Nutella Infused Brownies

In an effort to find another vehicle for my beloved Nutella I decided to experiment with making Nutella brownies. I did not want to simply mix the Nutella into the batter because I thought the flavor would get lost. I have also seen other people make a frosting out of the Nutella but I thought that that would be a bit much. I ended up piping the Nutella into already-baked brownies. This gives each brownie a little pocket of gooey Nutella. Pure decadence. These brownies are not for the faint of heart. If you don't really love chocolate you probably won't like them. But, if chocolate is your drug of choice you need to try these.
You can make these with boxed brownie mix or from-scratch brownies. We actually ,made them both ways, and both were good. I definitely liked the from-scratch ones better because they were less sweet and way more moist. But, if you are in a time crunch, or money crunch, and you want to dress up some plain, out-of-the-box brownies, this definitely works. We added chopped walnuts, and topped our brownies with Bittersweet chocolate. This works to cover up the holes from the Nutella and balance out some of the sweetness. I would definitely not recommend using semi-sweet or milk chocolate for the topping. These are way sweet as it is, and it takes a lot for me to say that.

Nutella Brownies

1 recipe prepared brownies
Nutella
Bittersweet chocolate pieces

Prepare your brownies. Put your Nutella into a frosting bag, or a Ziploc bag with one corner cut open. While your brownies are still warm pipe the Nutella into the brownies at equal intervals figuring that you will have one Nutella bite per brownie. If you are using a Ziploc, I would recommend making holes for the Nutella with a knife first and then squeezing the Nutella out of the bag into the holes. Sprinkle the bittersweet chocolate pieces in a thin layer on top of the brownies and place in a warm oven for about a minute. Watch them closely, and as soon as they look shiny take them out. Immediately spread the chocolate over the brownies in a even layer. The chocolate on top will harden while the brownies cool. Let them cool completely before cutting and serving.

Double Fudge Brownies
*Recipe from The Chicago Tribune Good Eating Section

3/4 C Flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, not dutch processed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 C Chopped walnuts or pecans
1 tablespoon flour
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 C sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8X8 inch baking pan. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Mix the nuts with the 1 tablespoon of flour. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the chocolate and cook, stirring, until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat immediately and stir in the sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Let this mixture cool for about 10 minutes.
Whisk the eggs into the chocolate mixture one at a time. Beat until smooth and glossy-about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour mixture and the nuts and mix until just combined.
Spread the batter into your prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean. This should be 20-25 minutes. Cool pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.