Petite Nutella Pochettes

Nutella. I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone say they do not like 'The Original Hazelnut Spread." Usually, people swoon over nutella. A few weeks ago, SP saw that GEMD had a sale on nutella, plus I think we had a coupon, so he paid a bit over $1 for a jar. That seemed like a good deal.The only problem is that I do not swoon over nutella. Several times, I have tried nutella on crepes (at Paris 66) and waffles (at Waffalonia) and invariably I am sort of disappointed and I think, what the heck is the deal with this stuff? Why do people get so swoony over it? So I was a bit surprised SP bought some. As usual, I was sort of excited about the nutella. I must be missing something, right? Maybe crepes and waffles just weren't the proper vehicles for nutella. So I went to the Food Network site and searched for nutella recipes, specifically nutella cookies, and found a recipe for Petite Nutella Pochettes by Melissa d'Arabian.The dough is just flour, butter, and cream cheese, much like the Mushroom Turnover dough from last Christmas. SP was in charge of rolling the dough and cutting out the rounds. I spooned on the nutella, dampened the edges of the rounds with water, folded them in half to make a crescent , and used a fork to pinch the edges shut. We baked them and patiently waited for them to cool so we could dust them with powdered sugar. And then we sampled a few.These are good. I am enjoying them. I ate 4 yesterday afternoon for a snack and then another 4 for dessert in the evening. SP likes them as well. But somehow... I still don't loooove nutella the way most people seem to loooove it. I even scooped out a blob of nutella on a spoon and licked it off. Nothing. Just kind of, yum, this is nice.I think the problem is this: Nutella is chocolate colored, so I always get excited about chocolate spread. I know perfectly well it's a hazelnut spread and there's not enough cocoa in it to be a chocolate spread, but the color... it tricks me. My brain is thinking chocolate spread with a bit of hazelnut flavor. But what my taste buds perceive is hazelnut spread with a bit of chocolate flavor. Hazelnut spread. Nut spread. Nut butter. Peanut butter. I loathe peanut butter.

I know. I'm odd. How can anyone who will eat almonds and walnuts and cashews in cookies and on salads (although I prefer my cookies/cakes/baked goods to be nut-less) not like peanut butter? I really don't have an answer. It grosses me out. I cannot recall ever liking peanut butter. I've always gagged from the smell and been repulsed by it. When I was a kid, breakfasts were sometimes torturous because my brother and dad would make peanut butter and banana toast sandwiches and as a kid, I also despised bananas after the banana split incident (I was about 5 years old and overindulged on a banana split at my grandma's house; I got sick and the food item I never wanted again was banana, I was OK with the ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream). My brother loved to make 'mmmm' sounds, wave his sandwich under my nose, and take over-sized bites and chomp loudly. I gagged.

I still gag. SP often eats peanut butter from the jar with a spoon, or he scoops it out with a celery stick, and it disgusts me. Everyone loved trading Halloween candy with me because I always wanted to get rid of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. To this day I think peanut butter and chocolate is an abomination. A complete waste of good chocolate. I also know I am the odd one and that most people consider peanut butter & chocolate a marriage made in heaven.

If you looooove nutella, you'll love these cookies. If you like nutella, you'll like these cookies. I like them. I would make them again.

I found a post for similar cookies at Marzipan. She made her nutella cookies for World Nutella Day in February 2011 and hers included chopped hazelnuts on top the nutella inside the dough pocket. That would give these more hazel nutflavor and a little crunch.

Petite Nutella Pochettes
Recipe courtesy Melissa d'Arabian

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
Water, as needed
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Special equipment: 3-inch fluted biscuit cutter

In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together until light and creamy. Add the flour slowly until the dough forms. Do not over-mix! Shape the dough into a ball and cover. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

On a lightly-floured surface, using a lightly-floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch fluted biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Form the scraps into a ball and re-roll to make more circles. Fill each dough circle with a small spoonful of the chocolate-hazelnut spread. Dip your finger in tap water and spread on the edge of half the circle to help create a seal. Fold the dough over to create a crescent. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool, then sift the confectioners' sugar on top and serve.