Baking in someone else’s kitchen is always an adventure. You never know what they’ll have on hand, so it’s best to keep things simple. These marvelous Nutella cookies are just 5 ingredients.
I was visiting one of my cousins this month and offered to do some baking as a “thank you for having me.” When I turned to my trusty electronic recipe box, I realized that most of my favorite recipes involve somewhat specialty ingredients (e.g. malted milk, or powdered nonfat milk). And since dear cuz is not much of a baker (her electric mixer keeled over and died on me), I needed to go with something that didn’t require a lot of ingredients or specialty equipment. Thank god for these cookies.
I attribute the near perfection of these confections to the fact that Nutella is the primary ingredient. And when I say that, I mean that the ratio of Nutella surpasses the rest of the ingredients combined. So, really, these cookies are just a less messy delivery system than eating Nutella straight out of the jar. That’s why Lisa dubbed them “taste explosions” and insisted I rebrand them as such.
The other thing that makes these cookies to die for is the salt on top. She didn’t have any flaked sea salt on hand, so I almost skipped it, and I’m so glad I didn’t. I opted to grind some of the pink Himalayan salt that was on hand, and it worked just as well.
I’ve made these cookies a number of times and it can be a bit tricky to tell when they’re done. I tend to pull them out when they still look a bit gooey/unbaked in the center but the edges are clearly cooked. This yields a fudgy cookie that’s baked enough but not overdone.
I highly recommend doubling the recipe as it doesn’t make very many cookies as is, and they’re sure to vanish quickly.
Nutella Taste Explosions (AKA Fudgy Nutella Cookies from Ambitious Kitchen)
Grade: A+
- 1 cup nutella
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup flour + 1 tablespoon
- coarse sea salt for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the Nutella, brown sugar, egg, and flour in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Place dough in freezer for 20 minutes or refrigerate for at least an hour (it’ll be too soft to go straight into the oven).
Roll the dough into approximately 1-inch balls, place them on an ungreased baking sheet at least two inches apart. Sprinkle the dough balls with sea salt (or, dip the top in salt before placing it on the tray), and bake for 8-10 minutes. Look for set edges, though the center may look a bit gooey still.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes on the pan, then very carefully transfer to a wire rack (they are rather fragile in general, but especially when warm).
Baker on the Run 