Double chocolate fudgy brownies with soft centers and crackly tops, swirled with homemade roasted hazelnut butter – don’t forget the flakey salt!
*Thank you Crate and Barrel for sponsoring today’s post, so I can share these Fudgy Cocoa brownies with Homemade Hazelnut Butter recipe with all of you.*
This post may contain sponsored content and affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% my own.
I’m so excited to kick off cookie + brownie season with these epic brownies! They’re extremely chocolatey, rich, and so comforting at the same time. Swirling homemade hazelnut butter on top takes these brownies to another orbit. Seriously, roasting our hazelnuts add so much flavor and nuttiness that’s perfectly with the dark chocolate.
Let me start by saying that I’m super picky about brownies. They have to meet very specific criteria: fudgy soft center, crackly shiny top, and chewy edges are a must!
#AD I’m beyond excited to partner with my friend at Crate and Barrel on this holiday recipe! Using their kitchen aid stand mixer and high powered blender, I’ve whipped up a brand new house favorite that I can’t wait to share with friends and family. Want to bake up some memories too? Head to my instagram @lions.bread for an epic giveaway featuring the Kitchen Aid K400 Steel Blue high powered blender!
In order to achieve all of the above, very serious brownies criteria, there are a few tricks that I’m going to teach you here:
What makes brownies fudgy?
There are two types of people in the world: those love fudgy brownies and those who prefer more cakey texture. For me, it’s fudge all the way. The way to achieve that texture is by increasing your fat to flour ratio. If you take a look at the recipe there’s a much higher amount of butter than flour. That’s not an accident! Adding more rich grass fed butter is exactly what keeps the texture super silky and soft.
Another huge part of making fudgy brownies is the baking time! You don’t want to over bake these. So when you’re checking for doneness, the toothpick should come out with plenty of moist/sticky crumbs on it. If the toothpick comes out clean, they’re over baked.
How to get the crackly shiny top
Here’s the million dollar question! It’s pretty simple actually! After you add the eggs into heavy duty Kitchen Aid Artisan Steel Blue Stand Mixer, you have to beat the batter for about 4-5 minutes. This step is so important because it creates a meringue-like layer to form on top of the brownies.
Another factor is using 2 types of chocolate for these brownies: cocoa powder and chopped chocolate. The chopped chocolate ensures a fudgy center and crackly top, as opposed to using only cocoa powder, which gives you a cake-like texture.
I love this professional grade nonstick square cake pan from USA Pan, you can find it here!
love these beautiful grey stoneware appetizer plates? find them here!
How to make homemade Hazelnut Butter
We all know and love peanut butter and almond butter, but I think hazelnut lovers are in a world of our own. Hazelnuts and chocolate are such a classic pair that feels luxurious and special, but still down to earth. First, I roast whole hazelnuts in the oven until they’re golden brown, about 10 minutes. Then, I shake them up in a clean towel to remove the papery skins. All of the roasty toasty hazelnuts go into my high powered Kitchen Aid K400 Steel Blue Blender along with a pinch of kosher salt, a bit of avocado oil, and a bit of maple syrup.
I let the blender do all of the work, and within 3-4 minutes, behold! You’ve just made your own nut butter, my friend! All that’s left to do is swirl this goodness on top of our rich brownie batter. Any leftover hazelnut butter should be kept in the fridge in an airtight container, and can be slathered on toast, or spooned over yogurt or ice cream.
I can’t wait for you all to try this recipe! It is universally loved by all, and will be on repeat long after the holidays are over in my house 🙂
Want to save this recipe? Just hover over any of the images and tap the “Pin It” button to save to your favorite Pinterest boards.
Remember to tag me if you make any of my recipes from the blog! I love seeing you all sharing the baked goods with your family and friends! Now head over to instagram to enter the GIVEAWAY! @lions.bread
Want more delicious brownie + bar recipes? Check out Peanut Butter Marbled Brownies, Brown Butter Strawberry Oat Crumb Bars, Himalayan Dark Salted Cocoa Brownies with a Dulce Ganache Marble
my favorite dark linen dinner napkins that I use in all of my shoots, linked here!
Fudgy Cocoa Brownies with Homemade Hazelnut Butter
They’re extremely chocolatey, rich, and so comforting at the same time. Swirling homemade hazelnut butter on top takes these brownies to another orbit. Seriously, roasting our hazelnuts add so much flavor and nuttiness that’s perfectly with the dark chocolate.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 33 minutes
Servings 12 brownies
Ingredients
Hazelnut Butter:
- 2.5 cups raw hazelnuts
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
- pinch of kosher salt
Brownies:
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder
- 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate I like 70% cacao
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/3 cup brown sugar loosely packed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt for finishing I like Maldon
Instructions
Instructions:
- Make the hazelnut butter - Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Place the warm hazelnuts in a clean towel, and make a bundle, enclosing the hazelnuts. Shake vigorously for 1 minute to remove all of the papery skins from the hazelnuts. Place the hazelnuts in a high powered blender, like the Kitchen Aid K400 Steel Blue Blender, along with the avocado oil, maple syrup, and kosher salt. Blend on medium speed until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency, about 3-4 minutes. Stop the mixture occasionally to scrape down the sides. Scoop the hazelnut butter out into a jar, and set aside.
- Prepare an 8x8" cake pan, by lining it with two thick strips of parchment paper. Fill a small saucepan with 2 inches of water, and bring the water to a simmer. Place a heat proof bowl over the top of the pan. Add the chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, and butter to the bowl. Whisk occasionally until the butter and chocolate have completely melted. Whisk in the pure vanilla extract and instant coffee. Remove the bowl from the heat, and allow to cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt. Whisk to combine and remove any lumps. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (I love my Kitchen Aid Artisan Steel Blue Stand Mixer) add the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat on medium speed for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow, and airy. With the mixer on low, add the chocolate/butter mixture to the beaten eggs. Whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients, and whisk on low to just combine. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and use a rubber spatula to continue to gently fold in the dry ingredients until no dry patches of flour remain, making sure to get to the bottom of the bowl.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking pan. Use a small offset spatula to spread the batter evenly out to the corners of the pan. Drop about 7 tablespoon of the homemade hazelnut butter on top of the brownie batter. Use a wooden skewer or sharp knife to swirl the hazelnut butter into the butter, creating a marble pattern. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out with lots of moist crumbs. Don't overbake! Sprinkle flakey sea salt on top, and allow to cool completely before slicing.
The post Fudgy Cocoa Brownies with Homemade Hazelnut Butter first appeared on Lion’s Bread Blog.
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