Whipped Nutella Cream Pie

Hey! Did you know you can make a yummy pie filling with just 2 ingredients? And that those ingredients are nutella and heavy cream? WELLL...now you know. And you know that it's creamy and silky and decadent.

And that it probably is delicious in any kind of pie crust, but I highly recommend a toasted tart crust. Because it's buttery and adds even more hazelnutty goodness. But you do whatever you like!

I love how crazy easy this is to make. And how decadent it is to eat. But be warned-you had better love nutella if you're going to eat this pie because it is FULLLL of nutella flavor. Which I adore. So I was a happy happy camper. 

Fried {Mini} Chocolate Hazelnut Pies

I've never deep fried anything before. I'd been afraid. 1-will it be messy? 2-Gah that's a lot of wasted oil. 3-Oh man...that sounds like a dangerous thing to be able to do at home. But, now I've deep fried some stuff and I can say--it's not that messy. But yes to the rest of the above. However? Still so worth it. For these little pies alone.

I got it into my head that I wanted fried little pies filled with chocolate hazelnut spread (which most people know by the most common brand name, "nutella", but I love to use PB & Co's Chocmeister Dark Chocolatey Hazelnut Spread). This idea was so pervasive (but not in a preggo-craving kind of way, more in a oooh that's a good idea kind of way) that I finally decided to do it. I used my favorite all butter pie crust recipe (which always gives me super buttery and flaky crust), filled it with the chocolate hazelnut spread, folded it over and sealed it, fried it, topped it with powdered sugar and....HOLY MOLY.

The pie crust was all flaky and fried with just enough sweetness, thanks to the powdered sugar, and then when you bite into it and get that rich and warm chocolate hazelnutty deliciousness....it's like an experience. I feel like they'd totally be served in some hip cafe or restaurant. I got myself downright addicted and ate probably more than I'd care to admit. They were so good. I think everyone should try them at least once-that's my official recommendation. :P

Dark Chocolatey Hazelnut Spread Stuffed Blondies #Chocmeister

Ok sooo....I've documented that fall is not my favorite time of year. I know I know, everyone else in the world loves it. Sorry, all-it's not for me. HOWEVER-one small perk about the cooler weather and fall is that it's time to LET THE RICH FOOD COMMENCE! Bikini season is over? Eat all the yum yums! Plus we have Halloween and Thanksgiving--holidays largely known for eating an excess of food. And this is a thing I'm totally down with. SO, in the spirit of EAT ALL THE FOOD I made us some brown butter blondies stuffed with rich and gooey dark chocolate hazelnut spread (My new fave=PB & Co's Chocmeister). You're welcome :) 

Admittedly, I made these blondies in my old house. BUT I still have to gush about how much I'm loving baking in my new kitchen-the counter space is downright intoxicating. There's the big old island that is the perfect workstation for all of my masterpieces-making even more complicated treats fun to make. Of course...these blondies are so far from complicated. I would have been able to easily whip them up even in my super tiny New York apartment kitchen, So gather 'round bakers with kitchens large or small....you're going to want to give these blondies a try.

So these are essentially deliciously chewy, yet somewhat crisp, brown sugar cookie bars made with browned butter (aka the thing that makes all other things better), studded with chocolate chips, with a layer of gooey chocolate hazelnut spread (such as Nutella, Nocciolata Rigoni, or-my choice-Chocmeister!) And then I topped the whole thing with some sea salt. 'Cuz that's what we do here.

{No Bake} Chocolate Hazelnut Tart--Chocmeister Review

I love Peanut Butter & Co. It is well documented. So when I heard they were coming out with chocolate hazelnut spreads...I nearly jumped up and down, I was so thrilled! And, lucky lucky me, they sent me a jar of their new Chocmeister Dark Chocolatey Hazelnut Spread to play with!

Before I tell you about all the deliciousness you are presently gazing upon, let me give you the 411 on Chocmeister Chocolatey Hazelnut Spreads. First of all they come in 2 varieties, milk and dark chocolate. And they're made with 25% LESS sugar and 50% MORE protein than the leading chocolate hazelnut spread brand. Which is pretty amazeballs. And, as someone who immediately tried some: it tastes even better! The hazelnut flavor really comes through and it's perfectly delicious. Just the thing to eat on toast, with fruit, or ya know...in a perfect no-bake tart.

