Nutella Scones, in Honor of World Nutella Day

Did you know the Nutella jar says...

An example of a tasty yet balanced breakfast - a glass of skim milk, orange juice and Nutella on whole wheat bread.


Hahahahahahahhahaha.
That is so funny. I mean, where's the coffee?

We all know a truly balanced breakfast would be Nutella pancakes, coffee and a Nutella scone. Maybe with a Nutella biscotti chaser. And, if you insist, a glass of skim milk. Then another cup of coffee.

The Nutella scone is crumbly, rich and very chocolaty. While it is a nice breakfast treat, it would also be wonderful for an afternoon snack - you know, a little pick-me-up at 3 pm.

Give it a try...

Nutella Scones
From Baked Explorations, via Food Gal

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup dark cocoa powder, sifted to remove any lumps

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

6 Tbsps. cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 large egg

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted

1/2 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 375F and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Add butter. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour mixture until the butter pieces are pea-sized and the mixture is coarse.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg and cream. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until dough just comes together. Gently and briefly knead dough with your hands until it's cohesive. Add hazelnuts and knead gently, just to incorporate.
Using your hands, shape dough into a rectangle approximately 6 x 12" (it doesn't have to be precise). Spread the Nutella on top of the dough in a crisscross pattern. Roll dough up into a cylinder, from the short end. You might have to hold it together as you roll. Turn the cylinder on its end and gently flatten it into a disk, about 1 3/4" high.

Cut the dough into 6-8 wedges and place them on prepared baking sheet. Bake scones for 18-20 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer scones to wire rack to cool completely.
These are best eaten soon after baked, but if wrapped tightly they will still be good the next day.

So tell me...which was your favorite Nutella recipe this week?

Nutella Pancakes Are Just the Beginning

There are two BIG things coming up fast this week.

Another major snowstorm, predicted for Wednesday. (Please, spare me.)
And World Nutella Day on Saturday.

The combination of these two events has made me decide that this week should be all-Nutella here at Mignardise.
Because I believe that enough Nutella can cure cabin fever.
It can give me my son the energy needed for marathon shoveling.
And of course there's nothing better than baking while the snow piles up outside.

Let's begin at the beginning. Breakfast!
Of course you could spread a little Nutella on your toast and call it a day. But that wouldn't make much of a blog post would it?
So let's have pancakes. Nutella pancakes. With caramelized bananas. And maple syrup.
Send Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth out to shovel the driveway. They're not invited to this party.

Nutella Pancakes
adapted from Inn Cuisine

2 eggs

1/2 cup Nutella

1 1/2 cups milk

1 Tbsp. cooking oil

 2 cups all-purpose flour

1 heaping Tbsp. cocoa powder

2 tsps. baking powder

2 Tbsps. butter

1/4 cup sugar

2 bananas, sliced

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup chopped hazelnut, toasted (optional)

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and Nutella until smooth. Add milk and oil, whisking until well combined. In a large bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, mix well until most lumps are gone. Allow batter to rest.

While batter is resting, heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in skillet, then add sugar. Stir constantly until mixture becomes lightly browned (watch carefully and don't let it burn). Add bananas and cook until softened and throughly coated with sugar mixture. Add maple syrup. Let it warm briefly, then remove from heat.
Drop pancake batter onto hot griddle. When bubbles appear (2-3 minutes), flip pancakes and cook another minute. Serve with caramelized bananas, toasted hazelnuts (if using) and pan syrup. Pass more syrup if desired.

Come back tomorrow for more Nutella!

An Excuse to Eat Nutella. Like I Need One.

Woo-hoo!
 World Nutella Day is finally here.
An excuse to eat Nutella out in the open.
I can take that jar that's been hidden behind the chicken broth in the pantry, just to the left of the arborio rice, and dip my knife proudly into it. No hiding shamefully with it in the garage today (just checking my tire pressure - be right in!).
I'm thinking Nutella for breakfast (on a banana), lunch (Nutella panini) and dinner (Nutella chicken mole anyone?).
There's even a Nutella cocktail. It's Friday isn't it?

