I LOVE NUTELLA!!

thank you mr. pietro ferrero for one of the single best inventions EVER!! nutella. i did not know this but mr. ferrero developed this amazing spread during world war II, due to the lack of chocolate available. aren't bakers such smart people?! well anyways, since i have yet to get my pastry bags from portland to make my macaroons, i decided to make nutella scones. a recipe also found in my "baked" book. i chose it because...well because i love nutella. problem was i couldn't stop eating it while making these sinful scones.

here are the ingredients. and it was about this time i started sticking spoonfuls of nutella in my mouth^_^ 

NUTELLA SCONES
Yield: 6-8 scones

Ingredients:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark sweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 large egg
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts,coarsely chopped
1/2 cup Nutella

toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped...

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

• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until combined.

• Add the butter. Use your fingertips to rub it into the flour until the butter is pea size and the mixture is coarse. *i let the flour/butter mixture sit in the fridge overnight, so the butter would be VERY cold and so the dough would stick better, but if you are crunched for time you can leave the dry mixture in the fridge for a few hours after incorporating the butter, that should work just as well*

• In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and cream.  

hazelnuts, cream and egg mixture, and butter/flour/cocoa mixture...

• Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the dough just comes together.  Gently and briefly knead the dough with your hands. *i had to add a little extra cream here, after i had added what the recipe called for the dough was still too dry, i added about 2-3 tablespoons extra, just till the dough stuck together*

• Add the toasted hazelnuts and knead gently to incorporate. 

• Flatten the dough into a rectangle approximately 6 by 12 inches. ( it doesn't need to precise) and spread 1/4 cup of the Nutella on top in a criss-cross pattern.  

doodoo log...haha just kidding. this is the dough after i had drizzled a layer of nutella on the inside and rolled it up. about to be cut and placed on the cookie sheet. 

• Roll the dough up to make a cylinder about 6 inches long, turn it on its end, and gently flatten it into a disk about 1 3/4 inches high. Do not overwork the dough.

• Cut the dough into 6 or 8 wedges and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

YUMM!!! can't wait to see them after they bake!

they came out really well. the one thing i have learned about scones is that you CAN'T over knead the dough. it is VERY important to incorporate the ingredients together only till they just mix in, after that STOP!! or the scones won't turn out all puffy and gorgeous! 

• Bake the scones for 18-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean.  Do not over bake.

• Transfer the scones to a wire rack to cool completely.  Place the baking sheet with the parchment still on it underneath the rack.

• Heat the remaining 1/4 cup Nutella in a microwave until pourable, about 10 seconds on high.  Pierce the tops of the scones a few times with a fork.  Use a spoon ( or two spoons-one to scoop, one to scrape) to drip the warm Nutella in a zigzag pattern over the tops of the hot scones.  Transfer them to a refrigerator to set for 5 minutes, then serve immediately.

Most scones have a lifespan of 24hours or less; however, these scones taste pretty darn good on day two provided you wrap them tightly and store them at room temperature.

  

so the recipe calls for you to drizzle about 1/4 cup of nutella over the scones after they have finished baking...um how about upping that to 1/2 a cup^_^

the finished product! these came out too well for words to describe!! i think this is definitely great as a dessert or a brunch, or just because you love nutella like i do!!^_^