Shelly's Recipe

Nutella Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Category: Cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 15 medium-small cookies

1 large egg
3/4 cup Nutella
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter or chocolate peanut butter (do not use natural or homemade, it's too runny and cookies could spread)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed (light may be substituted)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
5 to 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl and hand mixer), combine the egg, Nutella, peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and beat on high power to cream ingredients, about 5 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The dough will go from very granular, gritty, and loose to smooth, oily, and well-formed in a large mound. If your dough has not come together or is at all gritty, continue to mix until it smooths out.

Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt and beat to incorporate. Dough will not look like normal cookie dough and will be tiny balls and flakes that seem almost feathery. This is okay. Add the chocolate chunks and beat momentarily to incorporate.

Using a medium cookie scoop (about 2 tablespoons) or your hands, scoop out 15 mounds of dough and place them on a large plate. Using your hands, gently squeeze and compact each mound so that it's tightly packed together. Dough will be both crumbly and oily, but when squeezed, it should stay together. Cover plate with plasticwrap and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days, before baking.

Preheat oven to 350F, line 2 baking sheets with Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mats, parchment, or spray with cooking spray; set aside. Space dough 2 inches apart (8 per tray) and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until top have just set, even if slightly underbaked in the center. It's difficult to discern if they're done because they're dark, but watch them very closely and don't overbake. Cookies firm up as they cool, and baking too long will result in cookies that set up too crisp and hard (The cookies shown in the photos were baked for 9 minutes, with trays rotated at the 5-minute mark, and have chewy edges with pillowy, soft centers).

Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.