You have not lived until you’ve had chocolate hazelnut spread. Bold statement? Trust me: It’s life changing. I didn’t grow up with Nutella always in the house, but when it was around it was a treat. I could never resist eating a finger-full straight from the jar. Now, I’m in love with Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter, which is much richer and nuttier. You could spread it on ANYTHING and it would taste good. But I digress. After debating what brownies to make one afternoon, I thought about using this as the base, and the rest was history. These are thick and fudgy and full of character. I couldn’t imagine anyone not falling in love with these brownies.

Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
• 1/4 cup butter(or non-dairy substitute such as Earth Balance)
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour(or gluten-free flour)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup milk(or non-dairy substitute)
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts(optional)

To start, let your butter soften or microwave it briefly and preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Cream the chocolate hazlenut butter, sugar, and butter together to form a sticky paste.

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Pour in the milk to loosen up the batter while you stir, mixing it together(Note: The batter will be very thick). Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts if using.

Grease a 9×9 baking pan and press in the batter in an even layer. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until the center has been cooked through. Let the brownies cool before cutting.

There really are no words for how good these are. I was going to make a frosting, but these stand on their own pretty easily. But I wouldn’t be opposed to spreading some chocolate hazelnut butter on top. I wouldn’t be opposed at all…

I love brownie recipes, in case that’s not clear. There’s so much you can do with this simple dessert just by varying the ingredients and proportions. One recipe in particular stuck out to me; I’ve always made brownies with flour being the main ingredient but these use chocolate as the center of attention. Chocolate?! What’s not to love there?

Of course, there’s also plenty of butter and sugar, too. But these brownies are truly unique in their composition and that comes out with a richer flavor and a very fudgy feel. Ina knew what she was doing in calling these “Outrageous”.

Outrageous Triple Chocolate Brownies(adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons flour(or gluten-free alternative)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules(optional)
• 1/2 cup butter(or Earth Balance)
• 7oz baking chocolate, divided(about 3/4 cup chocolate chips if you want to use those)

*Note: A flax egg WILL NOT work here. I’m still unsure of certain other egg replacements, however, and will be trying those in future batches.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour, salt, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a large bowl. Set this aside.

In a separate bowl, melt together 4 ounces of chocolate with 1/2 a cup of butter. In another bowl, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla and coffee granules if using. Slowly pour the hot chocolate and butter in while whisking little by little until it’s entirely incorporated. Make sure not to go too fast as this could cook the eggs if not tempered properly.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the large bowl with flour and mix completely.

Grease an 8×8 baking pan and pour the batter in, spreading out to ensure evenness. Sprinkle the top with the leftover chocolate chips and gently press them into the batter. Bake for 30 minutes. Let these cool completely before cutting in(Ina recommends refrigerating them. I didn’t do this, and a few of them crumbled when I tried to lift them from the pan, so it couldn’t hurt).

Wow. You really taste the different layers of chocolate in this. I would have thought the melted chocolate in the batter would make the chocolate chips lest forceful, but that’s not the case at all. The whole brownie tastes moist and rich. And I just love how it forms a smooth, crackly layer on top, just like the best brownies from a box.

When I first started baking, I was pretty much a purist for the recipe: I only used Betty Crocker in that bright red box that called for 2 medium eggs and a 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Adding in 1/2 cup of applesauce sounded “out there”, and folding in chocolate chips was a flavorful twist.

There came a time when I realized that I could mix flour, sugar and cocoa powder on my own, and that it actually tasted better when I did so. The best part of making brownies from scratch is trying different recipes; if you think there’s only one type of brownie you can make, you’re sadly mistaken. I made this recipe with coconut milk because I had an open can that needed to be used, and the result was a very deep, rich dark chocolate flavor. If ever you feel the urge to use a premixed brownie recipe, I ask you to step out of the box and try this.

Rich Coconut Milk Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter(or Earth Balance)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon chocolate chips
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Add in the coconut milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, chocolate chips, and salt and stir until fully incorporated.

Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix until the batter has just come together. The batter will be very thick.

Using a rubber spatula, spread it out on an 8×8 baking pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

These are much darker in flavor than my normal brownie recipe. They’re also more cakey, too, which might or might not be up your alley. From now on, these will be reason not just to finish a can of coconut milk but to open one, too.