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These nutella brownies might be the best brownies ever! These fudgy brownies have a layer of chocolate hazelnut spread in the middle and are swirled with even more nutella on top. You don’t even need a mixer to make this 9 ingredient recipe!
Brownies have to be one of my favorite desserts ever, and the only way to make it even better? A delicious nutella layer! These nutella brownies use a similar method to my Biscoff brownies, so the chocolate hazelnut spread is chilled in the freezer - giving you a delicious hint of Nutella in every bite!
This recipe is based off of my fudgy dairy free brownies. If you’re looking to make these nutella brownies dairy free, you can easily swap out regular butter for vegan butter and use vegan chocolate hazelnut spread.
Why You'll Love These Nutella Brownies
- These brownies only need 8 ingredients, so they’re perfect when you don’t have a lot of ingredients in your pantry.
- You don’t need a mixer to make nutella brownies.
- The nutella or chocolate hazelnut spread is frozen briefly, that way it doesn’t spread too much into the brownie batter. The remaining spread is swirled through the top layer of the brownie batter, though you can leave that out if you prefer.
- You can easily make these brownies dairy free by swapping out regular butter for vegan butter and nutella for dairy free chocolate hazelnut spread.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: you can use regular dairy butter or vegan butter.
- Cocoa Powder: I recommend using unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Flour: this nutella brownie recipe works best with all purpose flour, but if you need to make this gluten free then I recommend using gluten free all purpose 1-1 baking flour.
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread: this recipe has been tested with both regular (dairy) nutella and vegan chocolate hazelnut spread.
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
Step 1: Cut a piece of parchment paper that will fit into your 8x8 baking pan, making sure that it is big enough to leave some of the paper overhanging. Place it in the pan and fold the overhanging parchment so that it forms a crease, creating a square shape.
Step 2: Take the parchment paper out of the pan and place on a flat surface, like a cookie sheet, cutting board or the counter. Spread ¾ cup of the chocolate hazelnut spread on to the parchment paper in the shape of the square pan. This will allow you to place the nutella layer onto the brownie batter in one piece. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes while you make the brownies.
Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit and line it with parchment paper, making sure it is slightly overhanging. This way you can easily take the brownies out once they have cooled.
Step 4: In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and both sugars. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes paste-like and pulls away from the sides of the bowl - this will give us that crinkly top!
Step 5: Add the vanilla extract and eggs to the mixture and whisk again.
Step 6: Add the cocoa powder, flour and salt and mix with the whisk until it is just combined - about one minute. Make sure not to over-mix!
Step 7: Pour half of the brownie batter into the prepared pan. Take the nutella layer out of the freezer, carefully peel it from the parchment paper in one piece and place on top of the brownie batter.
Step 8: Pour the remaining brownie batter on top and smooth it into an even layer. Take the remaining nutella and dollop teaspoons of it on top of the brownies, using a butter knife to swirl it around.
Step 9: Bake for 30-40 minutes. Check the brownies at 30 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the middle. The top of the brownies should be crinkly and the toothpick shouldn’t come out clean, but instead have a few wet crumbs.
Step 10: Let the brownies cool completely before slicing.
FAQs and Expert Tips
If you prefer a less sweet brownie, then you can skip adding the dollops of nutella on top of the brownies.
How can I tell when brownies are ready?
The top should be crinkly and if you insert a toothpick it should come out with some wet crumbs, but not raw brownie batter.
You can use any chocolate hazelnut spread for these brownies!
Absolutely! Feel free to add some chopped hazelnuts to the brownie batter or sprinkle them on top if you’d like to. You can also add chocolate chips or white chocolate chips if you’d like!
Expert Tips
- Properly measure your flour - I highly recommend using a $15 kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients (metric measurements are in the recipe card below). If you aren't using a scale, use the scoop and level method.
- Over-mixing - make sure not to overmix the brownie batter once you’ve added the dry ingredients. If you over-mix it it can change the texture of the baked brownies.
- Freezing nutella - if the chocolate hazelnut spread isn’t firm enough when you take it out of the freezer, leave it in there for a few extra minutes! It should peel off of the parchment paper fairly easily.
- Over-baking: keep an eye on the brownies when they’re in the oven! You do not want to over-bake them and instead want them to stay extra fudgy and chewy.
- Wait to slice: make sure your brownies are completely cool before you slice them up, otherwise they might fall apart.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Store the nutella brownies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To freeze, store the brownies in a freezer bag and allow them to defrost to room temperature before enjoying.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Nutella Brownies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + ¼ cup, seperated chocolate hazelnut spread (regular Nutella or dairy free, I use this vegan chocolate hazelnut spread )
- ¾ cup butter, melted (regular or vegan)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Cut a piece of parchment paper so that it fits into your an 8×8 square baking pan, leaving some hanging over the edges. Place it in the pan and fold the parchment that is overhanging to form a crease in the shape of the square pan.
- Remove the parchment paper from the pan and place it on a flat surface ( a cookie sheet, cutting board, or the counter). Spread ¾ of the chocolate hazelnut spread onto the parchment in the shape of the square pan, so that it will fit into the baking pan in one piece. Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes, then begin making the brownies.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line with parchment paper. Leave parchment paper hanging over the sides of the pan so that you can easily remove the brownies from the pan later.
- Whisk together the melted butter and both sugars in a medium bowl. Keep whisking until the mixture resembles a paste that pulls away cleanly from the side of the bowl when you mix it. (this contributes to the crinkly top in the brownies)
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix again.
- Add in dry ingredients (cocoa powder, salt, and flour) into the bowl and mix with the whisk until just combined (it should only take about a minute). Over-mixing at this stage will affect the texture of the brownies!
- Pour half of the batter into the lined baking pan, then take the nutella out of the freezer, peel it from the parchment (it should come off easily and in one piece*), and place the whole piece on top of the brownie batter.
- Pour the remaining brownie batter on top of the nutella into the pan and smooth into an even layer. Use the remaining ¼ cup of nutella to add teaspoons sized dollops of nutella on top of the brownies, then use a knife to swirl it around. (The extra nutella on top is optional)
- Bake for 30-40 minutes*. Begin checking the brownies at 30 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the middle. The top of the brownies should be crinkly and the toothpick should not come out clean. The brownies are ready when the toothpick has a few wet crumbs, but not wet batter.
- Let the brownies cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
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