Chocolate hazelnut brownies

Chocolate hazelnut is one of my all time favorite flavors, which makes this recipe extra exciting to share! These brownies have an incredible, fudgy and chewy texture and they have a crunch from the chopped Ferrero Rochers that I just love.

Though you definitely can use a stand or hand mixer for your egg, sugar and other wet ingredients I didn’t find it necessary here. All you’ll need really is a whisk and then a spatula if you have or a large spoon. This makes it an easy recipe to bake on the fly with just a quick trip to a convenience store needed!

Nutella is truly one of my favorite foods. It used to be something I didn’t “let myself” have around the house but I realized it made no sense to deprive myself of one of my favorite treats. It has been so fun to reincorporate it into my baking, and on occasion to have it as a sweet snack. If you’re a Nutella lover like me, I hope this can be your inspiration to have some at home for baking or for whenever the mood strikes.

When you mix in your dry ingredients, you’ll want to move slowly. This batter is thick which I think leads to an incredible texture in the end, but it does mean that you have to move carefully when folding in your dry ingredients so that you don’t lose the air that you hand whipped into your eggs.

As with almost all brownies, these will freeze extremely well. Once sliced, you can wrap them in plastic wrap if you have it and place them into an airtight container. You can defrost them in the fridge, eat them straight from the freezer if you like them that way, or pop them into the microwave for 10-20 seconds (my personal favorite).

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter 113g

• 1/3 cup (2 oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips 56g

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar 64g

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar about 127g

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup Nutella 148g

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour 60g

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder 35g

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 9 Ferrero Rochers, chopped

Total time: Under two hours

Prep time: 15 minutes

Bake time: 25-27 minutes

Cool time: 1 hour before slicing (room temperature or in the fridge)

Equipment:

• 9x9 square pan (or 8x8)

• Whisk and spatula

• Parchment paper

Cooking instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, melt your stick of butter in the microwave. Once it’s just melted, add in your semisweet chocolate. Stir to combine, place back in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and then let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then use a large spoon or whisk to mix until your mixture is smooth without lumps. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, add both sugars and your eggs. Use a whisk to stir with speed for about a minute or two until your mixture lightens in color. Then, add in your vanilla and continue to whisk.

Next, you’ll add in your Nutella. It may not seem like it’ll mix at first, but use your whisk and continue mixing with speed until everything combines. Then, pour in your butter and chocolate mixture and whisk or stir to fully combine. Now it’s time for your dry ingredients. Add in your flour, cocoa powder and salt. If there are clumps in your cocoa powder, I recommend sitting it in. Use a spatula or large spoon to fold your mixture together, being sure not to over mix while incorporating your dry ingredients fully.

Line a 9x9in square pan (or you can use an 8x8 pan and increase the cook time a bit) with parchment paper. I recommend ensuring all sides of the pan are lined, or you can lightly grease. Dollop your brownie batter in and gently spread flat.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to chop up your Ferrero Rochers into smaller pieces and then sprinkle evenly across the top of your brownie batter. Use a spoon or a flat tool like an offset spatula to press the candy pieces into your brownie batter, and to spread the brownie batter across the candies to cover to your liking.

Place your brownies into the oven to bake for 25 to 27 minutes. They should just barely jiggle when you pull them out of the oven but be set on the top.

Allow your brownies to cool at room temperature, this usually takes about an hour. Slice into 16 squares and enjoy!

You can store your brownies in the fridge or at room temperature for about 5 days, or store in the freezer to eat any time! I think they taste great just out of the freezer, but I usually give them about 5-10 minutes at room temperature before enjoying. You can also pop them into the microwave from the freezer for about 10 seconds for a fresh baked taste.

Carb and serving info:

Carbs for full recipe: 440

Carbs per serving (1 of 16): 28

Carbs from chocolate: 36

Carbs from Nutella: 88

Carbs from Ferrero Rocher: 54

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.