When I was in third grade, I desperately wanted to be a brownie – the Girl Scout kind, not the chocolate kind. I loved their cute brown uniform with colorful patches. I longed to know what they talked about in their secret after school meetings. It seemed so out of reach for me…a club for cool girls with cool parents. No room for shy, quiet ones like me or at least that’s what I thought. I don’t remember ever telling my family I wanted to join. I just gazed quietly at the cool girls trying to imagine life in their world. Back then, I let those brownie dreams quietly go. But, today, more than 30 years later, I have different brownie dreams and I ‘m here to share them with you in the form of my all-time favorite brownie recipe. Life has a way of coming around sometimes.
I have been using this amazing recipe for years. It’s perfect on its own, but this time around, I wanted to add some fun fillings, so in went dulce de leche and hazelnuts. That turned out to be a pretty great thing. No regrets.
These babies are rich and fudgy with hidden pockets of creamy dulce de leche and crunchy bits of toasted hazelnuts. The first word that came to mind when I bit into one was: Yum. But more like, Yummm. Served with a glass of cold milk, these are decadent and heavenly.
They’re made with typical brownie ingredients – butter, sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, eggs, vanilla, chocolate chips, and a teaspoon of espresso powder. The dulce de leche and hazelnuts are optional. You could also use pecans or walnuts in place of the hazelnuts and your favorite caramel in place of the dulce de leche. Or, if you’re a brownie purist, leave them both out for a simple and perfect no-fuss fudgy brownie. Here’s how you do this…
First, a chocolate mixture is made using cocoa, eggs, baking powder, salt, espresso powder, and vanilla. Separately, the butter and sugar are heated, mixed, and then added to the chocolate mixture. Lastly, the flour, chocolate chips, and hazelnuts are added. Half of the batter is placed in a rectangular pan, half the dulce de leche is added followed by the remaining chocolate mixture and finally, the rest of the dulce de leche gets swirled on top. During their 30 minute bake time, your kitchen will smell amazing. This is what my brownie dreams are made of now…
These Dulce de Leche Hazelnut Brownies are guaranteed to be a big hit with all of your brownie-loving or chocoholic friends. They are the epitome of what a great brownie should be – fudgy, rich, and moist with a slightly crackly top. Make them next time you get a chocolate craving and let me know how you like them…brownie points 😉
You might also like:
Alfajores – Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies
Dulce de Leche Hazelnut Brownies
These are my all-time favorite brownies – fudgy, rich, moist, and perfect.
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (one 12 oz bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup dulce de leche (or thick caramel of your choice)
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Line bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch rectangular pan with foil or parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Using a mixer, beat eggs, cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
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Place butter in microwave safe bowl and heat until melted, about 45-50 seconds.
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Add sugar to melted butter and stir until well combined.
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Add the butter/sugar mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined.
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Add flour, chocolate chips, and hazelnuts (if using) and stir gently until no more flour is visible
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Place half the brownie batter in the prepared pan, distributing evenly. Using half of the dulce de leche, drop spoonfuls onto the brownie batter and swirl slightly with butter knife or small spatula. Add remaining chocolate mixture, spreading evenly and then top with the rest of the dulce de leche. Swirl them together gently with a butter knife.
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Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
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Allow to cool on wire rack before cutting into squares
These brownies are delicious without the addition of the nuts and dulce de leche too if you prefer a plain brownie.
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Oh my these brownies look decadent and just amazing! Literally my mouth is watering ♥
Thank you, Natalie. They really are decadent and so delicious 🙂
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