Nutella Magic in the Middles

It's now Week #4 of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats.  I can't believe I missed the first three weeks of it, but better late than never.  What's the 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats, you might ask?  Well, each year, this fantastic group of bloggers decides to ring in the Christmas season by doing what we love best - baking.  For the 12 weeks leading up to Christmas, we each share a yummy Christmas treat.  If you want to join in the fun too, just contact Brenda from Meal Planning Magic and she'll get you all set up.

 

For this week's treat, I decided to share my adaptation of the Magic in the Middle Cookie.  It's a chocolate cookie that's usually filled with a peanut butter filling.  But, I just happened to have some Nutella lying around (as I'm sure most of you do) and I decided to add my own twist on these to make Nutella Magic in the Middles.  Granted, I made the peanut butter ones too, but the Nutella filled cookies were the ones that stole my heart and my tastebuds.  I didn't think I even liked Nutella all that much (I know, *gasp*), but stuff it into these cookies and suddenly I can't resist it.  To think, I was just trying to use up my leftover Nutella, but now that I have, I gotta go buy more!

 

Nutella Magic in the Middles (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa power
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

Filling:
6 Tbsp. peanut butter
6 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Nutella filling (Sweet as Sugar Cookies)
6 Tbsp. Nutella
6 Tbsp. powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cream the butter and peanut butter with the sugars. Add the cocoa powder and mix. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating well. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) and add.

For the filling:

Combine the peanut butter with the powdered sugar or the Nutella with the powdered sugar. Form the filling into small balls, a little less than 1" in diameter.

Scoop 1 Tbsp. of the dough, make an indentation in the center with your finger, and place a filling ball into the indentation. Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together to cover the center. Roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out and repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.

Roll the cookie balls in sugar and place on a baking sheet. (Note: I didn't flatten mine before baking them. Instead, I flattened them about a minute before they were done baking - that gives the cookies some really pretty crinkles.). Bake the cookies for about 7-9 min., or until they're set and you can smell chocolate (mine took 12-15 min.). Remove from oven and let cool on a rack.