Nutella Cookie Bars

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Hello again!

This afternoon I thought it would be fun to try and make Nutella. Oh how wrong I was! But it wasn’t all bad. I did end up with an intriguing new dessert, a weird cookie/brownie hybrid which I have named the Nutella Cookie Bar. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Here’s how it happened.
I began by roasting my hazelnuts to add flavor and make it easier to shuck their little skins off. This went as planned. I roasted them at 275ºF for about 40 minutes. I was supposed to leave them in for over an hour, but I got impatient.
Then I dumped them onto a tea towel and pulled the corners in to make a bundle, which I then proceeded to rub so the tougher outer shell would be shucked off.
Nice little bundle of nuts
If I had waited the full 60 minutes for them to roast, I’m sure the shucking would have gone much smoother. As it was, I only managed to strip the skins off half of the hazelnuts, leaving me the tedious job of scraping the rest with my fingernail. I wasn’t too picky about bits of skin left on, as I do enjoy the flavor. However, I knew this meant my hazelnut butter wouldn’t be as creamy.
I dumped the skinned nuts into my mini food processor and let it rip! Instant success.
Grainy phase
Paste is starting to form
Nutty bliss almost perfected!
Because I had left some of the skins on, the nut butter wasn’t as creamy as it could have been, but it still developed a spreadable texture.
And here is where it all turned horrible.
Having decided to try my hand at Nutella, I proceeded to add the Dutch cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and sweetener (I selected honey).
Looks so delicious!
I turned the processor on and watched it turn into a thick, crumby clod. Not yet disheartened, I added a few splashes of water, which only provoked the beast. Becoming desperate, I added about a tablespoon of canola oil, in two parts. This helped with thinning the texture back to spreadable bliss, but simultaneously turned the almost-healthy Nutella into an oily trap. Definitely not something I want to spread on my toast or an apple.
I hate to see food go to waste, and the nut butter mess did closely resemble the chewy center of a brownie, so I sought to transform it. I dumped in some flour, an egg, baking soda and powder, a sprinkle of salt, some soymilk, and another splash of vanilla. I also threw in chocolate chips and walnuts, for good measure. Plus, what good is a brownie without chunks of gooey chocolate and nuts?
After a bit more stirring, I was satisfied although still slightly apprehensive. I poured the batter into a tin and popped it in a 350ºF oven, for 10 minutes.
The result was pleasantly surprising! They came out with a nice golden crust, a gooey center, and didn’t fall apart in my hand. And, even better, they tasted like Nutella! The texture was a strange combination of sponge cake and cookie, surprisingly light and fluffy with chocolate morsels and crunchy nuts.
The surprisingly successful result
My little dachshund wanted a taste test as well
All in all, I was pleased with the outcome. Whether I’ll go through the ordeal to produce them again, I’m not sure, but I’ll be brainstorming shortcuts to reaching a similar end. They definitely are an interesting dessert.
Nutella Cookie Bars
yield: 21 2×3 bars
 
For the Nutella
2 cups hazelnuts
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Dutch cocoa
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp canola oil
splash of water, if you wish
For the cookie bars
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup soy milk (or any milk)
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
sprinkle of salt
Optional
Chocolate chips (I probably used 1/2 cup, but I really like chocolate chips)
Walnuts (I used maybe 1/3 cup)
Procedure:
1. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and roast in a 275ºF oven for an hour (I did 40 minutes and they were not quite ready to release their skins).
2. Carefully pour roasted nuts into a tea towel and pull in the corners to make a bundle. Rub and massage the bundle so the skins get rubbed off the nuts.
3. Pour nuts into a food processor and process until a creamy consistency is attained. It took me about 3 minutes.
4. Add in the remaining ingredients for the Nutella and process.
5. Dump the mixture into a medium sized bowl and add the ingredients from the cookie bar list. Stir until all combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into a brownie tin (any size you prefer; I used a larger tray to get the thinner cookie appearance).
7. Bake in a 350ºF oven for 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Allow to cook, cut into strips or squares, and enjoy!
Nutrition per 2×3 bar: 140 calories, 11g fat, 8.6g carbs, 3.8g sugar, 3g protein 
 
Thank you for reading, and good luck if you attempt this!
Zoë

5 thoughts on “Nutella Cookie Bars”

  3. These look fabulous! I always have the worst luck when it comes to cooking.
    Thanks for sharing, if you find a simpler way to make them, please post it! I'd love to make them someday!
    ali

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