Christmas

Nutella Shortbread Brownies

October 26, 2011
4
1 Ratings
Photo by Brandon Carl
  • Makes 24 brownies
Author Notes

These sinfully rich little confections were inspired by a recipe I found years ago on Epicurious.com for Fudgy Brownie Bars. I've made this for years, with the addition of Nutella, vanilla, and whole hazelnuts to the batter, and for the shortbread base I use salted butter to give a sweet-salty contrast. These are always the first thing to go at holiday parties! —Anna Watson Carl

Test Kitchen Notes

The Yellow Table’s Nutella Shortbread Brownies are as decadent as they are delicious. This is an example of the-best-of-both-worlds kind of confection. It's hard to go wrong pairing a dark chocolate hazelnut brownie with salted butter shortbread—the result is a rich amalgam that starts out chewy chocolaty, sings of hazelnut in the middle, and ends with a crisp toffee like cookie. One note: I could not find vanilla in the ingredient list but the teaspoon I added was sufficient. Be sure to use a sharp knife when cutting to ensure that stubborn hazelnuts slice in half – otherwise you can lose a whole chunk out of the next brownie. —gingerroot

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Ingredients
  • Salted Butter Shortbread
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons salted butter, cut into small pieces
  • Hazelnut Nutella Brownies
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup Nutella
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup whole roasted hazelnuts, skins removed
Directions
  1. Salted Butter Shortbread
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is full of pea-sized lumps.
  3. Sprinkle the mixture into a 13"x9"x2" baking pan and press the mixture evenly into the pan with your hands (or a metal spatula).
  4. Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before adding the brownie layer.
  1. Hazelnut Nutella Brownies
  2. Keep the oven preset at 350°F. Melt the butter and the chocolate in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
  3. Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and beat well with electric beaters (or a whisk). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla and the Nutella and continue beating.
  4. Stir in the flour and the salt, until no streaks remain. Stir in the hazelnuts. Pour the mixture over the shortbread base and smooth the surface with a spatula.
  5. Bake on the middle rack for 35 to 40 minutes or until a tester comes out with moist crumbs attached. (The middle may crack a bit–this is normal.) Cool completely before slicing. Cut into 24 bars and keep in an airtight container at room temperature (or freeze).

See what other Food52ers are saying.

18 Reviews

Darian May 15, 2019
These were a HUGE hit at our family Mother's Day celebration over the weekend! The shortbread crust had the perfect hint of salt from the salted butter, and was a nice sturdy base for the rich brownie. I might have liked the Nutella flavor to come through a bit more, but overall they were delicious so no complaints! These were pretty quick and easy and I usually have these ingredients on hand, so this would be a good go-to for last minute desserts and/or potluck contributions.
betty888 November 29, 2014
My best friend asked that I bring a chocolate dessert for Thanksgiving, so I just had to try these. I halved the recipe, and did a rough chop on the hazelnuts before I added them to the batter. This is one of those ridiculously easy recipes with a great payoff. I will definitely be making these again.
BABblingBeth April 16, 2014
Could not find roasted hazelnuts. Instead purchased raw, peeled hazelnuts and roasted in the oven for approx. 20 minutes at 275 degrees (until slightly browned & glistening with their oil). This recipe is definitely a home run!
calangus August 13, 2013
A pregnant friend of mine has requested brownies. She is also a nutella nut. This is going to be perfect.
RoundLake C. November 23, 2011
I am about to make my second batch of these brownies. They are crazy good!
wssmom November 12, 2011
Really really nice, congratulations on the CP. My son has a severe peanut/nut allergy, so I will be trying a nut-free version ....
Ms. T. November 11, 2011
YUM! I would kill for some right now. Congrats on the CP :)
gingerroot November 7, 2011
Hi! I tested these this weekend and noticed you don't have vanilla listed in your ingredient list. I emailed you through the site but maybe it did not go through. I ended up adding 1 t. They were delicious!
Anna W. November 29, 2011
Hi! I never got your email (and I'm not on this site much so I didn't see your comment until now!) Thanks for testing these–I just added 1 tsp vanilla to the ingredient list. That is exactly how much I normally use, so thanks for noticing it was missing!
RoundLake C. November 7, 2011
I made these for a bake sale on Saturday and they were gone in a flash! Wish I had made 2 pans! Thanks!
Anna W. November 7, 2011
Wow that's great! This is one of my all-time favorite holiday baked goods!
Anna W. October 26, 2011
Thanks for all the comments :) These are pretty yummy I must say, but dangerous to keep in the house!!!
AntoniaJames October 26, 2011
Oh, this is too funny. Brilliant minds obviously think alike! I make something similar, using a bit of salted peanut butter in the shortbread, and putting a layer of Reese's peanut butter cups (leftover from Halloween) between the shortbread and the brownie . . . . and a gingerbread variation, too, with lemon and anise in the shortbread. Not sure if I'll have time to post those recipes, given everything else going on right now. Love the nutella and hazelnuts, though!! ;o)
Niknud October 26, 2011
Oh, please post them! If not this week, later. BTW, apologies for the somewhat sappy message last night but it was late and I had had a really wretched day (I'll post about my Emergency Room Roast Duck later) and it just seemed like the only good thing that had happened that day! Your message really helped cheer me up!
aargersi October 26, 2011
Holy cow. These look amazing
fiveandspice October 26, 2011
Mama mia! Over the top! (In a good way.)
EmilyC October 26, 2011
Oh yum -- these look divine!
Niknud October 26, 2011
These sound (and look) fantastic. Anything with nutella has my vote!