Cookie Heaven! Peanut Butter and Nutella Swirl Cookies

I found these cookies when I was doing a little Pinning the other night.  If you are not on Pinterest yet, then you are missing out on the most amazing new  time-suck social media on the internet!

I knew I had to to make these cookies.  And I knew they were not going to be low fat or low sugar or in any way Weight Watchers friendly. 

But, actually, that is the beauty of the Weight Watchers Points Plus program.  There is always a way to fit in whatever strikes your fancy... for me, these cookies;  perhaps for you it is a glass of wine, or a slice of carrot cake, or extra butter on your baked potato.  Even though there are guidelines for healthy eating, we can also have our treats if we are willing to use the points they cost.

These cookies work out to 3 Points Plus each... and for me, they are worth it.  The combination of peanut butter and Nutella is unbeatable when it comes to a rich and sweet treat.  The Captain loves them too, and ordinarily, he is not even that much of a Nutella fan. It is the combination that gets you. 

The peanut butter I used for these cookies is salted so I left out the 1/4 tsp of salt that the recipe's creator called for when she posted them in 2008 on her blog called The Sweetest Kitchen.  And I did use crunchy peanut butter, cause I love it the most.

If you are really not a Nutella lover, and I am pretty sure that doesn't apply to You, you could leave it out and toss in a handful of chocolate chips.  I think that would be good... just not THIS good!

Do try them, and let me know what you think.

Peanut Butter & Nutella Swirl Cookies

Makes 40 cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Nutella 

1. In a large bowl, combine soft butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla.
2. Add flour and baking soda to the mixture, and blend well.
3. Put the Nutella in a small microwave safe bowl and heat slightly to soften. (I used the THAW setting for 30 seconds.)
4. Drizzle the Nutell over top of the dough, then swirl it through the dough with a butter knife.  You do not want to mix it in very much.
5. Chill the dough 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F, and prepare cookie sheet by placing a piece of parchment paper on it.  Otherwise, use a greased cookie sheet.
7. When dough has finished chillling roughly divide it into 4 sections in the bowl.  Each section should make 10 cookies.
8. Remove enough dough for one cookie with a spoon (approx. 1 Tbs) and roll it into a ball with your hands. Set it on the prepared pan.
9. Fill the cookie sheet up with dough balls, leaving about an inch between them.
10. Using a fork, press lightly down on the balls and create a criss-cross pattern.
11. Bake until edges are very lightly browned (about 7 to 9 minutes). Don’t overbake.
12. Remove from the oven and let cool on sheet for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  They will be soft and will break easily until they cool.

Per serving of 1 cookie.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 101; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 11g; Fat 5g; Fibre 1g.

Combine the butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla.

Add the flour and baking soda and blend well.

Drizzle the Nutella over the batter.

Drag a knife through the Nutella and cut into the batter to distribute it.  Do not mix it into the batter.

Roll into balls and set on prepared pan.

Use a fork to make a criss cross pattern in each cookie and flatten it slightly.

Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes, till the edges are just golden.  Do not overbake.

Leave them to cool for a few minutes after you remove them from the oven.  They will be very soft and will break easily until cooled.

Serve with a big glass of cold milk...

Or your favorite tea or coffee.

And because the recipe makes 40 cookies, you will have some to share with a friend.

Printable Recipe