Fudgy, rich, and so easy to make, these chocolate hazelnut brownies come together quickly and they’re pretty much guaranteed to satisfy all your chocolate (and Nutella!) cravings!
On a scale of 1 to 10 guess how excited I am for these chocolate hazelnut brownies.
If you guessed 1 billion you’re not far off. . .because LOOK! Gooey brownies studded with hazelnuts, swirled with Nutella. SWIRLED with NUTELLA!
They’re pretty much ev-er-y-thing. If you’re a Nutella-holic, or you know any Nutella-holics, you need to make a batch of these, like, yesterday.
They’re quick and easy, rich and gooey, and 100% guaranteed to satisfy your every craving.
Why you’ll love these chocolate hazelnut brownies:
- They’re easy to make
- All you need is one bowl and a spoon—no mixer!
- They freeze well so you can always have a few stashed for a rainy day
How to make your brownies
- Melt together butter and unsweetened chocolate
- Add eggs, sugar, and vanilla
- Mix to combine
- Mix in dry ingredients
- Add chopped hazelnuts
- Stir to combine
- Scrape the batter into an 8-inch square baking dish and smooth the top
- Dollop Nutella over the batter
- Use a butter knife to swirl the Nutella into the batter
Then bake them for about 25 minutes, and you’re done! Your chocolate hazelnut brownies are ready to be devoured!
Notes:
- If you only have salted butter you can use that, just omit the salt in the recipe and know that your brownies will turn out a little saltier than mine did (that’s not a bad thing if you ask me—I like salty sweets).
- I typically buy Baker’s unsweetened chocolate but Ghirardelli is another good choice that’s easy to find at most grocery stores.
- If you don’t have unsweetened chocolate you can use dark chocolate or even semi-sweet but your brownies won’t be as rich.
- You can skip the Nutella swirl but I love the extra pop of flavor and gooeyness that it adds.
How to store chocolate hazelnut brownies
Uneaten brownies (if you actually have such a thing) can be stored at room temp (covered) for about a day, in the fridge (covered) for up to four days, or in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for up to three months.
To freeze these, I slice them once they’re cool, wrap each brownie tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then shove them in the back of the freezer so no one else can find them.
Note:
Don’t be tempted to wrap them when they’re still warm or they’ll sweat and no one wants a sweaty brownie.
Chocolate hazelnut brownies keep really well in the freezer as long as they’re wrapped tightly; I don’t bother to defrost them before eating because I like frozen brownies, but you can defrost them in the fridge overnight if you want.
Or just pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so—REMOVE the plastic wrap and foil first!
How to toast hazelnuts
You can typically purchase hazelnuts already toasted, but if you buy them raw I recommend toasting them before using them in your chocolate hazelnut brownies. (I strongly prefer the flavor of toasted hazelnuts to raw, but use what you prefer.)
To toast your hazelnuts:
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Arrange the hazelnuts in a single layer on a large baking sheet (I like to use a rimmed baking sheet).
- Toast the nuts for 5 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they reach your desired level of toasty-ness. You can toast them either before or after you chop them.
(If you taste them after they’re chopped they won’t take as much time as if they’re whole.)
I buy hazelnuts at Trader Joe’s because they always have the best prices on nuts. If your grocery store has a bulk bin section, look for hazelnuts there too—that way you can just buy what you need for the recipe if you’re not someone who likes to snack on nuts.
What is Nutella?
Nutella is the name brand of a particular chocolate hazelnut spread. It’s kind of like peanut butter, but made with hazelnuts and cocoa.
Note that there are tons of generic brands of chocolate hazelnut spread out there—you can use any of those in your chocolate hazelnut brownies, you don’t have to buy name-brand.
A few more recipes you might enjoy:
Death by Chocolate Cake
Banana Nutella Cake
Nutella Cookie Bars
Raspberry Brownies
Did you make these chocolate hazelnut brownies? That’s awesome! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. Then post a pic on IG–tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your delicious creations!
Chocolate hazelnut brownies are swirled with Nutella and they come together quickly without a mixer--just a spoon and a bowl. They're easy to make and sure to satisfy all your chocolate cravings!
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into several chunks
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
- 1/2 cup Nutella
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the chocolate and butter in medium a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
- Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Stir the eggs and sugar into the chocolate mixture, mixing well. Mix in the vanilla, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Fold in the flour, until just combined (just mix until you no longer see streaks of flour in the brownie batter).
- Fold in the hazelnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Dollop the Nutella over the brownie batter and use a butter knife to swirl the two together.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top of the brownies looks set. Set pan on a wire rack and cool completely before slicing and serving.
