If you are looking for an easy but decadent dessert, these browned butter Nutella blondies are it! Browned butter imparts a nutty flavor and makes the blondies super fudgy. Nutella is sandwiched between two layers of blondies and then swirled into the batter on top for extra chocolate-hazelnut goodness.
Ingredient highlights
Blondies require very few ingredients so it's best to use quality ones.
- Nutella- The namesake of these blondies, this chocolate hazelnut spread is divine. It's rich and smooth and we use a healthy amount of it in the blondies. I use the "Nutella" brand but feel free to use any high quality chocolate hazelnut spread.
- Butter- Unsalted butter is the way to go here as you will add salt to the batter. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the amount of saltiness more accurately. Use a decent quality butter. European butters have a higher fat ratio and are delicious but you can use a store brand butter if that's what you have on hand.
- Dark Brown Sugar- I opt for dark brown sugar for these to really add a deeper more molasses flavor. I think this complements the nutty notes from the browned butter and the hazelnut from the nutella.
- Vanilla Extract- Vanilla extract adds more sweetness and flavor to the blondies. Try to use the real vanilla extract and not the imitation kinds.
What is browned butter?
Browned butter involves melting and cooking down the milk solids in the butter. Water evaporates and the milk solids turn a deep caramel color and rich aroma.
Doing this adds a rich, nutty flavor to the butter that is pure heaven. It's a one-of-a-kind taste and worth the extra few minutes to make.
How to make browned butter
While making browned butter is no more than melting butter on the stovetop, there are a few tips to ensure it turns out perfectly.
First, cube the butter into tablespoon pieces and place it in a light-colored saucepan. Cutting the butter into the same size cubes makes it melt faster and more evenly. The lighter color of the saucepan will help you see the browned bits on the bottom and help you know when to stop cooking.
On medium heat, melt the butter. This should take around 2-3 minutes to completely melt the butter and start to boil it. At this point, your mixture will look like the picture below: bubbling and very slightly foamy.
It will then start to bubble even more rapidly before turning foamy.
Stir frequently during this process so that it cooks evenly and doesn't burn. When it turns foamy, just quickly stir the spoon so that you can see through the foam to see the color.
You want to take it off the heat once it turns an amber golden brown color. Scrap up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan as those contain lots of flavor!
And that's it. Now you know how to make brown butter and use it to make the best nutella blondies! You can also use it in so many different ways from baked goods to savory.
Here's my favorite savory dish using brown butter: butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sauce. And here's another blondie made with brown butter: brown butter peach blondies.
Tips for making the blondies
- Cool the brown butter- After browning the butter, cool it for about 10 minutes. You can pop it in the fridge to speed up the process or pour it into the mixing bowl to get it out of the hot pan. If you don't cool it, you risk scrambling the eggs when adding them to the butter and sugar.
- Measure the flour properly- This is a given with any baking recipe containing flour. Do not scoop the measuring cup into the bag or canister of flour. This will lead to far more flour than you need which will cause your baked goods to be dry. Instead, use a spoon to lightly spoon flour from your canister to the measureing cup and level off the top with a knife. If you want to be more precise, you can measure the flour in grams using a food scale. In my recipes 128 grams is one cup of flour.
- Heat the nutella- Heat up the nutella for 20-30 seconds in the microwave before layering between the blondie batter. Use an offset spatula to spread it evenly over the batter before topping with the other half of the batter. Then dollop the rest of the nutella on top and gently swirl it into the top layer of batter.
How to store the blondies
The blondies can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container. They will keep for 4-5 days.
FAQs
If nutella is not your jam, you can use peanut butter or another nut butter.
No, but why wouldn't you?? It's seriously tasty but if you really want to be a buzz kill (jk) then non-browned butter will work fine.
If you don't have dark brown sugar feel free to substitute light brown sugar. THe dark brown sugar complements the nuttiness of the browned butter and hazelnut spread but light will work too!
For more nutella recipes, check out:
Browned Butter Nutella Blondies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cubed
- 1 ½ cup dark brown sugar packed (light brown sugar is ok too)
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup Nutella divided
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper leaving an overhand on two sides. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium low heat until it turns a golden-brown color and has a nutty smell, about 5-7 minutes. It will foam up during this time so keep stirring and checking the color under to foam. Once it starts to turn color, don't walk away as it can burn quickly. Remove from the heat and cool for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the melted butter and brown sugar to a medium bowl and stir until combined. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- Add the flour, salt and baking powder and stir until just combined.
- Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan.
- Heat the Nutella in the microwave for about 20 seconds to soften slightly. Pour ½ cup of the Nutella over the batter. Spread the Nutella over the batter using an offset spatula.
- Carefully spread the rest of the batter over the Nutella and smooth the top. Dollop an additional ¼ cup of Nutella over the top of the batter and swirl it lightly into the batter using a knife.
- Bake for about 35-40 minutes until the edges are golden and the middle feels almost set. Cool completely before cutting.
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