Nutella Thumbprints

Ahhh, Nutella! I could eat this stuff straight from the jar (and have, I'm not ashamed to admit). If you haven't had it, Nutella is a chocolate hazelnut spread, and one of the most delish things ever invented if you ask me. I've wanted to find a way to use it in a cookie and figured it might make a good filling for a thumbprint cookie for a cookie swap. I love thumbprint cookies, it's like having a dessert within a dessert! Overall I liked this cookie a lot - the dough is a basic sugar cookie dough, not terribly sweet, which is good since Nutella has a pretty strong, rich flavor. I added hazelnuts for some crunch and to make it look a little fancier.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 jar Nutella spread

1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add into butter mixture and beat until just combined. Form loosely into a flat disk and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until chilled.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. To prepare cookies - take heaping teaspoons of chilled cookie dough and form loosely into balls. Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Return remaining dough to fridge to stay chilled until ready for the next batch. Using a small spoon or your fingertip, make an indentation in the middle of each cookie and spoon 1 teaspoon of Nutella into each indentation. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.