If you love—and we mean love—Nutella®, we both know you don’t just have one jar in the house. (Goodness, gracious, what if you ran out?!) We love it, too, so we were thrilled to partner with the iconic company to learn how to incorporate the chocolate-hazelnut spread into our morning routine. Test Kitchen Director Belle English traveled across the country, kitchen to kitchen, to see how five top chefs use it. The last class in the series, featuring Amirah Kassem’s Nutella® Explosion Pancake Cake aired last night—and proceeds went to No Kid Hungry.
Now we’re thrilled to share the fruits of their labor with you in half a dozen knockout recipes. (Don’t feel like cooking because it’s too darn hot? No problem. Order Nutella® cupcakes; love your life.)
1. Hot Chicken and Waffles With Nutella®
Matt Bolus, executive chef of Nashville’s 404 Kitchen, is the mastermind behind this combo. Chicken and waffles, you’ve probably had (and loved). But Nashville hot chicken and spiced Nutella® waffles? Hold the phone! If you’ve had Matt’s excellent hot fried chicken—which arrives at your door ready to reheat and serve—you know it is incredible. It’s truly gilding the lily to employ it for his genius hot chicken and waffles with Nutella®. Best of all, Matt built the recipe to work even if you have your own leftover fried chicken.
2. Explosion Pancake Cake with Nutella®
The only thing superior to one of Amirah Kassem’s famous explosion cakes is one of her Nutella® explosion cakes! The woman behind iconic SoHo bakery Flour Shop concocted a Nutella®-slathered, pancake-based cake. She carved out the centers of the flapjacks to make room for the explosion, then covers those “pancake bitelets” with more Nutella®! What’s not to love here? So smart. Just be sure to snag your Rainbow Explosion Sprinkle Mix.
3. Belgian Waffles with Strawberries and Coffee-Nutella® Crème Fraîche
Our own Chefs’ Collective member Timothy Hollingsworth (whose YouTube show you should be watching) concocted these beauties. Belgian waffles with strawberries and coffee-Nutella® crème fraîche are marvelous thanks to that Nutella®-spiked crème fraiche, sure, but also because of the counterpoint of lime- and sugar-macerated strawberries. It’s the sort of wise move you’d expect from Tim, who likes the shortcut of using our fabulous Bellegem Belgian waffle mix.
4. Crepes with Nutella®, Bananas and Whipped Mascarpone
Brian Hart Hoffman, founder and editor-in-chief of Bake from Scratch magazine, whipped up this awesome recipe after being inspired by TikTok videos showing the “tortilla hack”—using the quadrants of a flour tortilla for a different ingredient before folding it. His choice for killer fillings? Nutella®, bananas and whipped mascarpone—and on a crepe, not a tortilla. These are all the ingredients you crave in a sweet breakfast option, and together, they are a symphony.
5. Pancakes with Nutella® Maple Syrup and Whipped Crème Fraîche
Chef Brooke Williamson, winner of Top Chef season 16, chose to incorporate Nutella® into both the batter and the maple syrup she drizzled on top of these gorgeous pancakes. (They also feature whipped crème fraiche, in a “more is more” touch we appreciate.) Brooke would remind you to not overbeat your batter, which can result in a leaden, unresponsive flapjack as opposed to a fluffy, delightful one. Just remember: This is breakfast with Nutella® two ways. It doesn’t get better than this, people.