Subtitled:  Three, 2-Ingredient Desserts for Valentines Day or Life

I am going to hope that everyone reading this has tried this glorious thing we like to call Nutella. If not, as long as you’re not allergic to nuts or chocolate, go try it, like right now. It identifies itself as being a “Hazelnut Spread with Cocoa”, though I’m sure there are plenty of other ingredients that, as a health nut, I just choose to pretend aren’t there. The pretty picture on the front of the Nutella jar suggests it as a spread for toast. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fabulous on toast. But I’ve compiled a few recipes from some genius people, that are slightly more creative, almost as easy, and way more impressive.

Click on photos to link to the original recipes!

Nutella Mousse

I found this fabulous recipe, by the blog Pretty. Simple. Sweet. via Pinterest (where all great ideas can be found). Shiran, the author of the blog, has come up with a pretty insanely genius recipe for Nutella mousse that is literally just:

Nutella + Heavy Whipping Cream

Put the two things together and you get a rich, creamy mousse that can be prepared ahead of time and will make it look like you worked for hours to get the perfect dessert for a romantic meal or fancy dinner party. Her recipe serves 6 but can be divided up into smaller containers if you want to make it go further. Granted, it adds an ingredient, but if you really want to go the extra mile, top it off with Ferrero Rocher or chocolate shavings! I must admit, I have made this mousse many, many times.

Nutella Hot Chocolate

I realize this may just sound like a warm drink but It is so sweet and yummy and (if you’re willing to go past the 2-ingredient limit) can be jazzed up to the extreme. It’s a Martha Stewart recipe and is literally the easiest thing ever:

Nutella + Milk

Melt the Nutella into the milk on the stove top and instantly get rich, creamy hot chocolate far and beyond anything on the Swiss-Miss level. Obviously its fantastic on its own but just to start, top it off with some whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Want it a little bit sweeter? Add some peppermint extract. Want to make a grown-up version? Add peppermint schnapps, amaretto, or goldschläger to make it mint-y, almond-y, or cinnamon-y. Be careful with these last versions though. The alcohol taste is masked by the wonderful flavor of the Nutella and its easy to get carried away. We’ve gone as far as topping it with whipped cream and crushed up peppermint sticks as well.

Nutella Brownies

To be perfectly honest, I went out looking for a third recipe. I’d made the other two before and knew they were foolproof but at the last minute (literally as I’m shooting the other two desserts in the fading light of my kitchen) I decided to give these brownies a try. Pinterest won yet again, leading me to the Babble website and a recipe by Sheri Silver. I’m not a brownie person just in general but my husband is and these were too easy not to try. 

Nutella + Eggs

I was low on ingredients so I quartered the recipe (though the bake time was about the same) and had just enough brownies for dessert. It’s a lot easier to resist temptation later on if there aren’t any leftovers to tempt. Sure enough I added a third ingredient but this time only with a bit of sifted powdered sugar. If I’d had some raspberries on hand I bet they would have been a fabulous accent.

If you’re looking for a quick, easy, and impressive dessert, any of these are good options! Nutella is a crowd pleaser and, perhaps because it’s European, always seems just a tad bit fancier than a traditional chocolate dessert. If you have any questions or comments regarding these recipes, comment below! I’d love to hear your feedback!