Nutella Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies - made cookie dough December 17, 2011 from Everyday Insanity's blog

Really good with nutella swirled in

I got the original recipe for this from another baker's blog (please click on the recipe title to go to Cindy's Everyday Insanity blog for the original recipe).  I loved how they stayed thick and just looked yummy.  Plus I'm a Costco shopper myself and have those big jars of peanut butter and nutella that I "have" to use up.  No better time than the holidays when I have a lot of baked gifts to give and enough reliable standbys that I could afford to take a chance on a little recipe experimentation.

The unbaked cookie dough balls - freeze first before baking

The baked version of the cookies

I did modify it slightly though so I am listing my changes below as well as spelling out the instructions a bit more for any newer bakers.  Plus I added directions of what I usually do when I make cookie dough: make into dough balls and freeze for baking later.  It also appears from the original recipe that you're supposed to mix the nutella thoroughly into the batter to give it a uniform appearance.  I took it a different direction and instead just dropped dollops of it throughout the batter and was careful not to mix it too much.  Instead, I left it as swirls, like the almond butter and nutella swirl cookies.  Not surprisingly, my version came out looking different than Cindy's.  But I hope just as good.  These were definitely reminiscent of the almond butter and nutella swirl cookies.  They didn't spread much and stayed thick.  Underbaking them slightly gives a very moist, dense texture that partners well with the nutella swirls mixed in.  They are more fragile that way though so you want to make sure these cool and firm up a bit before moving them.  They also wouldn't survive being mailed so it's best to enjoy them in person or giving them away on plates or some kind of flat surface.  I stacked a few on each plate for my giveaways, surrounded by the Almond Joy Brownie Bombshells and that seemed to work.

1 cup flour

1 cup oatmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used smooth)
1/2 cup golden brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2/3 cup Nutella

1. Mix flour, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
2. Beat butter in the bowl of a mixer until soft; add peanut butter and beat to combine until lump free.  Add both sugars and beat until combined, 2-3 minutes.
3. Add egg and vanilla, mix another minute. 
4. With mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients till just combined. 
5. Stir in Nutella by hand but do not mix in completely - you want swirls of it through the cookie dough.
6. Portion into cookie dough balls and place in the freezer to firm up for 30-60 minutes.  Once they're firm, either place dough balls in freezer storage bags to bake later or else bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.