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Let me explain to you what happens when I allow my imagination to run amok.

But first.  A definition.

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Running amok is (literally, clinically, and scientifically) a term used to describe a psychological disorder found predominantly in Malaysian culture in which an individual, usually a male, who has shown no previous angry or violent tendencies (i.e. a typical case of “he was such a nice boy” and “who would have thought”) comes into possession of a weapon and, in a sudden frenzy, attempts to kill anyone or anything he stumbles across.  Which typically continues until he is killed by bystanders or commits suicide.

(Aren’t I pleasant on Friday mornings when I am leaving in a few hours to fly to Florida to run a half marathon the weekend before I have two really big exams, all of which are filling me with so much anxiety that I’m probably going to come back with a full head of gray hair?)
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Well apparently my imagination is a Malaysian male because whenever I give it free rein in the kitchen, it heads straight to the grocery store, picks up a jar of Nutella, and attempts to spread it all over everything in its wake.  Cookies, cupcakes, chicken, a spoon (which it then mindlessly shovels into my mouth, might I add).

Anything.

Everything.

Nothing is sacred.

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Exhibit A.  Corn muffins.

It took these wholesome little beauties.  That didn’t have even an ounce of butter in them.

They were virtuous.  Angelic.  They had greek yogurt instead of sour cream.  You could feel good about eating them for breakfast.

And it swirled some nutella inside of them.  And then it plopped some nutella on top of them.  And then it brought them to class to try to spread the love (i.e. bring everyone else down with it).

You see what I mean?  It’s hazardous.  It must be stopped.

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But…not before you try one of these.  I don’t care if you have it for breakfast or dessert.  But it’s the kind of thing that must be eaten.  At least once in your life.  The nutella forms a gooey fudgy mass in the middle that makes you want to die right then and there.  Of sheer ecstasy.

Just, you know.  Make sure you have some roommates around to pawn off the rest of the jar of Nutella to.  To stop the vicious cycle.  Or perpetuate it.  Depending on your point-of-view or psychological training.

Really what I mean is.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Picnik collage

Nutella Thumbprint Corn Muffins
Makes 12 muffins, corn muffin itself from the SoNo Baking Company Cookbook, concept is an Eats Well With Others Original

1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coarse salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
3 large eggs
1/2 cup reduced fat buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 container Nutella (or other chocolate hazelnut spread)

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a standard 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray/grease with butter/line with cupcake liners.  Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, sugar, and cornmeal and mix until combined.

3. With the mixer on low, add in the eggs one at a time, scraping the sides after each addition.  Add the buttermilk and oil, scraping down the sides halfway through.  Add the greek yogurt and mix to combine.

4. Put 2 tbsp or 1/8 cup batter in each muffin cup.  Put 1 tsp nutella in each muffin cup and swirl around using a chopstick or a toothpick, whichever you happen to have lying around.  Add the remaining batter to the muffin cups, trying to distribute it as evenly as possible.

5. Bake, rotating the pan about 2/3 of the way through, until the muffins are golden brown and a cake tester inserted inside the center turns out clean, 15-18 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack for five minutes.  Using your thumb or the back of a tbsp, press down in the middle of each muffin, creating an indent large enough for you to place 1 tbsp nutella. Spoon or pipe a tbsp (I spooned) of nutella into each muffin indentation.  Let cool for another 10 minutes.

This is my submission to Dessert Wars!  Here are the prizes being offered this month:
Whisk and cupcake necklace from Moon & Star Designs

Endless Vanilla and Cinnamon Extract

Unlimited Layers: A Recipe for Turning Your Passion into Profits

$50 Gift Certificate to Theme Kitchen

$50 Coupon Redeemable for Organic Valley Products

$50 Coupon Redeemable for Organic Prairie Products

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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113 Responses to Nutella Thumbprint Swirl Corn Muffins

  1. Simply Life says:

    Oh I’m sure every bite of these is heavenly! Good luck on the run!!

  2. Your photos look great:-) I might even try these with chocolate almond butter!

  3. Great photos- love the addition of nutella!

  4. But, but I honestly thought Nutella is good for you. It is only hazelnuts and chocolate:D

  5. Ada says:

    I am completely obsessed with anything nutella related, so I definitely must make these in the near future!

