Nutella Thumbprints

A little bit of Nutella goes a long way toward making these rich, decadent cookies. If you’re unfamiliar with Nutella, it’s a hazelnut spread made with cocoa and skim milk to create a creamy chocolatey, nutty taste. If you really love hazelnuts and you want to take these cookies a step further, the original recipe called for the cookies to be rolled in chopped hazelnuts before baking. I chose to save 1 p+ per cookie by omitting that step, but if you’d like to add them, follow the link to the original Cooking Light recipe for quantities. For 2 p+ I thought these were the perfect cookies to fend off a chocolate craving because the Nutella centers make them taste so rich that I could just eat one and feel satisfied.

Nutella Thumbprints

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c powdered sugar
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
1/4 t salt
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
2 large egg yolks
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/3 c Nutella hazelnut-chocolate spread

Directions:
1.    Preheat the oven to 350
2.    Spoon flour into a measuring cup and level the top with a knife to create exactly 1 cup of unpacked flour. In a large bowl, combine flour with powdered sugar, salt and cocoa, stirring until mixed. In a separate large bowl, place the stick of butter and beat it with a hand mixer at a medium speed until fluffy (about 1-2 minutes). Stir the egg yolks together in a small cup with a whisk and when combined, add them along with the vanilla to the butter and beat with mixer until combines. Add flour mixture to bowl and beat together on a low speed for several minutes until dough combines and thickens.
3.    Place the dough onto a sheet of wax paper and knead it several times until smooth. Breaking pieces off the dough, form 28 balls (about 1 inch each). Line a large baking sheet (or 2 if necessary) with parchment paper and place the balls in rows one inch apart on the paper. In the center of each cookie, press your thumb about halfway through the ball to create an indentation. Bake cookies for 10 minutes and remove from oven. Place cookies on wire racks and let them cool completely. Once cooled, spread about ½ teaspoon of Nutella into the indented center of each cookie.

Yields 28 cookies. Weight Watchers Points Plus: 2 per cookie