Luscious brownies topped with pillowy Nutella frosting for a fun, delicious, and easy dessert you can make in advance. Perfect for elegant dinner parties or children’s birthday parties, these Brownies with Nutella Frosting will become a family favorite.
Ever since I made the Nutella Cheesecake Crepes last month, I’ve been thinking of other ways I could use Nutella in my baking. I finally decided on these Nutella frosted brownies, a true chocoholic’s dream!
This recipe makes a 9-inch square pan of brownies for about 16 pieces, perfect to take to parties, potlucks, and picnics in these final warm days before the chill of fall and winter arrives.
The Nutella frosting is a winner and one you will be craving forever! Rich, indulgent, and absolutely delicious, it is the perfect accompaniment for the dark brownies. The two together are a luscious pairing.
I really like the crunch the hazelnuts added to the brownies. A very nice textural component if you can find them. You could also use a different nut if you prefer, but hazelnuts complement the Nutella the best.
If you’ve had a long day or week and want to pamper yourself even more, add a scoop of ice cream alongside the brownies. You can thank me later, LOL.
These are some of my favorite brownies, the perfect texture and deep, rich chocolate flavor. They are enhanced by the Nutella frosting, adding beautiful nutty notes in every bite.
You will want to cut fairly small squares because these are very rich brownies. One will usually satisfy all but the most diehard chocoholics in your crowd.
I hope you make these Brownies with Nutella Frosting soon and enjoy every bite! Happy Chocolate Monday!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Brownies with Nutella Frosting:
- Brownies: butter, bittersweet chocolate, gluten-free flour blend
- Baking powder, salt, sugar, brown sugar, eggs
- Frosting: unsalted butter, Nutella, confectioners’ sugar, salt
- Heavy cream, and whole hazelnuts, optional
PRO Tip:
You will need to beat the batter for a couple of minutes to cool it down before adding the eggs. If they go in too soon, you risk them scrambling and having a lumpy batter!
PRO Tip:
Be sure to butter both the baking dish and the parchment you lined it with. These brownies tend to stick badly even to parchment!
How to make Brownies with Nutella Frosting:
- For the Brownies: Set a bowl over a saucepan that has about 2-inches of water in it, and melt the chocolate and butter together; remove from the heat and pour into the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl and beat until you can hold your hand comfortably on the bottom
- Add the eggs and beat to mix in, then increase the speed and beat until lightened and fluffy; scrape the bowl and beater(s) well, then mix in the dry ingredients until smooth, and scrape the bowl again
- Pour batter into the buttered and parchment-lined 9-inch square baking pan, leaving two ends of the parchment extending beyond the edges to create a sling; smooth the top of the batter and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs on it
- Set on a wire rack and cool about 15 minutes, then run a knife across the uncovered edges and gently lift the brownies out of the pan and set them on the wire rack to cool completely
- For the Frosting: beat the butter until smooth, then mix in the Nutella and salt, beating until fully incorporated; add the sugar slowly so you don’t get showered with it as you mix it into the Nutella mixture, then add 2 tablespoons of the cream and mix in, beating in the vanilla at the end
- Add more cream if needed for a good spreading consistency, more sugar if you want to pipe it instead; sprinkle whole hazelnuts across the top if desired before cutting and serving squares
PRO Tip:
In order to get the cleanest slices, use a long, sharp knife to cut a thin slice off of each edge – these are great for nibbling on! Then you can easily cut the remaining brownie bar into equal-sized squares. For perfect cuts, rinse the knife under hot water each time you make a cut, wipe dry and make your next cut. You will get picture perfect slices each time!
PRO Tip:
When you have to add a lot of eggs in a recipe, it is easiest to break them into a measuring cup with a spout. Then you can easily pour them into the mixing bowl, one yolk (and accompanying whites) at a time. If more than one comes out while you are pouring, that is ok, don’t panic.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Kitchen scale
- 9-inch square baking dish
- Parchment paper
- Medium saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Rubber spatula and offset spatula
- Long, sharp knife
Gluten-Free Tips:
You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Brownies with Nutella Frosting (Gluten Free)
Luscious brownies topped with pillowy Nutella frosting for a fun, delicious, and easy dessert you can make in advance. Perfect for elegant dinner parties or children’s birthday parties, these Brownies with Nutella Frosting will become a family favorite.
Ingredients
Brownies
- 6 tbsp (3/4 stick; 85g) butter, cut into small pieces
- 4 oz (113g) bittersweet chocolate (70%) chopped
- 1/2 cup (60g) gluten-free flour blend or all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 tsp kosher or fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113g) unsalted butter, at warm room temperature
- 5 oz (141g) Nutella, or other chocolate hazelnut spread
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 to 2 cups (113g to 227g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream, as needed
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract or paste
Topping (optional)
- Whole hazelnuts, for garnishing, optional
Instructions
- Make the Brownies: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line with a sheet of parchment paper long enough to hang over two sides creating a sling. Butter the parchment.
- Pour about 2-inches of water into a 3 to 4 quart saucepan. Set the bowl of your standing mixer into the pan - it should fit snuggly but the bottom of the bowl should be above the water. Bring the water to a simmer. Place the butter and chocolate in the bowl. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth.
- In another bowl, blend together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Remove the bowl with the chocolate mixture from the heat, dry the bottom of the bowl and set on your standing mixer. Using the paddle attachment and with the mixer on low, beat in both the sugars until blended and the mixture is cooled enough to hold your hand on the bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs and beat on low to mix in; turn up to medium and beat for about a minute or until lightened in color and fluffy.
- Stop the mixer and thoroughly scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and the beater(s). Add the dry ingredients, beat on low until smooth. Scrape the bowl again.
- Pour the batter into the parchment paper-lined baking pan and smooth the top with a small offset spatula.
- Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted between the cups comes out with a few moist crumbs. Transfer the pan to a wire rack, loosen the uncovered edges with a knife, and let cool completely.
- Use the parchment paper to carefully lift the brownies out of the pan and place on a cutting board.
- Prepare the Frosting: In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat the soft butter on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the Nutella and salt. Continue to beat until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl and beater(s).
- Add 1 cup of the sugar, beat on medium-low speed until incorporated. Slowly add the remaining sugar, a little at a time, beating after each addition, until the frosting is at your desired texture.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add more cream or sugar if needed for a good spreading consistency. Scrape the bowl and beater(s) well.
- Spread the frosting over the cooled brownies, sprinkle with hazelnuts if using, cut into squares (see Pro Tip above), and serve.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
Brownies inspired by a recipe from Julie of Table for Two blog
Frosting adapted from a Baked by an Introvert recipe
You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with a straight edge, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t
changed and are still safe to consume.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 91Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 179mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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