    Good luck with your half marathon, I’m sure you will do amazingly! Try to enjoy the trip and not worry too much about your exams (as hard as that may be!).

  6. janet says:

    I love it! Nutella works well with pretty much anything and these look swoon-worthy.. I wish I was in your class so I could have snagged one.. maybe not, residency is so much better. 😉

    Good luck with your marathon and exams, Joanne!

  7. Lea Ann says:

    I do believe I need to run amok and try these. I’ve never even tasted Nutella. Good luck with your marathon.

  8. Shannon says:

    Ohhhh Nutella… I had a 3-month long love affair with thee in Italy. I spread it on everything. Especially these delicious egg cookies that came in a bag and were perfect for snacking.

    Love the combo of corn muffin & Nutella. You are a genious.

    Run baby run!!!

  9. Sanjeeta kk says:

    I like that Nutella swirl on the corn Muffin, Joanne! I posted a cornmeal cake 2 days back and am thinking of doing this to my muffins the next time.

  10. Nelly says:

    Wait wait wait. Nutella on chicken?? Yeah, you didn’t think I’d catch that, didja! Now you have to spill, because I’m picturing something like the dinner party scene in “Chocolat,” which would be amazing.

  11. Amy says:

    Ah, Nutella. I feel ya. I made homemade pop tarts for Christmas day on my panini grill. Puff pastry. And Nutella. It’s so heavenly.

    Go now. Travel! Run! Study! While visions of Nutella Corn Muffins dance around in your head. That’s enough to get anyone through stressful times.

  12. Kim says:

    I haven’t bought my jar of Nutella yet, mainly because I know that I will end up slathering it on everything until I find just the right thing. I love your idea of adding it to the corn muffins. It seems like so many Italian desserts are cornmeal based and I bet this goes really well together. They do look ooey gooey delicious. Best of luck on the half marathon. Hopefully the weather is nice in Florida. Can’t wait to hear about it.

    Thanks for your sweet comments on my blog. I think there are quite a few of us that started blogging right around the same time. You’re one of my favorites too!

  13. So these make you want to die right there eating these. When you run amok, you will eventually be killed and die. I would say that death by nutella corn muffins would be a better way to go. Bring these to the marathon and you’ll have less competition. 🙂

  14. Oh I think these are quite virtuous. And, you save a great deal of time by having your dessert with your meal instead of lingering afterwards. Use that extra time to STUDY!

    Best,
    Bonnie

  15. ANYTHING with Nutella is fabulous. I have an unopened jar in my pantry that needs to stay that way b/c I would probably eat the whole thing in one sitting.

  16. PS- good luck in your race!!! Run like there is an open jar of Nutella in front of you!!

  17. Dawn says:

    Ok so these aren’t even funny. How dare you tempt me with nutella filled photos such as these?! I just about caught myself licking my computer screen and that just would not be appropriate at work. I can NOT be trusted around anything nutella nevermind a whole jar of it.
    Mmmm….nutella.

  18. gahhhhhh! these look beyond delicious! greek yogurt instead of sour cream? i love it.

    xo Alison

  19. MM says:

    I think the world needs more people to run amok in the kitchen. Especially if this is the result.

  20. Your classmates must LOVE you! Good luck with the marathon. That will ease your exam stress a GREAT deal! My husband is the one in our family with Nutella on his chin almost daily.
    🙂
    Valeire

  21. Rachana says:

    I love anything with nutella… would love to have one of those muffins 🙂

  22. I’m not sure if the Nutella is the downfall of those previously healthy muffins, or the crowning glory of them.

    Maybe both?

  23. Swathi says:

    Good luck with your exams, marathon. sure you will be the winner. Nutella thrumbprint swirl corn muffins looks awesome, delicious.

  24. Rachel says:

    From the top, it’s a cookie. From the side, it’s a muffin with character!
    Thanks for the morning dose of cultural psychology!

  25. Kris says:

    Everyone needs to make these with nutella now!

  26. Seriously Joanne, must you do this too me??
    Good Luck with your marathon

  27. katiez says:

    Ha! I just scored some corn meal from an online expat grocery (Nutella, on the other hand, is everwhere). Try Nutella on an apple – you know, the old ‘apple a day keeps the doc away’ bit. Spread each bite with Nutella…. Very happy fruit!

