Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Nutella is a chocolate-hazelnut spread that can be found near the peanut butter in most grocery stores; you will need one 13-ounce jar for this recipe. These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Instant espresso powder in this recipe for Hazelnut Chewies deepened the chocolate flavor without calling attention to itself. We used the creaming method to mix the dough—beating the fats and sugar together until light and fluffy before adding the liquid ingredients, and finally, the dry ingredients. Creaming ensured the best spread and rise. When we used cold butter, it didn’t mix nearly as well with the sugar as softened butter and, consequently, the cookies turned out flat.

they will become hard after baking, but you can soften them up by putting a piece of bread into the container with them.

Rich and buttery, with the optimal crumbly, evenly browned texture.

Makes 16 wedges

Do not substitute granulated sugar for the confectioners’ sugar in the dough or the cookies will be tough; granulated sugar, however, is the best choice for sprinkling on the shortbread just before it goes into the oven. Although baking the shortbread on a double layer of parchment isn’t necessary, we found it helps absorb some of the grease the dough gives off during baking and cooling.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Our approachable shortbread recipe relies on two ingredients—confectioners’ sugar and lots of butter—to give us the ultimate version of the sandy, sweet, buttery cookie. The small grains of the confectioners’ sugar melt easily into the dough, resulting in a finer texture than those recipes made with granulated sugar.

http://www.americastestkitchenfeed.com/bake-it-better/2012/12/secrets-to-shortbread-cookies/