Chewy Nutty Nutella Brownies
It was a Sunday of laundry, errands, grading. I had a pretty fabulous dinner planned, but no clear-cut dessert idea and then the jar of Nutella sitting in Jordan's cupboard called out to me. I don't know anyone who turns down a chewy brownie . . . and Nutella? The combination seems obvious. I had some extra farmer's market fresh hazelnuts left over from the dinner menu. They added just the right amount of crunch to this surprisingly light, yet chewy brownie. These are a snap to whip up and definitely Jordan approved!
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 1 1/4 c. sugar
- 1 c. Nutella
- 3 eggs
- 1 c. flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 c. chopped hazelnuts
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 13x9" baking dish with foil and then lightly butter the foil to prevent brownies from sticking. In a medium saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter over medium. Add sugar and stir over heat until ingredients are thoroughly blended and the sugar becomes shiny and smoother. Add Nutella and briefly stir over heat. Remove from stove, whisk in eggs and stir until smooth. Whisk in flour, salt, baking powder, and hazelnuts. Stir until ingredients are thoroughly blended. Spread batter into prepared baking dish and bake in oven for 22-24 minutes until brownies are cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting.
Sarah: Breaker of Translucent Wings Memorial Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
It was just another ordinary day in playwriting class. Clustered together in the basement room, the students shuffled their papers and poised their pencils for another in-class writing assignment. Suddenly, our peaceful haven of creativity was disrupted by the dull buzz of an uninvited intruder: Musca domestica, the common housefly. Incredibly annoying, not to mention unsanitary, this winged, garbage-dwelling insect has no place at my table. After a few of my own feeble attempts at swatting the little bugger away, I realized a hero could emerge from the crowded table of students. "I will bake cookies for whoever kills the fly." The offer of baked-good worked as a motivating bounty and within three seconds the fly's crumpled body fell to the floor. The victor? Sarah, a clever brunette with a sardonic wit and an impressive collection of Woot tee-shirts. When I asked what kind of cookie she was interested in, she requested brownies. No problem. I developed the chocolate and peanut butter combination in honor of Sarah: Breaker of Translucent Wings and to our fallen and worthy foe who gave his life so that we could enjoy an afternoon snack.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 sticks room temperature butter (plus 1 Tbsp.), divided
- 2 c. sugar
- 2 c. powdered sugar
- 1 c. cocoa powder
- 5 eggs, divided
- 1 c. creamy peanut butter
- 1 1/4 c. flour, divided
- 2 Tbsp. vanilla, divided
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Line a 13x9" baking pan with foil. Butter lightly with 1 Tbsp. of butter. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, add sugar and cook over medium, stirring frequently, until ingredients are well combined and the surface looks shiny, about 3-4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in cocoa powder and 1 Tbsp. vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add three eggs, one at a time, whisking ingredients together after each addition. Whisk in 1 c. flour and baking powder.
Spread brownie batter into prepared baking pan and bake in oven for 15 minutes.While brownie layer in baking place peanut butter, powdered sugar, and remaining stick of butter into a large mixing bowl and cream ingredients thoroughly with an electric mixer. Add 2 eggs, 1 Tbsp. vanilla, and remaining flour and beat thoroughly with mixer. Set aside until brownie layer has baked for fifteen minutes. Remove brownies from oven and carefully spread and even layer of the peanut butter mixture on top. Evenly distribute the chocolate chips on top on the peanut butter layer.
Return to oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes longer until the brownies are baked through and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting into 2" squares. Eat!
Almond and Mascarpone Stuffed Brownies
When fearless and awesome team captain Jessi proposed an informal reunion for our amazing Hood to Coast team I couldn't resist the drive all the way up to Southeast Portland. But what to bring to this potluck barbecue? Appropriately enough on a Saturday evening run I cataloged the ingredients available at home in the cupboard. Brownies were certainly an option, but I didn't want to bring just any old brownie. My first instinct was putting together one of my favorite flavor combos: chocolate and peanut butter! Unfortunately, due to my recent experiment (see Chocolate-Dipped Pretzel Peanut Butterscotchies) I was out of peanut butter. An unopened jar of almond butter, however, was waiting for me at home. A soft, cakey brownie seemed like the perfect pairing for this under-utilized nut butter. It was a hit! Hope you like it.
