Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's funny how fads come and go. Bell-bottom jeans were popular when my mom was a teenager, now they are coming full circle and back on the runway.
Side-ponies were popular when I was seven, then SERIOUSLY uncool when I was in high school. Now the curly side-pony is all the rage. 


I've realized food goes in fads too. Example: NUTELLA! 


My mom says she used to eat Nutella on her waffles when she was a young girl. I had Nutella in pretty much every pastry/waffle/crepe in Italy when I lived there 5 years ago. And BAM! Now it's in America and is all the rage. 
It has me thinking... what will America snatch up next? What will be the next "bell-bottom jeans" of food? 
All that being said. I'm right on the Nutella band-wagon. 
These cookies prove that I am...

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
(makes 2 dozen cookies)


INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. of salt
8 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temp.
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup Nutella 
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.
2. Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and vanilla extract. Mix in egg.
3. Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips & nuts (optional).
4. Chill for at least 1 hour.
5. Drop tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets (I didn't have parchment so I lightly sprayed my baking sheets, it worked just fine!) 
5. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.