Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt

Hello friends!

With being back at school, work, running two blogs and the baking club, I find myself more and more intrigued by simply prepared yet superbly delicious recipes. Though this could be in part due to the Brownie Banana Bread Cupcake Blunder of last week (I have mentioned I have a fragile ego have I not?).

So today I am happy to share with you this gem of a recipe from CookinCanuck for Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt.

Fudge is one of those wonderful treats that sounds like it's too much work when in reality you can have the whole batch done and in the fridge in less than twenty minutes. It's a crowd-pleaser every time and you get the satisfaction of hearing everyone go "mmmm" while mentally patting yourself on the back for a job well done with minimal effort and time.

First trick though that is crucial to successful, stress-free fudge: lining your pan with parchment paper. The key is to have the paper longer than the pan, so that after you pour the fudge in and let it cool, you can easily grab the excess paper to lift the fudge out of the pan in one piece.

One of the best bits of knowledge ever that I picked up while roaming through fudge recipes online.

And here's your main lineup for the fudge. Note that I don't have the actual "Nutella-brand" Nutella. The ShopRite brand tastes exactly like it and is half the price. College Savings FTW. Now take these plus a tad bit of butter...

and melt 'em all down in a big pot. Technically you should use a double boiler system, but that would take away the whole minimal-effort deal I am trying to achieve here. If you have a double boiler, then super. If not, no worries.

Keep the heat low and stir the mixture constantly so that the chocolate doesn't burn. It doesn't take very long for everything to melt anyway, so if you keep it low and slow, you should be good. I did it this way and my fudge came out fabulous.

Once you pour it into your pan, wait a minute or two before sprinkling on your sea salt. I found that some of it melts if you apply it too soon, and though it still tastes great, it won't look quite as neat if all your salt melts into the chocolate.

Then into the fridge it goes for 2-3 hours, or overnight if you are want to do this the night before a party or event.

See? Parchment paper is a god-send in these situations. I like clean, straight edges on my fudge (I'm a little type-A I know) and it makes it so much easier to cut when you haven't spent the last half hour fighting to get it out of the pan.

Yum! How pretty are these? Simple, Sweet, Satisfying.

There are so many good fudge recipes out there too so don't shy away if you're not a fan of sea salt or Nutella. For some inspiration check out my Pinterest Board on Fudge, Brownies and Bars.

That's all for now my friends. I hope you are all having a wonderful week and, as always,

Happy Baking!

Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt Via CookinCanuck

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz dark chocolate (I used milk chocolate chips)
1 cup Nutella
3 tbsp butter, softened, cut into slices

sea salt, for sprinkling

1. Spray a 8x8 in pan with cooking spray, and then line the pan with parchemnt paper, being sure to leave extra hanging off the pan (to pull the fudge out later)
2. Combine all ingredients except sea salt in a deep-rimmed pan set over low/medium heat. Heat until everything melts, stirring constantly, and consistency is smooth. Remove from heat.
3. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula. Wait a minute or two and then sprinkle sea salt (as much as you like) over the top of the fudge, pressing down slightly if needed to secure the salt.
4. Place in fridge for 2-3 hours or until firm, or overnight.
5. Remove fudge from pan by grabbing parchment paper and lifting gently. Using a long sharp knife, cut fudge into small squares. Keep in airtight container in fridge.

Nutella Stuffed Muffins

Why hello there!

It's been AGES I know, but I am so happy to be back to blogging and back at good old Rutgers University. True, the bus system is still horrendous and for some reason air conditioning only reaches certain classrooms in certain buildings. but nonetheless I am moved back into my apartment and ready for the new semester.

I am also super excited to be writing this post from the brand new Barnes and Noble on campus! It's three stories of nerdy awesomeness, and TED ALLEN will be showing up here in roughly twenty minutes for a book signing! Needless to say I have staked out a nice spot to (hopefully) snap a quick picture of him to share with you all, so fingers crossed!

Now back to the title of this post: stuffed muffins. Yes, we have done stuffed cookies here On Sugar Mountain, and stuffed cupcakes, but now all boundaries are broken with the help of our old friend Nutella.

So this starts out as your run-of-the-mill muffin recipe; mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. But then things get interesting once you begin to fill your muffin pans...

Fill the cavities a tad less than halfway with muffin batter, then go ahead and put a big ole' dollop of Nutella in the center. Of course, Nutella naturally fights to stay on the spoon instead of off of it, so two spoons may be necessary at this point.

Then cover with more muffin batter and bake until scents of cinnamon, nutmeg and Nutella fill your kitchen. What a stress-relieving aroma let me tell you.

These are cute and delicious on their own, but why stop here? What could make a Nutella-stuffed muffin even more gratifying? Oh I don't know....how about dipping it in melted butter and cinnamon sugar?

I thought so.

Whether you're starting a new semester, feeling frazzled or just in the mood for some seriously comforting sweet treats, these muffins are absolutely, positively the way to go.

