Nutella Swirl Brownies

Nutella Swirl Brownies

My kitchen does not always close because I have an early night. Olivia's friend Nora was sleeping over last night and they decided to make late night Nutella brownies.  I was watching TV in bed when Olivia brought two of these, warm from the oven for Spouse and I to sample in bed. How's that for service?

Without a doubt, these are some of the best brownies I have ever tried. Brownie lovers seem to be divided into two groups, the edge lovers like me and the center cut lovers who like the middle best. This recipe will please everyone because the edges get chewy and delicious while the center is oh so fudgy. The swirl of Nutella through the batter makes them even better. A tall glass of cold milk and one of these beauties would make any kid extremely happy as an after school snack.

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan and line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan melt:

• 1 cup butter

Remove from heat and stir in until dissolved:

• 2 1/4 cups sugar

Dissolving the sugar in the butter is an essential step. You want to pinch the mixture between your fingers and make sure that you can't feel any sugar grains; this step helps to create the soft chewy, fudgy texture of the brownies. If you need to return the mixture to the heat to get the sugar dissolved only place it on the burner over medium heat for 30 seconds at a time and stir again. It is important that the mixture is not too hot when you add the Nutella, so cool it down for 15 minutes or so if you have to before moving on to the next step.

When the sugar is dissolved, stir in until smooth:

• 2/3 cup Nutella

Add:

• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large or extra large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer on low, mix until smooth.

Finally fold in by hand:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Take and additional 

• 1/3 cup Nutella 

and drop it by teaspoonfuls all over the surface of the batter. Using the handle of a wooden spoon swirl the Nutella through the batter.

Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan before cutting and serving.

Wonderful for brownie sundaes too!