5 Brilliant Ways Chefs Are Using Nutella

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.

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.”

6 ounces Nutella

1 ounce butter

1 whole eggs

1 egg yolks

2 cups all purpose flour

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F
2. Frost four square-shaped Nutella cubes on an ice cube mold.
3. Microwave the butter until is soft and add 4 ounces of Nutella in a large bowl until both are melted.
4. Mix the eggs with the Nutella. Stir in the flour. Mix all carefully and divide the mixture among the silicone molds.
5. Add 1 iced Nutella cube inside all of them.
6. Bake them until the sides are firm, about 14 minutes.

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.

10 sheets wonton wrappers  

3 cups Nutella

2 bananas

Water to seal

1. Temper Nutella and place in a pastry piping bag.
2. Pipe out 1-inch squares on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and sprayed with non-stick spray and freeze.
3. Peel the banana and dice into the same shape as the Nutella squares and place on top of  the frozen squares. Place the frozen Nutella slices and banana in the center of each wonton wrapper. To seal the wrappers, wet your index finger and run along the edge of the wrappers, you will then fold the wrappers in half making sure they're fully sealed.
4. Fry wontons until golden brown at 350°F. Remove from the fryer and blot off excess oil with a paper towel and toss in powdered sugar. Assemble on a plate and drizzle with raspberry sauce (recipe below).

2 pints raspberry

Peel of one lemon

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

1. In a medium pot combine all ingredients, simmer until nappe consistency (should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon).
2. Puree and cool.

WATCH: How To Make No-Bake Strawberry Nutella Cheesecake

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.”

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

1. In an electric mixer, whip cream cheese with confectioners’ sugar and Nutella for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Add in heavy cream, until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla and whip to medium peaks.
3. Add whipped cream to Nutella mixture in thirds until fully mixed.
4. Place mousse into piping bags.
5. To assemble dessert, place layer of mousse on bottom of vessel, add sliced banana, then almond flour. Repeat layers and top with mousse.

WATCH: How to Make Nutella and Red Berry Dessert Tacos

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.

1 cup vanilla ice cream

1½ ounces mezcal

1 tablespoon Nutella

1. Blend in a milkshake machine, add milk as desired.

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.

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

10 ounces dulce de leche

4 ounces softened butter

½ teaspoon Maldon salt

4 tablespoons Nutella

Cacao powder, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.
3. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth.
4. Pour batter into cake pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.
5. Crumble up the cake into crumbs and measure out 2 pounds of cake crumbs. In a small mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment), add 10 ounces of dulce de leche*, 4 ounces of softened unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon of Maldon sea salt, 4 tablespoons of Nutella. Mix on medium to high until everything is mixed completely.
6. Add the cake crumbs and mix on medium until everything is one solid mass. Roll the batter into small truffle shapes and dust with cacao powder and enjoy.

*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.