Ingredients
- 1 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 1/4 c. sugar
- 1 1/4 c. cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 6 eggs, divided
- 1/4 c. water
- 2 c. flour, divided
- 1/4 c. mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 c. creamy almond butter
- 2 c. powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Lightly grease a sheet of foil and line at 13x9" baking pan. Set aside. In a medium, heavy saucepan melt butter of medium heat. Add sugar and stir over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and vanilla. When thoroughly combined add 5 eggs, water, and 1 1/2 c. flour. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Pour mixture into prepared pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl blend mascarpone, almond butter, 1 egg, 1/4 c. flour, and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. If mixture is too runny, add more powdered sugar or flour by the tablespoon.
Drop dollops of almond butter mixture into brownie batter-filled baking dish. Try to distribute evenly throughout the baking dish. Place prepared pan into preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and set aside. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving. Enjoy with milk and friends!
Double-Double Toil and Black Magic Brownies
Can I just say I'm SO excited to be directing an outdoor production of Shakespeare's ominous "Scottish Play" this summer? Well . . . in case you were wondering . . . I AM! Tomorrow is our first cast read-through and as per usual, I think events such as these are always better with food. With wild aspirations, I had planned a theme menu derived from the play's concept (set in a down-and-dirty 1920s New Orleans locale rather than cold and dreary Scotland) complete with jambalya, gumbo, and pralines. Time and other obligations, however, got between me and this ambitious banquet for 18. (I'll deliver for the cast party though . . . I promise.) While I'm fairly certain free pizza and sodas will satisfy the appetites of the cast of (mostly) starving college students, I did want to make special treat just for them. Taking stock of the fridge and pantry, I found an abundance of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and crème fraîche. Ahhh . . . sweet inspiration. I decided to make a baked-homage to the play's themes of light and darkness in the form of a dense, chewy brownie with a tangy cream filling. Double, double, toil and yum.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter
- 2 c. granulated sugar
- 1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla, divided
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 3/4 c. flour, divided
- 1/2 c. crème fraîche
- 1 c. powdered sugar
- 1 c. chocolate chips
- 1 egg yolk
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly spray a silicon or muffin tin and set aside.
In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and granulated sugar over medium heat. Stir frequently to keep sugar from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. Remove from heat. Whisk in cocoa powder until incorporated. Add eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla and whisk into mixture until batter is smooth. Add salt, baking powder, and 1 1/2 c. flour and whisk to combine. Set aside. In a small bowl combine crème fraîche, 1/4 c. flour, powdered sugar, chocolate chips, 1 tsp. vanilla, and egg yolk. Stir to combine.
Fill each muffin cup halfway with brownie batter. With the back of a teaspoon, make a small indentation in the center of each brownie dollop then fill with about a tea spoon full of crème fraîche mixture. Top each crème fraîche layer with a small dollop of brownie batter. Bake in oven about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool brownie cups in the pan for about ten minutes before turning out on a rack to cool completely. Eat with milk . . . or witches. Whichever you prefer.
Recipe yields about 18 brownie cups.
Chewy Nutty Nutella Brownies
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 13x9" baking dish with foil and then lightly butter the foil to prevent brownies from sticking. In a medium saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter over medium. Add sugar and stir over heat until ingredients are thoroughly blended and the sugar becomes shiny and smoother. Add Nutella and briefly stir over heat. Remove from stove, whisk in eggs and stir until smooth. Whisk in flour, salt, baking powder, and hazelnuts. Stir until ingredients are thoroughly blended. Spread batter into prepared baking dish and bake in oven for 22-24 minutes until brownies are cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before cutting.
