Nutella and Salted Caramel Stuffed Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe – Best Valentine’s Day Cookie!
Food is inevitably connected to our memories. Since Valentine's Day is coming, I would like to share my favorite recipe of double chocolate cookie with Nutella and dulce de leche (caramel) filling. This recipe is easy and forgiving. It doesn't require high skill set, and it's insanely delicious. It also is tied to a personal romantic memory of mine. So, before I get to the recipe details, I'd like to share some context.
In my past, I once dated a guy named Eddie. He was in early thirties, Brazilian, and his skin tone reminded me of 70% pure dark chocolate. His teeth were as white as white chocolate. He was full of energy. Even during the winter, he could make you feel as if he carried sunshine from Southern America in his pocket.
He liked to call me princess, but I thought he was the prince. He owned his own construction business and was incredibly macho. He had tight muscles on his shoulders, and he always dressed nicely when he took me out for dinner. His premium Mercedes E Class had dimmer light inside the car, and he would adjust the color of the light to match my dress. Every outing with him was like fairy tale.
Before he met me, he was a loyal customer to chain restaurants. However, he had never dated a chef before. I am an anti-chain restaurant person, as most chefs. I want to explore and have every outing be an adventure for me. I like to go to chef driven restaurants and see how the chef creates dishes to reflect the season. Eddie is very generous, and he never blinked an eye when I ordered wine and any quirky dishes. The only thing he would skip was dessert.
Eddie has been in his trade since he graduated from high school, and so he is very good at calculating. He knows how much he should invest in flipping a house, how long it is going to take to renovate the house, and how much he should sell it for. It was not surprising to be that he also was calculating when it came to what dishes he should invest in off the menu at resturants. He would rather skip dessert, because he knew his girl always has something better in her fridge, which was true. So, I made it my mission to develop the perfect sweet treat for him.
This brings us to the creation of my best Valentine's Day cookie recipe, the double chocolate chip cookie with Nutella and caramel filling. There are two lovely human beings who are absolutely crazy about Nutella: one is my daughter Amber and the other one is Eddie. Even if there was no bread, Eddie could still eat the entire jar of Nutella on it's own. No joke! I have never seen anyone love Nutella so much. One day, I was thinking how to create a cookie that he will always remember. I knew he loved Nutella and chocolate. His South American background inspired me to add some dulce de leche (caramel). When I was working at Flour, my colleague shared the recipe of "malty salty chocolate chip cookie" with me, and I really love how sea salt balances the sweetness of the cookies. So, I decided to sprinkle some Maldon sea salt on the cookies. You can find Maldon sea salt at Whole Foods or any special food store. Viola, here is my Nutella and Salted Caramel Stuffed Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.
According to Eddie, these are most delicious chocolate cookie he had ever had in his life. Eventhough Eddie and I are no longer together, these cookies were one of the reason that we remain good friends to this day. I hope you will like it, too! Bon appetite!
Nutella and Salted Caramel Stuffed Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 110g butter
- 1 1/2 cups 350g light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup 55g cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups 260g all-purpose flour
- 3.5 oz 100g dark chocolate chips
- Maldon salt for sprinkling
- approx. 1/2 cup 8 tbsp nutella
- 2 cups dulce de leche
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter.
- Take off the heat and stir in the brown sugar and eggs.
- Add the cocoa, salt and baking powder and stir until well combined.
- Add the flour and stir until no floury patches are left.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Set up a little bowl of water to dip your fingers in.
- Using the 18/8 portion scoop, scoop 16 balls onto 2 sheet pans.
- Lightly dampen your hand and roll each portion into a ball and place back on sheet pan.
- Using a damp finger make a large indentation the centre of the dough; fill the indentation with a small blob of nutella (like 1/2 tsp ish), and top it up with dulce de leche.
- Using the remaining dough, separate it into 16 pieces.
- Gently flatten each piece enough to cover the top of the cookie, and press gently to seal the edges (you may need to dampen your finger if the dough has dried.
- Sprinkle with fleur de sel or Maldon sea salt and bake for 10-12 minutes.
If you are looking for other sweet treats to try out on Valentine's Day, please check out my recipes for French eclairs or Spanish churros with chocolate dipping sauce.
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Melissa Lee
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Melissa is 100% MIT (Made in Taiwan), where she worked as a food writer. She’s also worked alongside renowned chefs like Ming Tsai and Joanne Chang, honing her craft and gathering stories along the way. Part story-teller, part educator, and part food lover, Melissa brings a special blend of experience, skill, and enthusiasm to her work. She blends her Asian background, her new home of New England, and love of food and culture to bring joy, optimism, and inspiration to food lovers and fun-seekers everywhere.
What sparked your passion for the industry?
The desire to make things by hand. The joy of sharing delicious, hearty food with students. The opportunity for people to get connected via cooking and baking. When a child smiled broadly and told me it’s the best scone he has ever made and eaten, it really made my day!
In your opinion, what’s the most important course?
Well, I usually take a peek at the wine list first. I like tapas style, so the course doesn’t really matter. Cheese and charcuterie are always a good place to start. And since I’m a pastry chef, there is always room for dessert!
Bill Gates is picking up your tab, where would you go?
Noma, Copenhagen.