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Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter Blondies cut into squares with a glass of milk on the side.

Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter Blondies

Talk about delightful—these soft and chewy brown butter chocolate chunk blondies have a layer of gooey nutella hidden inside.
Yield: one 8x8 pan (16 servings)
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • ½ cup / 175 g Nutella
  • ¾ cup / 170 g (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • 1 ¼ cup / 250 g packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups / 250 g all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup / 75 g semisweet chocolate chunks or chips
  • ½ cup / 65 g coarsely chopped hazelnuts
  • maldon flake sea salt, for topping

Instructions

  • Line an 8-by-8-inch square baking pan (I recommend a light colored metal pan) with parchment paper. Spread Nutella in a thin layer in the bottom of the pan; freeze for at least 20 minutes or until solid.
  • To brown your butter, melt butter in a sauce pan set over medium heat. The butter will foams up and starts to sputter (this is the water being cooked off). Swirl the pan occasionally to keep the butter cooking evenly. Eventually the foam will subside and the milk solids will sink to the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until the solids on the bottom turn a light golden brown and the butter has a fragrant, nutty aroma. Keep a close eye on it as it will go from perfectly brown to burnt rather quickly (in which case I'd recommend dumping it and starting over). Remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm.
  • Preheat oven to 350 °F Line a second 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment paper (or, if you only have one pan, at this point your Nutella should be solid enough to take it out of the pan; leave the parchment with the Nutella in the freezer, and line the pan with a fresh piece of parchment and set aside).
  • In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, salt and baking powder on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until light in color and thick but not stiff.
  • Reduce mixer to low and drizzle in lukewarm brown butter until fully incorporated.
  • Sprinkle over flower and mix on low speed until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts (reserve a spoonful of each for topping).
  • Spread half of the dough in the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Remove frozen Nutella from the freezer and gently lay it on top of the dough in the pan. Spread remaining dough in an even layer on top. Sprinkle with flake sea salt as well as reserved chocolate chips and hazelnut pieces if desired.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is shiny and set and starting to brown around the edges. The 'toothpick test' doesn't really work with blondies, so you'll have to make your best educated guess as to when they are done (this can vary depending on your particular oven, baking pan, alignment of the stars, etc). Each time you make them you can adjust the bake time until they are just right for your particular situation and preferences.
  • Place pan on a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature.
  • Lift out the entire block of blondies using the parchment paper, then use a large chef knife to cut into 16 even squares (wipe the blade between each cut). Blondies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.