Nutella Brownies

As far as being a little sister to my two brothers goes, I like to think I  do a pretty good job at it. Case and point: I don’t cause my two older brothers too much grief with poor life choices. I love, love, love The Walking Dead and can come up with some pretty on-point theories regarding the show’s story lines, plot points, and character development arcs during our conversations about the show. And – probably my biggest selling point in the eyes of both my brothers – I tend to bake up some seriously tasty treats whenever their birthdays come around.

In honor of my biggest big bro’s birthday this past week, I tweaked my trusty brownie recipe (you know, the brownie base recipe for the raspberry cheesecake-swirled brownies from the other week) into a Nutella brownie recipe. And let me tell you, these Nutella brownies are one of the fudgiest, chocolatiest, and most decadent confections to grace my kitchen. Seriously.

When I first made these brownies over the weekend, I actually ended up sending THE WHOLE PAN to my brother (among some other birthday treats, including my family’s favorite oatmeal cookies). That’s right, I was up baking half the night in a house that smelled like Nutella while these were in the oven (and for hours after) and didn’t even get a chance to sample them myself! Needles to say, as far as rough nights go, that one’s up there pretty high on my list.

Which is why I made the wise choice to make these as soon as I got back to school for my roommates to sample. Of course, the cool time was too much to bear for a certain hungry roommate of mine (I may or may not have encouraged and/or contributed to this impulsive behavior)….

At any rate, it was quickly and anonymously decided amongst my ‘mates and friends across the street (we’re a good house to be neighbors with) that these are the best brownies they had ever tasted. Also, I should note that these brownies only lasted 24 hours… no leftovers in sight – a reliable sign of a recipe’s success, in this baker’s opinion.

If you like dense, soft, gooey brownies that nearly incite a chocolate-induced coma upon consumption, then these may just become a new favorite of yours. They could also accurately be called Quadruple Chocolate Brownies, I suppose, as they get their intense chocolate flavor from four forms of chocolate: melted dark chocolate, cocoa powder, Nutella, and dark chocolate chips/chunks. And when I say there’s Nutella in these brownies, I’m not messing around – a quick glance at the ingredient list below will verify the incorporation of nearly a full cup of the tasty choco-hazlenut spread, which is both mixed and marbled into the batter.

Now go make your big bro some birthday Nutella brownies because you love him and think he’s the best ever! OR, just make them for yourself because you think you’re the best ever 😉 Either works!

Nutella Brownies
Makes 16 small brownies (1 8″ or 9″ pan)

2 oz. of unsweetened or semisweet chocolate, chopped (or a heaping 1/4 cup if using chips)
1 1/2 sticks butter
2/3 cup + 2 heaping Tablespoons Nutella, divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line an 8″ or 9″ square baking pan with parchment paper.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate, butter, and 1/3 cup of Nutella in 30-45 second intervals (stirring each time) until smooth. To this, whisk in the sugars, eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla until well-combined. Mix in the cocoa powder, and then gradually stir in the flour 1/4 at a time, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl while mixing. At this point, I switch to a rubber spatula (as opposed to a whisk) since the batter gets pretty thick.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Drizzle or dollop 1/3 cup of Nutella over this base layer (I usually microwave the Nutella for about 10 seconds to thin it out a bit before doing this), and then evenly spread the remaining brownie batter over the top. Dollop or drizzle the remaining 2 heaping Tablespoons of Nutella over the top and use a butter knife or toothpick to swirl the Nutella into the brownie batter, creating a marbling effect. Sprinkle with chocolate chunks.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges and center are set (the toothpick test won’t be very effective here because of all of the Nutella swirled throughout the brownies). Let cool on a wire rack until room temperature then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours for easier slicing. Store any leftovers in an airtight container (either room temperature or in the fridge).