Nutella and Hazelnuts Thumbprint Cookies

Crumbly, buttery cookies rolled in crunchy hazelnuts and filled with deliciously creamy nutella. 

Sinfully delicious!

Let's start the week with .... Nutella!!!
I think  nutella to Italians is the same as peanut butter to Americans. Which means, I grew up eating nutella with everything: in a sandwich, with soft freshly baked bread, over cookies, crackers, and tart, inside brioche or sweet pizza dough... or just a spoonful of nutella, all by itself :-)
And here is what I made this weekend:  crumbly, buttery cookies rolled in crunchy hazelnuts and filled with deliciously creamy nutella. Simply irresistible!! And they are very easy to make. These are a must-try. Trust me!!


Ingredients: to make  about 22 cookies

• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 6 oz (1.5 stick) of unsalted butter,  softened
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of flour
• 3/4 cup of hazelnuts, chopped
• Nutella, enough to fill the cookies

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In  a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks with the sugar.

Step 2: Blend in the butter until light and fluffy

Step 3: Mix in the milk, salt, vanilla extract and flour.

Step 4: Shape the dough into small balls, about the 1.25 inches in diameter. Roll them in the chopped hazelnuts. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or silicone mats so that no greasing is necessary. Press the cookies down in the middle with your thumb.

Step 5: Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges.

Step 6: Let the cookies cool off completely and with a piping bag or a spoon, add nutella in the middle of each cookie.

That's it!! Easy and super delicious!