It's summer. My favorite season. I love it. And it's hot-which I'm totally cool with but maybe we don't reeeeally want to use the oven if we don't have to, you know? That's why I wanted to make you guys a super decadent no-bake dessert. And the Chocmeister Dark Chocolatey Hazelnut Spread was so rich and had such a great hazelnut flavor that I knew I wanted to play that up. And I DID. This tart seriously just embodies chocolate and hazelnut-in every way.

First, we have a chocolate cookie + hazelnut no bake crust: tastiness. Then I made a ganache with the Chocmeister and heavy cream. And topped it with chopped hazelnuts. You chill the entire thing and it...is...just...perfect. The texture of the filling is so silky and perfect and the crust and hazelnuts give you a bit of crunch. So good. SO SO GOOD. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Nutella Oreo Cookies

There's like...a lot going on with these cookies. They have no flour or butter (in the actual cookies, there may be some in the Oreo's) but they DO have peanut butter, nutella (or nocciolata, which I used), cocoa powder, and...obviously...Oreo's (or other brand of chocolate sandwich cookie-I like Newton-O's).

Suffice it to say...these are little bites of rich, flavorful, amazinggg cookies. The kind of cookies that are perfect to binge-ing on while you watch Magic Mike XXL (Don't act like you haven't seen it! Fun fact--My mom and her friends hated it and said the "dancing" was way better in the first one. Like...what? I'm like "Mom...it's no worse than the first one. You're crazy." But I digress.) They're the kind of cookies that you want to give to your friends and family so they'll love you forever and be impressed with your mad cookie skills.

I've got another reason you should consider these cookies for your holiday baking: they're chewy and gooey on the inside but sturdy on the outside, making them ideal for shipping or traveling with.

Also...Santa would totally love 'em. Just saying.

At Thanksgiving, Michael's aunt was complaining that I hadn't shared a cookie recipe in too long. Well, Cindy, this one's for you! I told you I had one coming!!

In all fairness, though, I get disappointed when I go awhile without cookies too. 

Don't we all?

Mini Nutella Brownies {4 Ingredients}-Baby Shower for Lauren from Keep It Sweet Desserts!

Some of the best things in this world are small. Me, engagement rings, puppies, teacup pigs, mini brownies, and BABIES!!! Today is so exciting because a bunch of bloggers are coming together to throw Lauren, from Keep It Sweet Desserts, a BABY SHOWER!

I was lucky enough to meet up with Lauren a couple times when I lived in NY and she is seriously SO sweet and such a talented baker (to this day the best blondies I've ever tasted were hers!) So I was thrilled to hear she was expecting a little bambino! And it's a boy! I'm so thrilled and I know Lauren (and her hubby, Matt) are going to be such wonderful parents to their sweet baby boy. Lauren even made the really difficult decision to close her (amazingly successful) baking business to focus on their family-which I know was so hard for her but shows how incredible of a person she is and what a phenomenal mom she is going to be! AND she is also available for consulting (while still keeping up with her fantastic blog)-to help other people follow their dreams of opening a baking business and to learn from her expertise! Seriously, this girl is THE BEST. And now her little one could be here in the near future, so exciting! EEEEEEE!

In fact, it's the impending baby-dom that led me to make these mini Nutella brownies for the shower. That, and the fact that it's a "mini" themed shower (which is like the cutest idea everrrr). But, anyway, these brownies are like CUHRAAAZY easy to make. Like...it took me less than 5 minutes to mix everything up and pop them into the oven. And then they bake for, like, 10 minutes. And then you have brownies! Hooray! I know Lauren is going to be completely swamped once her little fella arrives, but I know that girl loves to bake and loves sweets, so I think these could be a great little something for her to whip up really quickly while her little guy naps or some such. And then she has brownies. It's sorta brilliant.

P.S. I attempted to incorporate some blue into the photos via the napkin to make them a smidge festive, I know it probs. could've been a million times cuter but...I fail at decorating/styling my food. Apologies.

So. You know I love Lauren. You know I'm so excited about her impending mommy-dom. You know these brownies are mini. You know they are quick and easy to make. But can we talk about how they taste?

Answer: AMAZINGGG.

These pack such a wollop of Nutella/chocolate-hazelnutty flavor! They are rich and perfectly gooey and chewy, with an awesome crunch from the hazelnuts on top! They are wonderfully bite sized so you can eat them in 1-2 bites, tops. See? Minimal effort required, even in the eating part. All around delicious and totally worthy of the dessert prowess and overall awesomeness that is Lauren.

CONGRATULATIONS LAUREN AND MATT!! 

I'm so excited for you and I can't wait to see photos of your sweet little boy!