  28. annw says:

    I’m going to try not to run amok until I make these. They look that good! You’re a busy girl, Joanne. good luck with everything!

  29. aipi says:

    Corn muffins appear to have come out great..as far as I am concerned putting nutella on it seals the deal for me 🙂

    US Masala

  30. Louanne says:

    Creative! And, yummy, I might add. Good luck in the race, too!

  31. Catherine says:

    This looks so fabulous Joanne! I love the idea of the nutella!
    I just cannot stress how wonderful this sounds!

  32. Your so funny! Your killing me w these Nutella pics!!!! That stuff is the best!
    I so need to learn to love, or at least not hate running!

  33. elra says:

    Yummy muffins ! Nutella make it even yummier.

  34. Julie says:

    I would love to run amok with (all of) these! Enjoy your marathon!

  35. Lo says:

    LOL. This post was exactly what I needed this morning. Total comic relief. Good luck to you this weekend… and hey. Enjoy that Nutella 🙂

  36. Megan says:

    I put Nutella on just about anything too, but I haven’t tried it with corn muffins yet. This is genius! Good luck with the half marathon and exams!

  37. Donna-FFW says:

    Best of luck with the run!!

    I love your original idea Joanne.. Looks fabulous!

  38. Mary says:

    What an original idea, Joanne. They look delicious. I almost said “break a leg” before realizing that that is probably not the best way to wish a runner luck. Have a good weekend. i hope the marathon is easy and the exams a piece of cake. Have a great day. Blessings…Mary

  39. That Girl says:

    You and your amok definition reminds me of when I discovered the definition of mayhem. Good luck and good speed tomorrow.

  40. polwig says:

    You made me take out Nutella out of my cupboard and eat it, with pretzels (salty and sweet too :)). Europeans eat their nutella with bread, fresh crusty sometimes whole wheat bread and always spread with butter before hand 😉 I love the idea of corn bread with it.

  41. Shanon says:

    we put nutella on everything too! it is dangerous especially bc my husband calls it “brown butter”, which i am still not sure if that makes it sound better or worse than it really is!

  42. When I first read the title of the post and thought what a strange combination but after looking at the photos I could gobble one faster than a Malaysian male!

    Have a great run and a good time!

  43. ahhh… I got an e-mail with a hint that these were coming to EWWO soon. They look great. You know, I have never had Nutella in my life.

  44. Julie says:

    have fun in florida girl!!! you’re leaving JUST in time to get away from the horrid weather 🙂 safe flight!

  45. Reeni says:

    OMG – we must be mind connected because I was thinking of making the very same thing! Lucky you for having someone to pawn off the leftover Nutella – I fear mine will be eaten with a spoon until my tummy is crying no more! These look positively delectable!!! Good luck with your run – safe travels. And thanks for entering it in Dessert Wars!

  46. Katerina says:

    They look scrumptious and I know one specific member of my family who would kill to have one of those.

  47. Can I come clean here? Never tried Nutella!?!? I guess I am way missing out after seeing these beautiful picts!

    Good luck with the run…all your hard work will show!

  48. ++MIRA++ says:

    i just had a nutella sandwich. I’m addicted to the stuff..hehe.

  49. Maria says:

    Ooooh, how good do those look?! I don’t buy Nutella often because when it’s in the house it doesn’t make it into recipes … it goes straight from a spoon to my lips.

  50. I love the muffins! yummy!

  51. sweetlife says:

    great pics first off, and way to spice up those healthy muffins, lol
    good luck! on your race
    sweetlife

  52. I really really like the way u ve decked up otherwise plain looking corn muffins..have a nice trip to the beach state!

  53. Lynn says:

    Nifty idea, Joanne. I’ll bet they were mmmm mmmmm good!

  54. Shannon says:

    GOOD LUCK this weekend joanne!!! i’ll be thinking of you 🙂 and what a fabulous idea… if only i was your roommate!

  55. Raina says:

    Awesome submission to Dessert Wars! These look so good. I really want one now. I can never have too much Nutella.

    Good luck on your half marathon!

  56. Julie says:

    Oh can I have one of these PLEASE?!!! I am dieting and so craving something yummy! How creative and delicious.

  57. Bob says:

    Whut. I need to eat those. I need to eat those now

  58. Victoria says:

    You are a wicked wicked lady!! Shame on you for not sharing with your dear friend Victoria 😉 I love bad influences when Nutella is concerned!

