Giada De Laurentiis Always Uses The Same Ingredient In Her Desserts

The highly respected, illustrious idol of the American cooking scene, Giada De Laurentiis, uses an ingredient in her desserts that you would think was below her.

No, this is not overly dramatic. De Laurentiis applied her culinary skills in the service of Prince William and Princess Kate. The latter transpired at a charity polo function in 2011 at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club, per Today. It is no small accomplishment and enforces the idea that De Laurentiis's skills are a thing of wonder.

Perhaps her little stint as a royal chef may have something to do with the fact that she learned to cook at the distinguished Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, per Encyclopedia, which happens to be the crème de la crème of culinary instruction. With the latter being the case, you may wonder: at which point in her prestigious career did she adopt this seemingly average product into her inventory of baking ingredients?

Giada De Laurentiis seems to have a longstanding penchant for decadent flavor. As a child, she would eat chocolate sauce and pasta (and she admittedly still does as an adult), per People Magazine. Thanks to Nutella, De Laurentiis has yet another decadent option. There has been no indication whether she adds the hazelnut spread to her pasta, but it is a recurring feature in her chocolate-flavored desserts, per She Knows.

For her chocolate-hazelnut cookies, De Laurentiis adds the hazelnut spread to the cookie batter with vanilla flavoring (via Giadzy). Her chocolate fondue recipe requires the creator to pour heavy cream over chocolate chips and a half cup of Nutella, then stir thoroughly, as per Giadzy. De Laurentiis also recommends spreading Nutella over the base of a chocolate pizza immediately after it comes out of the oven, then adding chocolate chips and hazelnuts before returning it to the heat, shares Giadzy.

De Laurentiis would not be the first to use Nutella in her desert. The Nutella website displays recipes, like cake pops, gianduja chocolate muffins, tarts, crepes, banana splits, blueberry tart, and more, all containing the hazelnut spread. However, delicious as they may be, they lack the De Laurentiis touch.