Caramelized Pecan Banana "Ice Cream" with Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl

 

It's June. Which means it is wonderfully warm out. This means it is my favorite season. My favorite month. My favorite time of year (why do ya think I chose this time period to get married?)! It also means that soon we're gonna have some hot days. And, at the very least, we have some pretty warm ones! While some people may look at this as a downside, I'm all about it. There's a whole category for food that I don't really crave until the temperature goes up: including frozen bananas, popsicles, lots of fruit, and-of course-ICE CREAM!

But ya know, I can't go around eating oodles and oodles of ice cream (cue Michael probably yelling at the screen "But you'll eat oodles of cookies!" SHUSH!)-so, you wanna know a really cool trick?

BANANAS.

No, not as in this S*** is bananas (although it is), but as in-bananas. As ice cream.

WHAAAAA?

Technically, I sort of blogged about using bananas (and strawberries) as ice cream before. But I did not give it nearly enough attention.

So allow me to sum up and then expand upon:

Summary: you process some frozen bananas in a food processor or blender and it obtains an ice cream-like consistency.

Expansion: You can also add other stuff to take it to the NEXT LEVEL. Such as peanut butter. Or chocolate. Or bacon (WHAT? TELL ME YOU DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT!). Or maybe caramelized pecans and a chocolate hazelnut swirl.

...no? Just me?

Not anymore! Now it's all of us!

Caramelized pecans....ohhh where have you BEEN all my life? And we already know about my love for choc-hazelnutty goodness. So adding them to this banana ice cream is just genius. It's creamy and crunchy and sweet and perfect. And a little less fatty than grabbing a pint of Haagen Dazs :P

50 Years of Stories: Nutella

OH MY GOSH!!!! STOP THE PRESSES! Nutella-you know, chocolate hazelnut spread sent from the gods, is celebrating its 50TH ANNIVERSARY on May 18th!!! And, even better,they are asking all of you (all of us!) to share our Nutella stories and get a free coupon in return! All you have to do is visit this link: http://bit.ly/1mKvqHJ, share your Nutella story-including #NutellaStoriesCoupon at the end-, and then you'll receive an email with a request for a mailing address where the coupon can be sent!  The coupon will be mailed to US residents within 4 to 6 weeks after the campaign ends on 5/18/14! HOORAY NUTELLA!

Here's MY Nutella story:

I tried Nutella for the first time in my 2nd year of school (which was about 4-5 years ago. I know, I was late to the game!)-and I didn't think I was going to like it. I had a strict "no nuts and chocolate together" rule. But, my roommates at the time had a big jar and were making these things they "invented"--which essentially were tortillas where you spread one half with peanut butter, one half with Nutella, and then sprinkle in some chocolate chips and mini marshmallows and grill that baby up in a George Foreman--so I told them I'd try it. And at first I was like "Oh. It tastes like chocolate. OK." then I proceeded to become so obsessed with those darned tortilla things it was crazy. We were going through an insane amount of Nutella, buying new jars like every other week! Anyway, my love for those tortillas eventually dwindled-but my love for Nutella only grew. With time my palate matured and I began to taste the nuances and delicious hazelnutty goodness that it is (and I am now a huge hazelnut fan, btw. Thanks to Nutella.) and now I'm just an utter addict. What's my preferred topping at the Wafels and Dinges truck (AHHHH I MISS THEMMMM *sob* bestrongKayle!)? NUTELLA! That pretty much tells you all you need to know. There are a million delicious possible toppings, and all I ever want is Nutella. Cuz it makes the world go round y'all. Now, tell me (I'm curious) what's your Nutella story? (and don't forget to head on over and TELL that story-INCLUDING the #NutellaStoriesCoupon hashtag-and get yourself a coupon!!!)

Offer good only in the U.S.A., excluding Puerto Rico.   Void where prohibited.   Participants must be 13+ years to submit a story to nutellastories.com and be eligible for offer.  Offer begins on 5/5/14 at 12:00 a.m. ET and ends on 5/18/14 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Offer Period”).  Offer valid while coupon supplies last.  #NutellaStoriesCoupon must be included at the end of the story to be eligible for this offer.   After submitting a story, eligible participants will receive an email requesting a mailing address for the coupon.  Coupon will be delivered by mail to the mailing address provided by the participant (PO boxes will not be permitted).   Allow 4-6 weeks from the end of the Offer Period for delivery of coupon.  Ferrero is not responsible for lost, incomplete, damaged, illegible, postage-due or misdirected submissions to the program.  Limit: One (1) coupon per person/per e-mail address/per mailing address.  Ferrero reserves the right in its sole discretion to withdraw or modify the terms of this offer or reject any submission deemed to be in violation of these terms. 

