Nutella-Stuffed, Browned Butter, Salted Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

As a baker and food blogger, it's important for me to always be coming up with new recipes and flavor combinations to try. Whenever I'm lacking inspiration, my friends are awesome at helping me out - obviously they get the added benefit of plates of the desserts of their choices...

Their pieces of "advice" have led to some pretty great desserts. Recent favorites have included crème brûlée, pumpkin bread, and chocolate truffles... apparently my friends have varied tastes in sweets!

My best friend tends to be very specific in her requests - I don't mind this (hello, it makes my job here about a million times easier, as I'm not good with choices), so she's gotten to the point where she simply sends me the link to a recipe. This was my favorite ever.

 

These cookies in particular were made for her in return for a favor she did me a long time ago (because I was too lazy to make them sooner and she was too indecisive to send me her choice). We've since forgotten what the favor even was, but she certainly didn't forget the batch of baked goods I owed her. When she showed me the recipe, I laughed. And then I got super excited about making it.

These are insanity in the form of a cookie, and I mean that in the greatest way possible. Imagine a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Now swap in browned butter for regular; throw in three types of chocolate chips; sprinkle the tops with sea salt; oh, and stuff them with Nutella.

Not only are these just about the most indulgent cookies ever, they're also the most delicious. My friend was super happy to get a box of these handed to her, and I may just have found a new favorite dessert.
Enjoy!

Also, these are giant. As in, the size of a jar of Nutella.

Nutella-Stuffed, Browned Butter, Salted Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

(from Ambitious Kitchen)

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1 jar of Nutella, chilled in refrigerator

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. The butter will begin to foam; whisk constantly. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown on the bottom of the saucepan; continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
With an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, vanilla, and yogurt until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly and beat on low-speed just until combined. Gently fold in all of the chocolate chips.
Chill dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once dough is chilled measure about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the dough ball very thinly into the palm of your hand. Place about 1 teaspoon of chilled Nutella in the middle and fold dough around it; gently roll into a ball — it doesn’t have to be perfect. Make sure that the Nutella is not leaking out of the dough. Add more dough if necessary. Place dough balls on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart and flatten with your hand very slightly.
Bake the cookies 9-11 minutes or until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. They will look a bit underdone in the middle, but will continue to cook once out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the sheets at least 2 minutes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets after a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
  -Makes about 18 cookies.