Oh and just a bit of shameless self-promotion before I go, the new blog The Foodie Files has begun! Click here for my first post and check over there tomorrow for an out-of-this-world recipe for Tuscan Bean Soup.

Until next time,

Happy Baking!

Nutella Stuffed Muffins Via DamnDelicious
makes roughly 16 muffins

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
16 tsp nutella

cinnamon sugar topping:
6 tbsp melted butter
4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together vegetable oil, milk eggs, and vanilla.
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
5. Scoop a small amount of batter (half of what you would normally use, maybe 2 tbsp) into the bottom of each muffin cavity. Then, drop a teaspoon of nutella in the center of each. Cover nutella with more muffin batter.
6. Bake muffins at 400 degrees for 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before moving to wire rack to cool completely.

7. For cinnamon sugar topping: stir together cinnamon and sugar until well incorporated.
8. Grab muffin from bottom and gently dip top into the melted butter and then quickly into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Nutella Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

 Hello all,

I think I've become obsessed with stuffing sweet treats with ooey gooey fillings. The Nutella-Stuffed Sugar Cookies, the Marshmallow Fluff-Filled Banana Split Cupcakes...it was only a matter of time before we had Nutella filled, Nutella Frosted, Chocolate Cupcakes.

Sigh. These made my week that much less stressful. With every bite comes an immediate relaxing sensation that everything: papers, exams and all, are going to work out fine.

I think we all need to stock up on these cupcakes.

They are really quite simple and easily adaptable to your needs. First, start out with any basic chocolate cupcake. You can whip up your favorite from-scratch recipe like I did, or even whip up a box mix. This is especially helpful for those like my nana with Celiac, who can now happily pick up gluten free cake mixes (and Nutella is gluten free!).

Once they are baked and cooled, cut out a decent-sized hole in the center of the cupcake. Proceed to filling said holes with lots of Nutella.

Are you interested yet?

I thought so. Now just whip up this amazing Salted Nutella Buttercream from MyBakingAddiction, pipe it on whichever way you please and ta-da!

Chocolatey-hazelnut perfection.

I hope these are as stress-relieving for all of you as they are for me. As I run this gauntlet otherwise known as upperclassmen college papers and exams, I know I will be sneaking one (or maybe five) of these cupcakes to keep me going!

Happy Baking!

Salted Nutella Buttercream By MyBakingAddiction 
(enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1-13oz jar Nutella
8-10 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 cup milk

1. Place butter and nutella in large bowl and beat until well incorporated.
2. Add powdered sugar, a few cups at a time, and beat until stiff frosting comes together.
3. Add vanilla extract, salt, and tablespoonfuls of milk until desired consistency is reached.

Pop Tart Pops

Hello all,

Can you believe I'm back at college already? Where on earth did my Spring Break go?! Sigh, well, back to real life I suppose. As real as college life is anyway.

Did I ever tell you what a smash hit the homemade pop tarts were? My boss was so happy with them that he heated his up in the microwave and actually ended up burning his mouth on it in excitement. So I wasn't surprised when another supervisor mentioned to me that our boss was really in the mood for pop tarts again. 'But I already did a post on pop tarts' I thought to myself.

'But this was important' she explained 'He won't accept the cinnamon challenge unless you give him more pop tarts.'

Cinnamon challenge you may ask? It's when you ingest an entire teaspoon of cinnamon by itself and try to swallow. Yes, I know, college students have weird ideas concerning entertainment. This is one of them.

But how could I say no to seeing that happen? So I thought to myself 'how do I switch up pop tarts to make it delicious for my coworkers and still new and exciting for my readers?'

Answer: Pop Tart POPS!

Like cake pops, only more pie-ish. I decided to stick with the classic strawberry which is always a favorite, along with a few Nutella-filled Pops for those daring eaters.

I used the basic pop tart pie crust from my previous post here with the only switch of using Nutella as a filling for some along with a chocolate frosting. Can I tell you though, between us, buy the premade pie crust. Seriously, just do it. Homemade is neat and all, but it gets finicky really quickly. and the pre-made is already rolled out to the right thickness and will save you a good deal of time.

 

Needless to say they are sure to be a huge hit at my job (where I believe I may slowly be giving everyone diabetes with all these treats). If you enjoy your co-workers' company as much as I do, maybe whip a few up for them, or if not, for some hungry housemates!

Oh, and as for the cinnamon challenge? I will try my best to get a video of every exciting second of it for you all to see. I know I can't wait. :)

Happy Baking!

Pop Tart Pops

1 homemade or store bought pie crust (recipe link here)
1 jar strawberry preserves or 1 jar Nutella
Popsicle sticks
Chocolate or Vanilla Glaze

1. Roll out Pie Crust to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into equally sized small rectangles. Place rectangles on parchment-lined cookie sheet and place one Popsicle stick in the center of each.