And now, let's look at ALL the delicious goodies I've made with Nutella!!!

Flourless Peanut Butter & Nutella Oatmeal Cookies

Soooo, ya know, I've heard a lot of things about how wheat is not good for our bellies etc etc.

And I get it. I could see where that might make sense. BUT...I just....I cannot live my life without carbs. Do you have ANY idea how much of my diet is carbs?! WAY TOO MUCH! I know it but I can't help it! I need breads and pastas and potatoes! Neeeed em!

*cough* but um anyway...maybe sometimes it's nice to cut back. But ya know...with cookies.

I'm not sure if you know this. I've been super tight lipped about it and am definitely not uncontrollably talking and thinking and planning about this all the time* but...I'm getting married. And I'd like to be in decent shape for that big day. Um...but I still wanna eat cookies.

*(lies)

So, what all this lead up is well...leading...to is THIS: cookies. Cookies made with oats instead of flour. Cookies with a surprisingly small amount of sugar. Cookies where the only fat is in the forms of peanut butter (I used homemade, so-healthy!) and nutella (you can probably use homemade, but this time around I used the safer for baking yet still healthier option of Nocciolata Organic Hazelnut Spread). Cookies that actually taste a lot like those no-bake cookies that I LOVED as a kid. Cookies that are chewy and delicious and satisfying.

So um...when am I coming over?

I presume you're making these for me.

Nutella "Candy" Bars

Can you remember the first time you tried Nutella (or some kind of chocolate hazelnut spread)?

I can.

I was living in Brooklyn with my soon-to-be estranged roommates, but at this stage we were still getting along. One of these girls had a container of nutella and told me to try it, and I was hesitant. Like "umm...I don't think I like hazelnuts." (WHAT? I LOVE HAZELNUTS! Stupid past Kayle) But I tried it because...well...chocolate. And then I was like "Oh this pretty much just tastes like chocolate." (IS YOUR PALATE SO UNREFINED PAST KAYLE?! CAN'T YOU TASTE THE DIFFERENCE?!)

Anyway, so, I ate more of it over time, and my love grew and grew. The end.

Anyway. These bars. They've got a serious punch of chocolate hazelnutty flavor. 

But, for me anyway, they were meessssyyy. So ya know, keep that in mind. I was going to give a few of these to my aunt, but by the time I got them to her, they were so mushed she literally thought they WERE my homemade chocolate hazelnut butter. I had to inform her that they used to be candy bars. Oops.

Whatevs. Still tasty. Very sweet but very tasty and crunchy!

Guest Post at The Messy Baker-Nutella Molten Lava Cake

I know, everything is topsy turvy this week!! I'm currently extremely busy (oh hey dealing with going to Ohio for 2 weddings that were 2 weeks apart, and tons of work, and starting filming a short film tomorrow....*deep breath*), so please stay with me this week with only two posts (today's and Friday's). I know it'll be hard, but I believe we can work through this. :P

Anyway, today I am guest posting over at one of my bestest friends in bloggingdom: Jennie from The Messy Baker! Her and her hubby are having a vacation, so I, of course, leaped at the chance to help out. You guys should know by now how much I adore her. She's funny, and sweet, and fun, and seriously bakes up some AMAZING stuff, you guys! You should def. browse around her blog for awhile, there is so much yumminess to find!

For the guest post I am sharing a recipe for Nutella Molten Lava Cake. Oh yeah, I went there. And even better-I used homemade nutella. Seriously, such a delicious hazelnut/chocolate flavor and so warm and ooey and gooey and perfect (and you should also know how I feel about lava cakes)!!!

Head on over to The Messy Baker for the recipe!

(and I'll see you all again on Friday! smooches!)

Brown Butter Nutella Swirled Peanut Butter Chip Blondies (with Sea Salt)

Oh, hi, I'm Kayle....I like to over-complicate things.

• I have folders and files and tiny little details figured out for my wedding....and I'm not actually engaged yet.
• In that same vein...I will literally stress about and plan out things for a theoretical future that's not quite here yet.
• I have to explain my very specific orders to those poor waiters and waitresses at restaurants.
• Also...can I have water with no lemon?
• I see a recipe for something that's super easy, and I go "...but what if I made everything from scratch?"
• I see a recipe that already seems like it could have everything you could possible want and then I go..."maybe I'll brown the butter and put sea salt on top."

