about 30 seconds. Let it rest for 3 minutes, then whisk again for about 30 seconds, before letting it rest again. You’ll want to whisk this about 4 times, until you have a thick, glossy, and smooth mixture.

Gently stir in the flour and baking soda just until combined. Make sure dough is cool before stirring in the Nutella chips and nuts, if using.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 24 to 36 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Form dough balls about 3 tablespoons in size (I use an ice cream scoop) and place them on a lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 14–16 minutes (mine took 15 minutes), then put the baking sheet on a cooling rack and let the cookies cool on the sheets.
 

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
 
 
UPDATE!

Here is a photo of the chips/chunks made with just Nutella and melted butter mixed together. I spread the resulting mixture on a silicone mat, put it in the freezer for about 3 hours, and then cut it into chunks.

 
The Ivory Hut: Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips

 
Because the only chocolate in this mixture is the Nutella, the hazelnut flavor is more pronounced when compared to the batch made with added milk chocolate chips. These are simpler to make, too, and my preferred method for making Nutella chips. At least, speaking from my vast experience of Nutella-chip-making that encompasses all of three days.

 
 

132 thoughts on “Nutella Chip Cookies with Homemade Nutella Chips”

  1. Brilliant! You are so darn creative. Although, yeah – when I first saw that picture of the fresh chips all I could think of was the comparisons they’d make over at Cake Wrecks, hee hee hee!!

    Maybe the Nutella people will see this and heed your call and start making them now.

  2. Oh my God. I have no words. They look SO GOOD :) Kudos to you for putting the effort in making the chips yourself.

  3. Mmm. I think I just died a little in anticipation of making these. I will be picking up some Nutella at the store tonight! Yum yum!

  4. These look SOOOO yummy!!! OMGosh! I have 2 cookie exchanges to go to and I think this may be the recipe I bring! I am 24 weeks pregnant and obsessed with Nutella right now! These will hit the spot! Thank you!

  5. You are insane… and I mean that in the nicest of ways! I am completely amazed at the effort you put into making those chips! Seriously! I am very stubborn when I get an idea into my head but I’m not sure I would have even thought about making my own Nutella chips. I bow before your greatness :)

  6. My son will never leave home if I make him these cookies! Yum!

    This is my first time to visit your site. I’ll be back!

  7. What on earth have you done? These are beyond acceptable in the indulgence factor. And now I can’t think about anything else. Nutella chips. Brilliant.

  8. That is one great feat of engineering – not just make your own chips, but your own Nutella Chips? You should get a medal. Or your own island or something.

  9. You have just created the most awesome cookie! I so agree with your suggestion to Nutella to make Nutella baking chips and hope that they see this post and take you up on it.

  10. I love Nutella, too…Have made “Peanut Butter” cookies for years, just substituting Nutelly and adding 1/4 c. flour..But WOW! making it into chips would really concentrate the flavor…Great inspiration, thanks.!

  11. Oh. My. God. You are my idol. I CAN NOT WAIT to make these cookies. As if Nutella could be delivered in a more delicious form. You are a genius.

  12. What a clever idea!! I’ve been baking with nutella a lot. Love nutella recipes. I never thought to try making nutella baking chips. I’m definitely going to try this out! I bet nutella baking chips added into nutella chocolate chip cookies would be divine.

  13. Holy sweet god of fat asses… please do not striketh me with thine own fat wrath because I shall be making these cookies all through the holidays. I wonder if I could grind up some hazelnuts and toss it in the batter… sort of like you would with almond flour? Would they even be noticeable? I’d imagine so if I toasted them in a pan first. How would I have to adjust the flour/eggs/butter ratio? Or, would I have to at all? Oh boy… this is going to be good.

  14. OH MY….yum yum yum… I currently have NO nutella in the house but I do have chocolate peanut butter…that might work…yum yum yum…even just the cookies with regular chocolate chips would be yummy… I am going to make these so soon :)

  15. My, I’m salivating at the first and third pic and ended up with an aching tummy after reading this tempting post. Oh, I really hope I can make one faster enough after this comment…seriously a killer cookie!

  16. I really like the way you explain the making of the cookies; it’s really refreshing! Anyway good job on the nuttela chips, i love nuttela too and i’m gonna try this recipe.

  17. i made the nutella chunks last night and the dough is in the fridge as we speak!! i am in love with this recipe already :D Thanks!

  18. Wow, how did we all miss this idea? This is brilliant, and you actually made these chips from scratch. I’m pretty sure Nutella would be willing to put this recipe on their website. :-) You should definitely try!

  19. That is just brilliant! Completely brilliant! Especially for an Aussie who doesn’t have all those butterscotch and mint and other chips readily available to bake with… but my second thought (my first thought was “Eep! Yum!”) was of trying to make Speculoos chips…

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