You may have noticed a new graphic in my sidebar since I was accepted as a Featured Publisher with Foodbuzz–a wonderful community of bloggers who enjoy writing about, taking pictures of and, of course, eating food. I am soooo excited to be included in this network, and I have met some incredible chefs already. When I saw Chrystal and Amir’s recipe for Nutella-Stuffed Sugar Cookies at The Duo Dishes, I pretty much stopped in my tracks. I knew the ingredients would be included in my grocery list for the week!
I discovered Nutella when I worked at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, in 2000. I was a media student, and several of us were invited to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation throughout the Games. The Canadians loved their coffee so much, they actually brought their own stash of Tim Hortons to Australia. They were in Sydney for a while, so I imagine it was a pretty large stash… They put a table outside our office with snacks like coffee, toast, and Nutella. I looked forward to snack time every day. Boy, was I surprised when I came back to the U.S. and saw Nutella sitting on the shelf at Walmart!
Well, Xon’s sister sent Bradley a set of alphabet cookie cutters for his birthday, so we’ve been waiting for a good time to make some cookies. Today was the day. First, we made up the cookie dough. I love the cinnamon flavor in these. I used coconut extract instead of vanilla (I do that a lot, because I love coconut), but I couldn’t tell a difference. Then we cut out the letter shapes. Every time I turned my back to get another letter, Bradley stuffed some more of the cookie dough in his mouth. 
Finally, we baked them. Instead of stuffing them with Nutella, we spread the tops with Nutella when they came out of the oven and sprinkled the hazelnuts on top.
Nutella, hazelnuts, sugar cookies… It really doesn’t get much better than that. And since I asked Bradley what letter came next as we were cutting out the shapes, it was educational, too! I’d still like to try the oh-so-heavenly-looking stuffed version, but I’ll go for this kind of activity any day.
By the way, many of the recipes I feature in my Menu Plan Monday posts come from Foodbuzz. You can check it out at www.foodbuzz.com.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
OOOOOH, that's a good idea. Nutella makes a great frosting.
And the coconut extract…good idea. We love citrus extracts too, although we prefer to use fresh zest. Anyways, nice creation! Those cookies would be gone in a flash.
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Well, you're the best for coming up with the recipe. It's soooo good. Love your site!
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