Showing posts with label chocolate-nutella smooches. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate-nutella smooches. Show all posts

Sunday, February 5

Petite Nutella Pochettes

World Nutella Day. It's hard to believe that an entire year has gone by! For this year I made Petite Nutella Pochettes. Petite Pochettes means Little Pockets in french and these are wonderful little pastries filled with Nutella.


They are easy to make and the best part is that they are a crowd pleaser. These disappeared almost as soon as I took them out of the oven. The pastry is not very sweet and is the perfect wrap for the nutella surprise that is inside.


Two bloggers, Bleeding Espresso and Ms. Adventures In Italy had a dream and a spoon and World Nutella Day was born. You can see creative recipes using nutella by visiting their blogs and the World Nutella Day site. Bakers are linking their recipes worldwide.



Petite Nutella Pochettes
adapted from Melissa d'Arabian, Food Network

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
Nutella
Small bowl of water
Confectioner's sugar

In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and creamy. Add the flour slowly until the dough forms and then add the cocoa and mix until it is incorporated, but don't overmix. Use your hands to gather the dough into a ball and place on a piece of saran wrap. Flatten the ball into a disco and place in the refrigerator to chill at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Unwrap the saran wrap, leaving the dough on the wrap and place another piece of saran wrap over the top of the dough. Roll out the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch fluted biscuit cutter, cut out circles and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Form the scraps into a ball and reroll to make more circles.

Fill each dough circle with a small spoonful of nutella. Don't put too much on the circle otherwise it will ooze out during baking. Dip your finger in tap water and spread on the edge of the half circle to help create a seal. Fold the dough over to create a crescent. Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool, then sift confectioners' sugar on top and serve.


Saturday, February 5

Feel Like a Smooch?

Since I just recently discovered the joy of Nutella, I wanted to make something in honor of World Nutella Day. Yes, there is such a thing! And the first person who came to mind when I thought of Nutella recipes was Giada De Laurentis. I think she sneaks nutella into most of her sweet and savory dishes.


But, really. Who can blame her? This Chocolate-Nutella Smooches recipe is perfect to serve when you are looking for that little extra special treat. The silky smoothness of the nutella gives just the right of chocolatey creaminess to this cookie batter. And the little kiss on top - oh, yeah!


This Valentine's Day, why not give your Valentine a kiss? or a Smooch? or why not, both?

Visit the World Nutella Day site and hosts Ms. Adventures in Italy and Bleeding Espresso to see what everyone is making to celebrate the day!




Chocolate-Nutella Smooches
adapted from a Giada De Laurentis recipe

1-3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nutella
1/2 cup, (1 stick) of room temperature butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Demerara Sugar or any large granule sugar
Hershey's Kisses

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream together the nutella, butter, and sugars using a hand mixer. Add the egg and vanilla and blend well. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until they are just incorporated.

Put some of the demerara sugar on a plate. Shape the cookie dough into small balls and roll them in the demerara sugar, carefully pressing them so that the sugar will stick. Place them about 4 inches apart (they will spread a bit) on a parchment-lined heavy cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly place a Hershey's kiss in the middle of each cookie. Put the cookie sheet back into the oven and let bake for another 3 minutes. When the cookies are done, cool them on a wire rack.

Makes about 25 to 35 cookies.