  59. La Liz says:

    I’m exonerated! You’ve proved that Nutella Rage (brought on by tragically running OUT of Nutella) is a defensible crime of passion. I’ll make these if I can manage to not dip into the Nutella jar during the baking process. (I’ll get two jars . . . ) Very imaginative recipe.

  60. Eden says:

    I.heart. nutella.

    I can have it on anything and everything! I’m SO trying this (I know, lots of people say that but I’m not BSing!). I’m having it for breakfast AND dessert!

  61. Dana says:

    And to think, there was a time that I did not even know what Nutella was. And then I thought I didn’t like it. Glad that all got worked out. I would never have thought to put the two together but I am sure these were amazing. I have found that cookbook to be very disappointing. Your thoughts?

  62. sophia says:

    Now, this is one instance when I love the muffin top. Will you just look at that muffin top! Corn muffin and nutella is also a strange but awesome combination.

  63. corina says:

    What are you doing to my new year diet! I fancy a big jar of Nutella when I go shopping later today! Hope the half-marathon goes well.

  64. Johanna GGG says:

    Nutella can really make any baking taste wonderful – but I was so inspired by your suggestion about using it up that I bypassed the baking tonight and ate the rest of a jar that had been ilngering in the cupboard – you are a bad influence in the best way possible 🙂

  65. daphne says:

    oh u thought of it all! Running amok with these muffins and nutellla, who can fault u ;P

  66. I lovee this concept from the kitchens of eats well with others!
    Thannxx for the intro to dessert wars , i wanna be there too now :-)))
    Nutella is so in 24/7, 365 days , always a hit , and yeah it makes our taste buds go round…

    Oh babe , Florida and Disney land is already loviinngg u 🙂
    Well i can imagine the exams and running butu come thru it beautiful 🙂
    And i would lovee to grab a few of these on my way out so i never miss them !
    Sooo goooddd!

  67. This is such a wonderful idea, Joanne! I love the picture of the half eaten muffin… I was hoping there would be a follow up picture of you with nutella and muffin crumbs all over your face.

    Looks like such gooey deliciousness!

  68. Debbie says:

    Love corn muffins and love nutella…together they are divine!!!!!! Totally delicious!

  69. Stella says:

    Hey Joanne, you know, I’ve never tried Nutella. I think I’ve had a chocolate hazelnut spread but I’m not sure that it was the Nutella brand. Everyone seems to love it so much. Maybe I should grab a jar next time I’m at the store.
    Either way, your corn muffins look delicious. I bet that yogurt made them so moist:)

  70. If we didn’t have vices, the angels would get jealous. And we don’t want that! Please pass the Nutella. ?

  71. Danmit! Now I am going to have to breakdown, go to the store and buy Nutella just so I can try it

  72. True, you did warn us, but that’s not what a gunman would do :), so you are far more altruistic. I’ll take a “bullet” like this any day.

    Good luck with your marathon and exams.

  73. Ok girl, whenever I see chocolate melting.. I know it’s food porn at it’s finest. Lovely recipe… nutella is a food of the gods for sure! Happy new year, Joanne.. hope your studies go well this semester… I know your food will!

  74. And I have a jar of Nutella in my cupboard that needs to be used. 🙂 These look great!

  75. You may have found the new ‘cupcake’.

  76. Dimah says:

    Wow, these look so scrumptious!

  77. Tasha says:

    Not a combination I would’ve ever thought of in my life, but it really sounds like something to try! And btw, I am especially loving the pictures from this post.

  78. Anonymous says:

    votre idée est super !! 🙂 je l’ai tester et c’est un vrai délice essayer le muffins banane coeur de nutella c’est tout aussi bon .

  79. teresa says:

    good luck this weekend joanne, you’ll do great! i love what you did with these muffins, the nutella addition is genius!

  80. Julia says:

    Good luck for the Marathon and have fun in FL.

    Nutella = trouble!!

  81. Martha (MM) says:

    I have a confession – I’ve never had Nutella! Even worse I just found out you are currently in Florida and I didn’t know you were coming. Sure wish I knew where you were so I could come see you!

  82. Claudia says:

    This comment has been removed by the author.

  83. Claudia says:

    Enjoy all that healthy exercise. We’ll be rooting for you and eating muffins.