You know what? I sort of love my brain.

Sooo yeah....let's face it: if I see a recipe with melted butter....I'm gonna brown it. That's practically a given. And I might be an eensy weensy obsessed with putting gorgeous big flakes of salt on top of sweet things. GUYS-it's just sooo gooood!! Do not knock it 'til you try it-it seriously just balances the sweetness in just the right way.

Oh and I maybe used homemade nutella to "swirl" on top. Note the quotation marks because um...homemade nutella doesn't swirl too well....it's too thick. So these maybe aren't as pretty as they could be. But ya know what? I don't care because they taste FANTASTIC!

To sum up: a delicious, chewy, blondie base (with no white sugar, only beautiful beautiful brown sugar), made with browned butter. Then some chocolate and peanut butter chips are mixed in. Then ya put some nutella on top. Bake em up, sprinkle on some salt, and there you have it: a super complicated recipe.

But here's the secret: not complicated. This whole thing is mixed up in one bowl (ok...not counting the pan you brown the butter in), whisked together (no mixer!), and made and baked in like 30 minutes. So uh...yeah...turns out this is SUPER quick and simple. 

And obviously out of this world yummy, packed with all your favorite things.

You like my brain now, too, huh?

Nutella Stuffed, Brown Butter, Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

First of all: oh my God, you guys, words cannot describe how amazing the Summer Fancy Food Show was! I got to eat so much incredible food and was able to make connections with some really amazing brands. I am really looking forward to sharing with you guys a lot of my new finds! YUMMINESS overload!

Speaking of yumminess overload...

Something funny happened with this recipe. Something that never happens. Once we finished eating them?

I made a second batch.

I know I know, I sound like such a piggy, but I swear it wasn't just that I was addicted! My first batch of these beauties, while delicious, were sort of flat. So, second time around, I changed a few things (and unfortunately...I'm not sure which thing it is that made the difference, perhaps all?). End of the day it might have just been that my baking soda had gone bad, but regardless, I liked my changes so they're reflected in the recipe here, because omg THE COOKIES ARE SO GOOD!

These amazing cookies have already earned a bit of a rep around the food blogs. Some people have put their own spins on them, but everyone seems to agree that they are PHENOMENAL.

What makes my cookies so special (aside from my tested and true results that I'm giving you after my failure)? Nothing really. They're pretty much the same as the original recipe. One thing that I did differently, however, is I used homemade nutella. And oh man, that was a great choice. Because the hazelnutty flavor is so much more present than in normal Nutella, and that pairs with the browned butter and dark brown sugar flavors in like...such a fantastic way. *sigh* I get all gooey just thinking of em. They're like the Channing Tatum of cookies.

And now I'm thinking of this silly video from Jimmy Kimmel.

That song's in your head now, huh?

Sorry I'm not sorry.

I'm also not sorry about that above picture.

With the ooey, gooey, chocolate hazelnutty center.

You know what I'm talking about. The one that will be haunting your every waking thought, and then show up in all your dreams. Taunting you, teasing you, begging you to BAKE THESE COOKIES.

You're not going to rest until you do, so, come on, you might as well just do it.

Nutella Crack Pie

Soooo remember that homemade Nutella we made Monday?

Well...then I put it in a pie.

A crazy addictive*, potentially dangerous pie.

Crack pie.

That's right. Nutella crack pie.

*(people, don't do drugs. Just eat pie.)

Just in case you didn't know-I can't take ownership of the crack pie idea, crack pie is one of the big desserts over at Momofuku Milk Bar. And then some crazy amazing people on the interwebs put a new spin on it-adding Nutella. Essentially what we have is an oatmeal cookie crust (WHICH OMG IS PROBABLY THE BEST PART, I WAS OFTEN TEMPTED TO JUST EAT IT! SUCH BROWN SUGARY GOODNESS) and then a gooey, brown sugar-y filling (which in this case also has the addition of some chocolate hazelnut-y goodness).

Since I used the homemade Nutella, the hazelnut flavor really came through, but you can absolutely just use storebought. Whatever. You won't hurt my feelings.

This pie is traditionally served at room temperature (or even possibly slightly warm?), but I actually preferred it chilled (a rare thing for me). I thought it just really helped the flavors of the filling come through and still...that crust....*drool*.

He'll deny this, but when I tried to explain the pie to him Michael didn't seem to optimistic about it. Then he tried it. And loved it. Duh. Who wouldn't?