Nutella, Peanut Butter, Hazelnut, and Coconut Cookies

Based on the popularity of my Coconut, Walnut, and Chocolate Cookies, I knew the combination of coconut, nuts, and chocolate was a hit worth revisiting. And I was right. Some twists and tweaks and I came up with another crowd-pleasing recipe.

In the source recipe, I used three kinds of chocolate: milk, dark, and semisweet. But as I pulled all my ingredients out of the pantry, I discovered that the only chocolate I had was cocoa powder and some Nutella. I had hazelnuts instead of walnuts and some coconut, a bag of peanut butter chips, and the last of a box of Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch cereal.

I didn't feel like running out to the grocery store at that point, so I decided to add another challenge to this recipe redo and use only what I had on hand. It's a good thing I found butter and eggs in the fridge! (Hmm...but that's another challenge.)

I've already done Peanut Butter, Coconut, and Chocolate Cookies and Nutella-Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies. So I figured I could combine those two recipes and come up with something sure to be tasty.

Yup. That's a really roundabout way to develop a new recipe, but it really worked!

Makes 4 dozen cookies. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing Nutella, Peanut Butter, Hazelnut, and Coconut Cookies.)

Creamables	1 stick butter 1 cup dark brown sugar 2/3 cup Nutella
Wet Ingredients	1 egg 2 tablespoons milk 1 tablespoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
Dry Ingredients	2 cups roughly chopped hazelnuts 1 1/2 cups oatmeal 1 1/4 cups coconut 1 cup finely ground PB Cap'n Crunch cereal 1 cup peanut butter chips 3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
3. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together until smooth.
4. Add the combined wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix together until well incorporated.
5. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
7. Scoop dough into balls--about 2 tablespoons each.
8. Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
9. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.