Recipe Video
- If you only have salted butter you can use that, just omit the salt in the recipe and be aware that your brownies will turn out a little saltier than mine did (that’s not a bad thing if you ask me—I like salty sweets).
- If you don’t have unsweetened chocolate you can use dark chocolate or even semi-sweet but your brownies won’t be as rich.
- You can skip the Nutella swirl on top but I love the extra pop of flavor and gooeyness that it adds.
- Uneaten brownies can be stored at room temp (covered) for about a day, in the fridge (covered) for up to four days, or in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for up to three months.
Abby says
Hi 👋 Can I swap the all purpose flour for almond flour? Also the sugar for monk fruit?
Kelsie says
Hi Abby! Unfortunately you can’t substitute almond flour because the brownies won’t hold together. You could probably use a gluten-free all-purpose flour though (Bob’s Red Mill makes a good one). I’m not sure about the monk fruit because I don’t have any experience baking with it. If you have luck substituting it in other recipes then it might work in this one too, but of course the Nutella will still have sugar in it. Another option would be to find a recipe for brownies sweetened with monk fruit. Typically, you can swirl Nutella and mix hazelnuts into pretty much any brownie recipe. Hope that helps!
Abby says
Thank you so much! I used 1/3 almond flour + 1/3 oat flour and Pyure Stevia instead of monk fruit because I wasn’t sure about it but everything worked out pretty well. They’re delicious, thanks for the easy recipe 💕
Kelsie says
That’s great to know! I’m so glad you liked them!
Christie says
I could devour this right now!!! It looks so amazing and tasty!
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says
I just know that cup of coffee I am drinking right now would be so much better with one of these!
Ben @ Havocinthekitchen says
Chocolate brownies with hazelnuts and NUTELLA swirl? That’s insane. Insanely delicious, to be specific! Last year I made a cheesecake with hazelnuts and Nutella, so I guess it’s time for some decadent brownies. Perfect!
mimi rippee says
my favorite sweet flavor combination. chocolate and hazelnuts. you just can’t go wrong! these are beautiful brownies.
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Oh man – just when I’m trying to be healthy! Be gone, carrots – there’s a new brownie in town!! YUM!!
David @ Spiced says
Uneaten brownies? Psh. I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that concept. It certainly wouldn’t be happening with these chocolate hazelnut brownies! I love hazelnuts…in fact, I’ve often said that hazelnuts are the nut that got picked last for playground kickball. But this recipe is like the hazelnut coming up to bat and kicking a home run! I’d be all over these brownies!
Ashika | The Gardening Foodie says
Brownies are such a great dessert and with Nutella and toasted hazelnuts it must taste amazing 🙂 These really look great Kelsie 🙂
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
You KNOW I’m a Nutella-holic! These look sooo good Kelsie!! Chocolate and hazelnut is the absolute best! I’m definitely a fan of nuts in brownies, too. Yum!
Laura says
Like everyone else, were total Brownie fans here! And I consider you the expert Nutella recipe person, so I’m going to put these on my Must Make list! Can’t wait to give these a try!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
I’ve never met a brownie I haven’t loved Kelsie! And these will be no exception! Delicious!
Milena says
I don’t think that brownies can get any better than this. The Nutella and chopped toasted hazelnuts are such a tasty upgrade. Pinned.
Kim Lange says
Amen to these sista! 🥰🥰🥰 love!
Leanne says
I’ve got to give these a try! We’re still snowed in around here and I’m just in the mood to bake today. I have everything I need to make these (except the hazelnuts so I’ll sub in some walnuts!) so I may whip them up this afternoon. I’m craving chocolate and that fudgy centre looks incredible. Pinning!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Lol! I can certainly tell you’re excited! I can see why! Huge Nutella fan too. We’ve had an incredible amount of snow here this past weekend (record breaking snowfall), lost power and everything, so I need all the cozy comfort food and sweets I can get!! These look like they would hit the spot! Happy Monday, Kelsie 🙂
Kelly @ Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats says
What’s not to love about this??? Gooey brownie…Nutella!! I’m drooling over here Kelsie!
Cheyanne says
Oh wowza, these brownies are like a trifecta of YUM! I love that you used hazelnuts in these!! They are such a delicious and underutilized nut!!! Plus you threw in some nutella!? I mean, it doesn’t get much better than this!!! Drooling!! Mondays need these brownies!
Carlee says
I usually prefer my brownies without nuts, but these look good enough I am willing to set that aside and take the whole batch off your hands!
Sherry says
I always use salted butter in sweets, and i add salt. I looove salty sweet treats. And I adore Nutella. Winner!