Nutella Brownie

We all have our vices. if they are passing ones, well, good for you. if they are the more permanent kinds, well, then God save you. One of my longstanding ones is nutella. rich chocolate hazelnut spread. creamy. so yum. so good with almost everything: yes even marie biscuit! it's fairly established that we are nutella freaks (well, that is a given looking at the number of curvy, empty nutella jars lining my kitchen counter). so this was a recipe waiting to happen. Go ahead. make yourself happy. you deserve it.

1 cup AP flour
3 eggs
45 g butter
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of sugar
1 tablespoons hazelnut extract or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract if that's what you have in your shelf - i used 2 tablespoons of Guindija
1 1/2 tablespoons Cocoa powder
Two squares or 20 gm of dark chocolate - i used Lindt 70% cocoa
100 g semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup Nutella
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts chopped - optional

Preheat oven to 170 C.

Melt the chocolate (dark chocolate and semisweet chocolate) and butter in a bain-marie. Once melted, take off the bain marie and add the cocoa powder and mix well. Keep aside to cool.

Once cooled, add the nutella and mix well (Resist the temptation to lick clean the bowl. seriously.)

 

Blend the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and salt on low for about 20 seconds.

Add the cooled chocolate mix to the egg mix and blend for 10 seconds or so to incorporate.

Fold in the flour with a spatula.

If you are adding chopped nuts, fold in the nuts at this stage. Pour into the prepared tin and even out the surface.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or till the inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs sticking to it, but appears cooked.

Let it cool in the pan before cutting into squares. Go ahead and tuck in. Share. Feel good. 'Tis the season to be merry!!

P.S: If you have the grace to save some, they taste even better the next day.