Swirled Nutella Blondies
These Nutella blondies were created to celebrate National Chocolate Day. But you don’t need a national holiday for an excuse to enjoy these thick, nut-scented blondies with a rich Nutella swirl. They are quick and easy enough that you could make them any day of the week.
Tips and tricks for this recipe
Adaptation and ingredients
The base for these Nutella cookies is my go-to chocolate chip cookie with minor modifications. The first change is the use of brown butter for greater flavor.
Browning butter causes drop cookies to spread. But spread is not an issue when making these Nutella blondies or any other bar cookies or brownies in a pan. And the nutty flavor of brown butter pairs really well with Nutella.
If you’ve never browned butter before, the secret is to cook it slowly over medium-low heat, and listen for the popping to stop.
The second modification of the cookie recipe is the use of mostly dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar increases the richness of these Nutella blondies and simplifies the base recipe.
Putting it together
You can make these Nutella bars either by hand or with a hand or stand mixer. First, mix together the brown butter and sugar (Panels #1 and #2).
Then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by a tablespoon of hazelnut liqueur (Panel #3). Fold in the dry ingredients just until mixed (Panel #4).
Making the Nutella swirl is super easy. First, put the cookie base into the prepared pan (Panel #1). Dollop the Nutella on top (Panel #2). Use a knife to swirl the Nutella into the batter by scooping a small amount of Nutella and batter together (Panel #3) and flip the knife over (Panel #4), being careful not to scrape down to the bottom of the pan.
Don’t worry if the swirl doesn’t look perfect. It’s better to leave it as is than mix so much that you lose your swirl.
If your blondies look a bit lumpy bumpy after swirling (Panel #5), just give the pan a few thwacks on the counter to settle out those peaks (Panel #6).
FAQs about these Nutella blondies
Nutella is a delicious mixture of hazelnut and chocolate. If you want to control the amount of sugar, you can make your own to use in this recipe.
There is so much variation in how people measure that you are much more likely to get a reliable result if you weigh your ingredients. I always weigh out ingredients.
Yes. That would be ok. And here’s a bit of explanation about the difference between light and dark brown sugars.
Sure. That sounds tasty. I would add 1/2 cup of hazelnuts to the blondie batter. To remove the bitter skins, toast the nuts for a few minutes, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel, and then rub them against each other. The friction of rubbing the nuts together removes the skins.
You can either butter your baking pan or you can line your pan with parchment paper. Either one will work to prevent your blondies from sticking to the pan. Lining the pan with parchment paper just allows you to lift out the baked blondies and cut them without scratching your pan.
Yes. These blondies would freeze well. Just cut the baked blondies into individual sized pieces before freezing.
Related recipes
Want more blondies? How about these cherry bakewell blondies that are swirled with cherry jam. Or these chocolate chip marshmallow cookie bars (aka s’mores bars).
Or, if you love Nutella, swirl some more into my Nutella banana bread. You can also check out my Nutella babka, Nutella waffles, or Nutella pop tarts.
Nutella Blondies
Equipment
- 1 Mixer optional
- 1 9 inch square baking pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams or 8.8 ounces) bleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 227 grams or 8 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (192 grams or 6.6 ounces) dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 grams or 1.8 ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon Frangelico or other hazelnut liqueur
- ½ cup Nutella
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9 inch square pan or line the pan with parchment paper and lightly butter the paper.
- Sift or whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium sized bowl.2 cups (250 grams or 8.8 ounces) bleached, all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it starts to darken and the "popping" sound stops.1 cup (2 sticks or 227 grams or 8 ounces) unsalted butter
- Add the sugars to a mixing bowl, add the brown butter without scraping the bits at the bottom of the pan, and beat until combined. Let cool slightly.1 cup (192 grams or 6.6 ounces) dark brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 grams or 1.8 ounces) granulated sugar
- Beat in the eggs for one minute, one at a time, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.2 large eggs
- Beat in the hazelnut liqueur.1 tablespoon Frangelico or other hazelnut liqueur
- Mix in the dry ingredients just until uniform.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
- Dollop the Nutella on top of the batter. Then use a knife to swirl the Nutella into the batter, being careful not to go to the bottom of the pan.½ cup Nutella
- Bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the blondies comes out clean and the blondies are just slightly firm to the touch.
- If you used parchment paper, let the blondies cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use the parchment to remove the blondies to a rack.
- Store at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
What’s next?
If you make these Nutella blondies, please leave a comment and 5 heart rating.
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