Nutella Creme Sandwich Cookies

.  I caved.

I'm a bandwagoner.

I couldn't stop myself.

There, happy?  I admitted it.

But can you really blame me?  One gigantic spoonful little taste of Nutella and it's got ya.  Hook, line, and sinker.  If you don't believe me, do yourself a favor and buy some.  Then get back to me.

I know most, if not all, of you have heard the buzz surrounding the infamous Nutella.  That creamy, rich, chocolatey, hazelnutty, Nutella.  Mm. Mm. GoOOoOoOd.

So it probably goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, that these [rather large] sandwich cookies are deeelicious.  Robbie requested I whip a batch of these up for him to take into work last Saturday, but Omaha decided to seek revenge on our literally-no-snow-winter and dump about 9 inches of fresh snow at our doorstep.  Thus, no Saturday work for Robbie!  So aside from the five or six cookie sandwiches Robbie gobbled down on our snow day [no joke, he really did!], I served the 'leftovers' at our little Super Bowl gathering.  I tried to warn our friends, but Nutella got those suckers, too.  It was a happy Mexi-feast and Nutella filled night.

So what makes these sandwich cookies so special?  Well aside from the soft, chewy Nutella cookies and the Nutella/marshmallow creme filling...yeah, that's pretty much all that needs to be said.

Oh, well one more thing.  These wouldn't be a bad idea for a Valentine's Day treat.  Uh huh, V-day is right around the corner.  Sorry to remind you.  But a batch of these will surely make up for any 'forgotten' gifts ☺  .

My Notes:

• Now, I do think bigger is better.  But, since these are cookie sandwiches (i.e., TWO cookies in one treat), I would probably make the cookies a little smaller next time around.  But I've given you the original directions below, just thought you'd like my input.

From Bakingdom

Ingredients:

Nutella Cookies:

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. Nutella

Sugar in the Raw (for sprinkling)

Nutella Creme Filling:

6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

3/4 c. marshmallow creme

1/2 c. Nutella

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F.  For the cookies, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl.  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Beat in egg until combined.  Add Nutella and beat until well mixed.  Stir in vanilla extract.  Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until combined.
3. Roll the dough into balls, one tablespoon at a time.  Place balls 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Press the tops of each ball gently with a fork in one direction.  Lightly sprinkle cookies with sugar.  Bake 10 minutes and allow to cool on wire rack before frosting.
4. For filling, beat butter in a small bowl until smooth.  Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Stir in vanilla extract and salt.  Mix in marshmallow creme and Nutella and beat until light and fluffy (if the filling is too runny, add in powdered sugar to thicken).
5. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling onto half of cookies and top with remaining cookies to create sandwiches.  

Yield: 1 dozen cookie sandwiches