Brown Butter Nutella Stuffed Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been a looonggg time since my last post, and in the last year so much has changed. Since my last post, I graduated from law school, successfully passed the New York bar exam and was admitted to the New York state bar, started my new job as an Assistant District Attorney, and became the luckiest aunt to the cutest little boy that ever existed. Living in New York means that I can go to a different dessert place or restaurant, every single night, and never run out of options for new hidden gems...but the downside is, inspiration doesn't strike because you're so focused on what the city has to offer, you rarely have time to whip something up in the kitchen. 

Now that I've moved into a nicer, albeit tinnier kitchen-ed, apartment on Houston (ahem..."SoHo") I became inspired by Irene's post about Nutella cookies. So I combined the B e s t Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe ever with bits and pieces of Nutella and the result was so fantastic (yet a tiny bit burned via the new tiny oven), my co-workers were salivating when they saw the first photograph. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups minus 2 tbsp. cake flour
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 jar Nutella
sea salt for baking

1. heat butter in a shallow pan on medium/high heat until the butter melts, and starts to butter/foam and become brown. once butter foams swirl and cook until evenly browned. the butter will smell sweet and chestnutty, but be careful not to burn! remove from heat and cool. 

2. combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl, and whisk until combined. 

3. combine cooled brown butter with sugar and mix well until light and fluffy. mix in vanilla and eggs and mix well. slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. add the chocolate chips and mix until combined. chill in fridge wrapped in plastic for approx. 24-36 hours.

4. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silicone baking mat. roll roughly golf ball size rounds together, and then flatten into a disk, pulling up the sides to create a little bowl. take you chilled Nutella dollops and insert into middle of cookie, and wrap the dough around it and roll back into a ball. now repeat!

5. bake roughly 14-15 minutes, turning the sheet around halfway through, until cookies are golden brown on top yet still smushy in the middle. best enjoyed directly out of the oven but still amazing two days later!

Secret Tip #1: scoop the Nutella onto wax paper and make little dollops, then freeze for roughly one hour...trust me...it'll help when stuffing the cookies. 

Secret Tip #2: the best chocolate chip cookie dough is a result of room temperature ingredients because they mix easier, and chilled dough! chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours...the hardest part is waiting. 

Secret Tip #3: i always beat the eggs very well in a larger bowl, and then add them to the other ingredients. it sounds simple and counterintuitive but it keeps the mess down and mixes so much better.