Chocolate Chip Surprise Cookies

I am a chocolate chip cookie girl at heart.  I'll eat all of the other kinds, but my happy cookie must have chocolate chips in it.  I'm also slightly picky about the texture of the cookies: the have to be soft, not crispy, but they can't be soggy.  They need to be able to hold up if you want to dip them in some milk.  I am also the kind of girl who could eat chocolate hazelnut spread straight from the jar.  Add those to my cookies and I am blissfully happy!

These cookies are loaded with my beloved chocolate chips, and have the added bonus of a nice chocolate hazelnut center!

Ingredients: 

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup of butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 4-serving package of instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate chips
12 tsp. chocolate hazelnut spread

Directions:

1. Mix flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
2. Cream the butter until white and fluffy.
3. Add the brown sugar and beat well.
4. Add the pudding mix and beat again, until well blended.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined.
6. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, beating after each addition.
7. Mix in the chocolate chips.
8. Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of dough. Flatten each ball into a large circle and drop ½ tsp. of chocolate hazelnut spread on the middle. Fold the edges up over the spread and roll into a large ball.
9. Place rolled balls on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper and refrigerate for an hour.
10. Preheat oven to 350 F.
11. Remove balls from fridge and place onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake for 18 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Rotate the cookie sheets halfway through the baking time (about 9 minutes).

Makes 24 cookies.

*Note: using ½ tsp. of the spread gives a nice thin layer in the middle of the cookies. If you want it to be thicker, just add more.