Ditch The Chocolate Chips For A Nutty Add-In

Chocolate chip cookies are a favorite all-American treat that combine buttery brown sugar and vanilla flavors with pops of semisweet chocolate. While they are an undisputed classic, their traditional ingredients can also be shaken up to create some delicious twists. One of them brings a nutty appeal by swapping the usual chips for ones made with Nutella.

While the hazelnut and cocoa spread can be used right out of the jar for the best lazy breakfast, or to make desserts like Nutella éclairs or chocolate hazelnut cheesecake, it must be shaped and frozen for our purposes. Pipe chip-size drops onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a piping bag with a small tip or a zip-top plastic bag with a little bit of a corner cut off. After making as many as you need, put the baking sheet in the freezer for at least an hour until they're frozen. Blending the Nutella with butter (in about a 3-to-1 ratio by weight) will help the pieces better solidify and maintain their form. Just melt the butter and mix it with the spread before piping.

The pieces start melting quickly, so leave them in the freezer until you're ready to use them, either on the pan or in an airtight container or freezer bag. You may want to refrigerate the remaining dough halfway through shaping the cookies for the same reason. You could also chill the dough before adding the chips, or divide it in half and keep one portion in the fridge while you form cookies with the other.

Nutella is sold in some 170 countries around the world, including in its native Italy where it's a pantry staple. Its origins lie in the country's northern Piedmont region; a post-war cocoa shortage led pastry chef Pietro Ferrero to create a paste with hazelnuts, sugar, and a little cocoa in 1946 that he called Giandujot and sold in a loaf shape. A spreadable version called SuperCrema was introduced in 1951, and after some other changes, Nutella officially debuted in 1964. Still sold by Ferrero Group today, it has just seven ingredients: sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, skim milk, cocoa, lecithin, and vanillin.

You have a couple of additional possible options when making chips from the creamy spread. One is adding milk chocolate chips as well as butter, melting them all together in a double boiler, to further help them keep their shape. However, including the milk chocolate will reduce the hazelnut flavor. You could also make chunks instead. Smooth the Nutella out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in a layer about ⅛-inch to ¼-inch thick and freeze, then cut the frozen slab into small chunks.

Add even more interest to your cookies with other ingredients. Amp up the hazelnut taste by including some of the toasted, chopped nuts. Use another type of chips, like peanut butter or butterscotch, along with the Nutella ones. Try mixing in a little instant espresso powder, or topping the treats with flaky salt. You could also use your chips in other ways, like in cakes, muffins, pancakes, on top of ice cream, or sprinkled on frosting.