So what if World Nutella Day is a pretend holiday (may I remind you that so is Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and Administrative Assistant Day)? It's the delicious brainchild of Sara Rosso at Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso, now in it's fourth year.

My entry this year is Nutella Rugelach. Traditional rugelach are mini pastries, made with a cream cheese and butter dough, and filled with apricot jam or brown sugar and nuts.
Delish.
But not quite as yummy as this decadent version.
The rolling part requires a little muscle, which is fine. You'll burn a few calories.
Permission granted to have another rugelach.

Nutella and Toasted Hazelnut Rugelach
adapted from Alice Medrich's Cookies and Brownies


Dough:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 Tbsps. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold

8 oz. cream cheese, cold

Filling:

1 cup hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

1 13 oz. jar Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread (you won't use all of it)

Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to mix. Cut the butter into eight pieces and add to the flour mixture. Pulse until the the butter pieces are the size of breadcrumbs. Cut the cream cheese into four pieces and add to the mixture. Process until the dough begins to clump together, about 30 seconds. Remove from processor and divide into four equal pieces. Press each piece into a flat circle, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350.
Remove one piece of dough from refrigerator. Roll between two pieces of wax paper into a 12" circle, approx. 1/8" thick.  Peel the top sheet of wax paper from the dough and place it on the counter or a cutting board. Flip the dough over onto the paper and peel off the second sheet.

 Spread a thin layer of Nutella over entire circle of dough, then sprinkle generously with hazelnuts.

Cut the dough like a pie into 12 equal wedges. Roll the wide outside edge of each slice up around the filling towards the point. Place the roll, point side down, on a cookie sheet (lined with Silpat if you have it). Repeat with remaining wedges, placing cookies about 1 1/2" apart. If at any time the dough becomes too soft, return it to the refrigerator to firm up for a little while.
Roll, cut and fill the remaining pieces of dough.

Bake about 25 minutes or until light golden brown at the edges.
Remove from oven and set baking sheets on cooling racks.
Cool completely before storing or stacking.
They're best the day they're made, but can be stored airtight for a few days.

Note: I brushed the top of each rugelach with a little beaten egg and a sprinkle of vanilla sugar before baking. It doesn't change the taste, but they look pretty.

See the World Nutella Day website for LOADS more chocolate-y, hazelnutty recipes.

Celebrating World Nutella Day

Did you get the memo that said Thursday February 5 is World Nutella Day? I did.
I got it from Ms. Adventures in Italy, a blog by a lucky young American who happens to live in Italy. Go to her site and learn 50 ways to eat Nutella.
My favorite way? On a banana! Or in a crepe. Or in a crepe with a banana!

If you haven't yet been introduced to Nutella, it's a chocolate-y, nutty, yummy, creamy treat from Italy that you can find in your own grocery store. Smooth and spreadable like peanut butter, but chocolate with a hint of hazelnut. And you don't even have to go to la groceria italiana to get this little bit of heaven.

Go get yourself a jar. Now, before World Nutella Day passes you by! Try one of Ms. Adventure's delicious suggestions, or use it to bake...



Nutella Cupcakes, from Baking Bites

10 Tbsps. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
(that means sift first, then measure)

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

Nutella, about 1/3 cup (a little more is always better)

Preheat oven to 325. Line 12 muffin tin with paper liners.
Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Don't worry of the batter looks curdled. Add vanilla.
Stir in flour, salt and baking powder until thoroughly combined and no flour remains.
Fill each paper liner with batter, 3/4 full. Top each cupcake with approx. 1 1/2 tsps. Nutella.
Swirl Nutella and batter together with a toothpick, making sure to fold a bit of the batter up over Nutella. Bake 20-25 mins., until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean (except for the Nutella). Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Caution! Once you've tried Nutella, it's easy to get hooked. See this post by Bleeding Espresso (another lucky girl living and drinking coffee in Italy) to find out if you are truly addicted.