5 Brilliant Ways Chefs Are Using Nutella
And how to make their creations at home.
Nutella has the power to change the course of history. To move mountains. To bring down empires. People don’t just talk about Nutella. They wax poetic about Nutella. The cocoa and hazelnut spread was first produced in Italy in 1965 by Ferrero, and the world—and our taste buds—have never been the same. Nutella challenges the willpower of even the most disciplined eaters with its thick, gooey goodness, and if you ask us, it’s worth every calorie. Of course Nutella is good on its own (straight out of the jar with a spoon—no judgment), but we wanted to see how chefs use Nutella so we could take our Nutella-eating experiences up a notch. Here are some of the recipes they shared.
Courtesy of Oscar Cabezas
Nutella Lava Cake
For Oscar Cabezas, Executive Chef at Telefèric Barcelona, even the jar Nutella comes in floods him with memories. “In my childhood, the glasses in my house were from empty Nutella jars,” he says. “Nutella tastes like home to me.” Cabezas suggests a Nutella Lava Cake to try making at home. The recipe is pretty straightforward, but tread cautiously. “Because Nutella has soy lecithin and vegetable oil, keep in mind that its texture will change radically when heat is applied,” he says. “On the other hand, the flavors of hazelnut will be accentuated with the heat. So, you must be very careful not to burn [the Nutella], otherwise its flavor will turn sour.”
Ingredients
6 ounces Nutella
1 ounce butter
1 whole eggs
1 egg yolks
2 cups all purpose flour
Courtesy of My Little Dumpling
Nutella Dumpling
At the new Los Angeles Chinese restaurant, My Little Dumpling, Nutella gets its spotlight on the dessert menu. “It’s essentially a wonton wrapper stuffed with Nutella and banana, and topped with raspberry sauce,” says owner Robert Mandler. When making this at home, follow Mandler’s temperature tips. “It helps to freeze the Nutella if you’re trying to deep fry it so it doesn’t melt or ooze everywhere,” he says.
For the dumplings
10 sheets wonton wrappers
3 cups Nutella
2 bananas
Water to seal
For the raspberry sauce
2 pints raspberry
Peel of one lemon
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
WATCH: How To Make No-Bake Strawberry Nutella Cheesecake
Divine Banana Nutella Trifle
Nutella and banana come together at the Deer Path Inn in Lake Forest, Illinois. Chef Brad Parsons creates a layered dream that puts the flavors of Nutella on full display. “The trick to using Nutella is combining it with something that showcases its natural flavor and does not mask the taste of the chocolate or hazelnut,” says Parsons. “At the Deer Path Inn we choose to pair it with bananas, which perfectly complements the chocolate and hazelnut flavor.”
Ingredients
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1½ cups of Nutella
2 cups of confectioners’ sugar
2 cups of heavy cream
¾ cup of sugar
4 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 cup of almond flour
8 bananas, sliced
WATCH: How to Make Nutella and Red Berry Dessert Tacos
Nutella Mezcal Milkshake
To drink your Nutella, take a tip from Christopher Bates, Master Sommelier and Proprietor of F.L.X. Hospitality. “It blends so easily and perfectly into many mediums, making it really easy to use, and the flavor profile is very conducive to a wide range of flavors pairings,” says Bates. He describes the Nutella Mezcal Milkshake as “pretty awesome” and we’re inclined to agree considering it has ice cream, Nutella, and mezcal involved. The cherry on top? It’s extremely easy to make.
Ingredients
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1½ ounces mezcal
1 tablespoon Nutella
Courtesy of Margarita Kallas-Lee
Margarita’s Kartoshka
Scratch Restaurants owner and pastry chef Margarita Kallas-Lee looks to her family heritage when working with Nutella. “Since my dad is from Ukraine, while growing up I used to spend a lot of time there visiting my grandparents,” she says. “They always took me to a local pastry shop to get my favorite Ukrainian pastry, the Kartoshka. It’s almost like a chocolate truffle made with condensed milk, cake, butter, and either walnuts or pecans.” Margarita’s Kartoshka spin off is made with Nutella, another childhood favorite of hers.
For the vanilla cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vanilla beans
3 cups AP flour
3½ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
For the pastry
10 ounces dulce de leche
4 ounces softened butter
½ teaspoon Maldon salt
4 tablespoons Nutella
Cacao powder, for dusting
*Make dulce de leche ahead of time by boiling condensed milk in the can with water always sitting above the top for five to six hours.