- 12 teaspoons chocolate hazelnut spread (or 1 teaspoon per cookie)
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Drop the spread by individual teaspoonfuls onto the waxed paper, making sure there is space between each spoonful. Form them into slightly flattened patties and place the sheet into the freezer for at least an hour and up to a day.
Meanwhile, combine the butter and sugars and blend with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add the extract and egg and blend again. Add the flour, baking soda, corn starch, and cocoa powder and blend to form a dense, chocolatey dough. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill until you are ready to bake the cookies. Cover the dough with plastic wrap if it will be more than an hour before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
To assemble the cookies, take one frozen chocolate hazelnut spread patty and carefully wrap it in about 2 tablespoons of the chilled chocolate cookie dough. I like to form a ball with the dough and then flatten it into a disc and wrap that around the frozen chocolate hazelnut spread patty. Then roll it gently between your hands to close any seams and place on a baking sheet covered with a silicone baking mat. Since these cookies spread quite a bit while baking, limit yourself to six cookies per baking sheet. After the cookies are placed on the sheet, press 3-5 chocolate chips onto the top of each cookie, if desired. It is recommended that you put the unused dough and spread patties in the refrigerator and freezer, respectively, between assembling a batch of cookies and removing them to a wire rack to cool.
Place the cookies in the oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes before removing them and allowing them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to a week, though I doubt they will last that long!
- Yields: 12 cookies
- Preparation Time: At least 2 hours and up to 2 days, with much pausing for chilling involved