2. Scoop one teaspoon of filling over Popsicle stick and center of pie crust rectangle. Cover with another pie crust rectangle and use a fork to crimp the edges all the way around.

3. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes or until golden.

4. Coat with frosting and sprinkles and enjoy!

Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies

....Are you ready?

For what you might ask?

For the amazing idea that is...Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies (major applause)

Yes, apparently you can now stuff your sugar cookies with wonderful fillings, such as Nutella. Mind blowing right? It was for me anyway.

After the overwhleming success with the Nutella Brownies earlier in the week, I just knew these would be a smash hit.

Now you might be saying "wouldn't stuffing a sugar cookie with ooey, gooey, yummy Nutella be difficult?"

Not at all! Well, maybe, but you need to push through it because your tummy (and any nearby friends) will be thanking you for the rest of your life.

So first semi-tedious process: scooping out teaspoonfuls of Nutella onto a baking sheet. This ensures that the filling is a good size in ratio with the amount of cookie dough, but man is Nutella stubborn. It took me quite awhile (and many expletives later) to get all 20 little dollops onto the sheet, but I did it, and into the freezer they went.

So now we move from tedious to just plain frantic. Well, if you're me it was frantic; maybe if you are more coordinated than I am this will be a breeze. You need to split the cookie dough ball in half, flatten one side, and quickly place the dollop of frozen Nutella in the center and cover with the remaining half of dough before the Nutella melts. Hint: do NOT touch the Nutella with your fingers whatsoever: a spatula and a spoon will save you the issue I soon encountered with the Nutella melting by the mere poke of an index finger.

But, after all this, if you choose to continue, you wind up with these:

Worth. Every. Second.

I also had the thought that if this works with Nutella, why stop there? I mean, I don't care for peanut butter but I am sure that a chocolate cookie stuffed with peanut butter (maybe even jelly too!) would go over quite well with oh, say, everyone?

Everyone that likes peanut butter anyway. But regardless, this is a whole new way to look at (and enjoy) cookies, and I hope you decide to try it out for yourself.

Next time On Sugar Mountain will be Lemon Muffins. Simple yet satisfying.

As always, Happy Baking!

Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies Via CookinCanuck

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar + 1/3 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. Scoop out 1 teaspoon-sized dollops of Nutella onto one of the cookie sheets (you need about 20-24). Place cookie sheet in freezer for 15 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a separate larger bowl, beat together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy; then beat in each egg followed by the vanilla extract.
5. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir/mix until well combined.
6. Roll 2 tbsp of cookie dough into a ball. (I suggest rolling all your cookie dough before pulling the Nutella out of the freezer).
7. Split dough in half and place (using a spatula) a dollop of Nutella in the center. Cover with other half of dough and roll back into a ball, pinching the seams closed. Roll in 1/3 cup remaining sugar and place on baking sheet. Repeat with all.
8. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until edges are just beginning to brown. Rotate pan halfway through baking to ensure even heating. Cookies will still look puffy in the center because of the filling.
9. Let cool on sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes 20-24 cookies

Nutella Brownies

Hello there again,

So I have to admit I am a bit late to the Nutella bandwagon. I had done a home-stay in France when I was 13 (back when Nutella really wasn't known in the US) and I just couldn't get my mind around the idea of chocolate frosting for breakfast, because that's what it is.

I know I know - why argue if you're being offered chocolatey goodness for breakfast by a beautiful, smiling Frenchwoman? This is coming from the kid who only ate (and still eats) plain cheerios for breakfast.

Well, I learned my lesson. Now Nutella is everywhere - in grocery stores and all over the blogosphere, and when my boyfriend so sweetly picked me up a "Nutella on the Go", how could I say no?

Friends, I see my error (I was only 13) and I repent. Nutella is fabulous, and I am going to dedicate two back-to-back posts to it and it's wonderful complement to my favorite sweets.

So for today - what better way to kick off the morning than with Nutella Brownies! I got up early to whip these up...and according to one of our friends who slept over the night before, "it was like waking up to heaven".

Can't go wrong with that idea.

It was a bit of a workout to whip each egg in by hand (although maybe it's a sign that I should exercise instead of baking so much...nah) but it was completely worth it.

These are like heaven - fudgy, dense, moist, and in the midst of all the chocolate that faint hint of hazelnuts that I have learned to love

BUT be prepared...the heavenly scent can attract chocolovers everywhere, so it might be a good idea to make more than one batch.

Happy Baking!

Nutella Brownies Via That'sSoYummy

1 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup Nutella (heated in microwave for about 45 seconds)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a square baking pan with parchment paper/foil
2. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, melt butter and then whisk in sugar and vanilla. Let cool before beating in each egg, one at a time, until fully incorporated.
4. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture until fully combined. Stir in melted nutella. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (it's done when you shake the pan slightly it does not jiggle)
6. Let cool completely