Anything that happens last minute usually makes me super anxious. But last Sunday morning, when I woke to a group text from my friend Lauren asking if all of us would like to join her on her boat docked on Wilmette’s beautiful Gillson Beach, with a beautiful view of the Bahai Temple, I wasn’t the least bit anxious. I was CRAZY excited. What a perfect opportunity to whip up a last minute, yummy treat that my friends would love!
We had a new, unopened jar of Nutella that somehow had not yet been consumed, so I started there. Plus it was SO sweet of Lauren to offer to have us on her boat, and Nutella is one of her all time favorite foods (literally the girl eats it by the jar) so I knew a recipe using this fabulous spread was necessary.
These Nutella lava cookie cups are convenient (besides the Nutella, most of the ingredients needed to make the cookie cup are probably already in your pantry), they are simple (all ya have to do is make cookie dough, press into the bottom of a muffin tin, top with nutella and more cookie dough, and bake), and they are oozy, melty goodness. What a piece of cake! 😉
the cookie dough base is like making your average chocolate chip cookie: mix dry ingredients, mix wet ingredients, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, and combine.
then, my favorite part of any recipe, folding in the chocolate chips. i think my brother is telepathic and can tell when the cookie dough is complete from his man cave in the basement because as soon as the chips were all stirred in he was upstairs in the kitchen ready for a bite.
check out dat yummy dough!
before i started making anything, i had sprayed my muffin pan with pam so that i wouldn’t have an ooey gooey mess when trying to scoop my cookie cups out of the pan. now it was time to press some of the cookie dough into that prepared pan.
Now, for the fun part. spooning melty Nutella by the teaspoonful into the established bottoms of my cookie cups. I could have eaten the cookie cup then, without even baking it.
One more step and then it was into the oven! I took the leftover cookie dough and pressed little bits of it on top of the Nutella and cookie base, being careful not to press too hard or the Nutella would ooze out.
These babies baked until the edges turned a golden brown and the chocolate chips began to melt. You think they look pretty good straight out of the oven, until you let them cool for a few hours, gently take them out of the pan, and are able to see the layers of hazelnutty, buttery, ooey gooey goodness. Then they appear as a masterpiece.
This recipe only makes about 10 massive cookie cups, so if you’re looking to feed many friends (and jealous family members who realize there are none left for them), double or triple the recipe.
As soon as you cut into a cookie cup, the golden cookie topping gently breaks apart and gives way to a melty, rich Nutella filling that pours out. YUM.
As soon as my friends and I finished our salads, we were ready for something sweet. Lauren reached for my tupperware of desserts, lifted the lid, and was faced with a familiar smell. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and asked, hopefully but knowingly, “Do these have Nutella in them?” Her and the rest of my friends went in with the original plan of splitting the cookie cups. But obviously, none of them could resist polishing off the entire thing, some of them even munching on another cookie cup. It’s seemingly impossible to just stop at one!
the finished product!
My parents and brother were so BEYOND jealous they could each only try a little bit of a cookie cup that I am OBLIGATED to make these again this coming weekend. If that isn’t the sign of a successful recipe, I don’t know what is! check it out here!: http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2013/02/25/nutella-lava-cookie-cups/
piece of cake 
Memorable!!