Creamed Hazelnut-Chocolate Brownies

Brownies are like a childhood friend, they have been around forever, they give you a warm fuzzy feeling everytime you see them and you can’t say no when they show up at your table! Brownies were probably everyone’s first baking experience and the place they hold in our hearts will never fade away, especially when you take them up a notch with creamed hazelnut!

Ingredients

Organic butter – 1 ½ stick (12 TBSP)

Raw sugar – 1 ½ cup

Unsweetened cocoa powder – ¾ cup

Vanilla extract – 1 Tsp

Fine sea salt – ¼ Tsp

Organic cage-free eggs – 3

Unbleached organic all purpose flour – ¾ cup

Semi-sweet chocolate chips – ¾ cup + 1 cup

Creamed Hazel Nut Chocolate – ½ cup (see recipe below

Creamed Hazel Nut Chocolate

Ingredients

2 cups raw hazelnuts

2 tablespoons cacao powder

2 tablespoons coconut sugar (powdered)

½ teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)

Instructions

Roast Hazelnuts – Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Spread the hazelnuts onto a baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes. After the hazelnuts have cooled, place them onto a kitchen towel. Bring the corners of the towel together and rub the outside of the towel with your hands to remove the skins.

Powdered Coconut Sugar – While the hazelnuts are roasting, place the coconut sugar into a coffee grinder and grind until it is a fine powder. (This step is optional. Omit if you do not have a coffee grinder.)

Blend – Place the hazelnuts into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until combined 30-60 seconds. (Taste to see if extra sugar or salt is needed.)

Pour the mixture into a jar with a tight fitting lid. Store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

The spread can be stored in the fridge for up to one month. Allow it to come to room temperature before using as a spread.

Other nuts can be used such as almonds or cashews in place of hazelnuts. Peanuts can also be substituted.

Brownie Instructions

To make the chocolate hazelnut brownies:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8 x 8-inch metal baking pan or cut a parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and leave the sides hanging so you can pull up the brownies.

Put butter in a large glass bowl and place it on a large skillet filled with some water. Heat it over medium heat until melted. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves into the butter. You’ll end up with a paste that is smooth and just a bit grainy. Take it out of the skillet and let it cool down for about 15 to 20 minutes.

After the butter mixture has cooled down mix in the cocoa powder. Add the vanilla and salt and stir. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well, waiting until one is incorporated before adding the next one. Add the flour and gently mix just until you see just thin streaks of flour. Fold in semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Spoon hazelnut spread on different spots across the batter and using a chopstick or fork swirl it thru. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until you insert a toothpick through the center and it has melted chocolate but the crumb seems dry.

Let them cool down before cutting.