One Hell of a Ride and Nutella Cookies

Mmmmm, Nutella Cookies!!!!

It's been a very long time since I posted...and that was only my intro post. Pretty sad, huh? I'm so awful at these things. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Anyway, lots of things have happened...which is why I've had to put this blog on the very back burner.  As you know from the last post, my husband's job was moving us to Florida. Well, in late September we dug up our roots in North Carolina and transplanted them to sunny Florida. We lived in a hotel for about a month (yep, in a hotel...with both of our dogs...and each dog weighs about 70 lbs each). That was a nightmare. The Husband (I need to come up with a good nickname for him on here. Any suggestions?) was gone most of the time doing work stuff while I was frantically looking for a job. Any job. I was desperate. And depressed. And a mess. And desperate. DES-PARH-REHT. I was ready to work the worst shifts/worst jobs/worst tasks just to have something to do. After a few snags and false starts, I finally got a job. Even better, the job relates to my degree. It's a good job and I work with good people. It's also a laid back college research lab environment. Good job, decent pay, relaxed place, nice boss...pretty ideal except for the stupid long commute.

So, it's been about six months since we've moved. Things have begun to settle down and fall into place. The Hubster (hmm, nope, that nickname isn't going to work) is rockin' his job, I'm finally bringing home a decent paycheck, the dogs seem content, and we all feel like adults again. Let me tell you, going back to school as an adult is hard. It skews your role as a wife and as an adult - especially when you used to work and get paid pretty well. I'm very glad and thankful that I went back and finally obtained my Bachelors degree.

Before I got my job, I had a LOT of free time. Loads of free time. I cooked, and did fancy Pinterest projects, and I read. Goodness, I read. I'm surprised my Kindle Keyboard didn't catch fire. I read and re-read lots of favorite books. One of my absolute favorite authors of all time is Debora Geary. No, I'm not getting compensated in any way for expressing my love of the author and her books. She's super crazy nice. (I know this because I friended her on Facebook and chatted with her about my cookie recipe - but I am NOT a stalker. Promise. Pinky swear promise.) Her books are a joy to read. Her characters feel like my closest friends. They are really that good. The books are just feel-good-snuggle-my-blankie-and-a-hot-cup-of-tea-good. It doesn't hurt that she's linked my recipe on her official website. Props to me!!

Okay, here's the "tie-in". Her characters tend to have magical talents that are fueled by cookies. Well, they're fueled by lots of foods, but the cookies sound amazing. One of the cookies is Nutella. After reading the books over and over again, I felt the need to find a recipe for these things just to feed the craving. I tried a number of recipes, but none of them seemed Nutella-y enough. I decided to come up with my own recipe. The dough really does need to chill so that it can solidify to made into balls. The last time I made them, I put the dough into a cookie press that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas. I had to adjust and make the cooking time shorter, but they were still delicious.

Nutella Cookies shaped with my cookie gun

Chocolate Nutella Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes (not including chilling or baking time)

Makes around 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

       1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

       1 teaspoon baking powder

       ½ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)

       2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

       ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

       ½ cup sugar, granulated white

       ½ cup brown sugar

       2 teaspoons vanilla extract

       ½ cup Nutella, room temperature

       1/3 cup milk

       ¼- ½ cup Nutella for topping

1. Preheat oven to 325⁰F.
2. In a gallon sized Ziploc bag (or whisking together in a small bowl), combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Toss in bag to mix well. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds. Add in Nutella and beat until smooth and well incorporated.
4. With the mixer running, add half of the flour mixture (I snip off a corner of the bag, that way it’s easy to hold and add while using the mixer) and mix until well combined. Add in the milk, mixing until well incorporated. Add in the rest of the flour mixture and mix completely. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes (and as long as 2-3 days).
5. When ready to bake cookies, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll tablespoon sized amounts of dough into balls and place them on a lined cookie sheet, allowing about 2 inches between the dough balls.
6. Lightly press the dough balls with the flat of your palm. Make an indention with your thumb in the middle of the dough balls. Add a scant amount (around or less than 1/8 teaspoon) of Nutella to the dip of the dough balls.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes (mine were definitely done at 10 minutes, smaller cookies at 9 minutes) or until the cookies are crackly on top and soft, but starting to set. Remove from the oven and allow them to stand for about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks (if they last that long!)