  84. Monet says:

    What a great recipe. I am sure that the nutty sweetness of the cornbread paired perfectly with our favorite spread. And how interesting to learn where the phrase “running amok” came from! Enjoy running, studying and baking more delicious treats that we all love to drool over!

  85. wow looks tempting…love nutella and using it this way sounds so good…

  86. nico. says:

    oh my god. this is beautiful.

  87. Barbara says:

    Confession time: I do not like Nutella. Am I the only one??
    But I sure think ganache would be delicious!

  88. Kristen says:

    I want to see what you did with the chicken and nutella. Did I miss that?! Good luck on your run and your tests. Hope you do well in both.

  89. I think that sounds amazing Joanne!

    I hope your race went OK!!!

    And good luck on your exams, you’ll do great!

  90. Doesn’t nutella go with everything? These look great to me 🙂
    Good luck with your race and exams!

  91. grace says:

    corn muffins? pfff. who needs em’? nutella-touched corn muffins are a completely different story. WELL done, joanne. well done.

  92. Beth says:

    I never would have thought of putting those flavors together — but it looks awesome! Good luck with the run, good luck with the tests. Looking forward to reading your next post!

  93. This has got to be one of the most creative corn muffins I have seen in a long while!
    Angie

  94. Nicole, RD says:

    I hope you ran your little heart out! I’m sure you did fabulous! 🙂 These were the perfect carb-loading plan – yum! And “spreading the love” – I’m all for that, too. It’s also called DAMAGE CONTROL in my vocabulary 🙂

  95. Haha I remember learning that same little factoid! These are a stroke of sheer genius in my opinion. Holler, Jo’s imagination!!

  96. Joanne, I love your site so much that I just awarded you the Stylish Blogger Award. Congrats! Check out the announcement on my site.

  97. Sana says:

    In italy I came across a jar of nutella the size of my face!

  98. Meesh says:

    beautiful photos and BEST IDEA EVER!

  99. Oh my! These muffins are a devilish temptation!! I tend to become totally irrational when there is a jar of Nutella around…and now I will have to try these ones!

  100. I love muffins! Muffins, unfortunately, don’t usually love me back so much. 🙁 But these are corn muffins! Which means they’re healthy! And I that I should eat them!

    I never would have thought of a corn muffin-nutella combo, but now that you mention it, it sounds really amazing. Yum.

  101. MaryMoh says:

    Lovely muffins with nutella. Must be very indulgent…mmmm. By the way, I didn’t know that running amok is a Malaysian culture. Learned a new thing.

  102. This looks like a good balance of a little healthy with some not so healthy–a great combination! 😉

  103. Wow I had no idea of the history behind the saying “running amok” and am so glad you’ve enlightened us. LOL at comparing your imagination to that phenomenon. Luckily, the results of your running amok are no doubt infinitely more delicious and pretty than the traditional form.

  104. vanillasugar says:

    you’re a clever lil baker aren’t you? never made corn with choco, didn’t taste right together. but nutella, hello? now we’re talking.

  105. Kerstin says:

    What a unique recipe – love it! I can almost taste how well the cornbread and Nutella go together. Can’t wait to hear all about your half!! 🙂

  106. Deborah says:

    Corn muffins + nutella = BRILLIANT!!

  107. Thank you for the submission into cake wars! I need you to list the prize list and the Dessert Wars (on your sidebar or in the post) in order for it to count! The prize list is in the Rules tab.

    I’ll take 3 or 4 of those muffins please!

  108. I’m way behind in my Google Reader, but I had to just come here and comment on these amazing works of art. No one was ever murdered because they made a perfectly healthy treat UNhealthy. Plus, Nutella makes everything better.

  109. Marisa says:

    I’d have these for breakfast any day. And every day. I guess I also have that running amok gene, especially when it comes to chocolate.

  110. Claudie says:

    I couldn’t stop laughing throughout your post 🙂
    Those thumbprints look amazing! I think they’ll be really good to carb-load before the half-marathon! Have fun there, and don’t worry about your exams -> being physically active is good for your brain (and thus exams). Therefore, by running this half-marathon, you are training for the exams too 😉 (At least that’s what I was telling myself when I did exactly the same thing an year ago lol)

  111. Faith says:

    Such an interesting combo! I will have to try it! Good luck in the competition!!!

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