Nutella & Salted Pretzel Brownie Bars

I've decided to call these guys brownie bars, you know, kind of like a cookie bar, because they are really so much more than just brownies. We start off with a sweet and salty pretzel crust, which lays the ground work for a Nutella infused brownie, frosted with even more Nutella and finally topped with chopped pretzels for a little something extra.

These brownie bars are sure to kick your next sweet & salty craving, in one fell swoop!

To make about 10 bars (or 20 small squares) (enough to feed roughly 4 people in my house - but 8-10 people in a normal house), you are going to need the following:

For the crust:

3/4 cup crushed pretzels

1/3 cup light brown sugar

3 tbsp salted butter

Brownies:

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup Nutella

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

Toppings:

1/2 cup Nutella, to frost the top

1/2 cup chopped pretzels, for decoration

Start off by pre-heating the oven to 350F degrees. Toss all your ingredients for the crust into a food processor and pulse until fully combined. You want the pretzels to be crushed.

In a glass or non-stick 8x8 baking dish, line the bottom with the crushed pretzel mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, just until golden brown and set.

While the crust is in the oven, start on the brownie batter. First, whip together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add in your eggs (one at a time, of course) then the vanilla extract. Once that is all fully combined, drop in the Nutella. Make sure everything is incorporated and there are no brown or white streaks.

In a small, separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. In 3 batches, add to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. As always, be careful not to overmix as we want smooth, fudgy brownies.

Once the batter is good to go, pour it over the already baked crust and back in the oven it goes, for about 35-40 minutes. The top of the brownie should be set and a toothpick inserted should come out clean. 

Remove from the oven and let rest until completely cooled. Remove from the baking dish and set on a flat surface (I used a cutting board). Frost the top with Nutella and sprinkle with your chopped pretzels. Cut into small squares or rectangular bars and you are ready to enjoy! These are very rich, so all you need is a small taste to satisfy your sweet (and sometimes salty) tooth.

Nutella Stuffed Espresso Rolls

These little rolls here are so delicious and addicting. They are perfect for a morning pick-me up on a lazy Sunday. But I can testify that they taste just as good at all points of the day. Similar to my cinnamon rolls, these rolls require two rises. The dough is a great base, so feel free to switch up the insides to your delight. I bet some citrus flavor would go great with the richness the espresso powder adds to the dough. I might have to try that out for next time!

Recipe yields 12 rolls

Ingredients 

1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3 tsp espresso powder
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup Nutella

To the bowl of your stand mixer, add melted butter, warm milk and yeast. Allow to sit for 5-8 minutes while the yeast becomes active. 

Mix in 2 teaspoons of espresso powder, the granulated sugar and the egg. Be sure to mix until fully incorporated.

Slowly mix in the flour until the dough begins to form. You want the dough to be workable, not too dry or too sticky. Add additional flour or drops of water to get your dough where it needs to be.

Using the dough hook to your stand mixer (or your hands) knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it becomes elastic. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest for about 2 hours. You want the dough to rise and double in size.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and use a rolling pin to form a rectangle, about 11 X 15 inches.

Spread the dough evenly with the Nutella, being sure to leave roughly 1/2 inch border around the edge. You want to leave some space so the Nutella doesn't ooze out the edges when you have to roll the dough.

Mix together the brown sugar and remaining teaspoon of espresso powder. Sprinkle the mixture over the Nutella layer.

Roll up the dough, making sure to keep it tight and pressed together as you roll it up.

Slice the dough into 1 1/2 inch rolls. Arrange in a baking dish and cover. Allow the dough to rise for a second time, about 1 hour. The rolls should double in size and should all be pushed together. During this wait, preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Once the dough has risen, place in the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes. The tops should be golden brown.

Serve and enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Nutella Swirl Blondies

My love for the happy marriage of peanut butter and chocolate is no secret. Nor is my love for Nutella. With that in mind, this sweet treat sure can make my head spin. The blondie is chewy with a crunch from the peanuts, the Nutella is delicious and the marshmallows are sticky. It is every thing one could hope for. You are going to love this treat because of all its flavors combined into one little square.

Recipe yields 16 blondies

Ingredients
Blondies:
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup peanut butter (you choose - creamy or crunchy)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Nutella Swirl:
1 1/2 oz chocolate with hazelnuts
1/2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup Nutella

Topping:
2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center position. Line an 8" baking pan with a sheet of non-stick foil and allow some foil to hang over the sides. In a medium bowl, beat the sugars and butter until soft and fluffy.

Add the peanut butter, eggs and vanilla and continue to mix until well combined. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl to get every last drop into the batter.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. You know the rule - no overmixing!

Transfer the batter into your baking pan and set aside.

In a double broiler (or the microwave) melt the butter and chocolate for the Nutella swirl. Add the Nutella and stir to combine.

Drop spoonfuls of Nutella mixture on top of the blondie batter in the baking pan. Using a sharp knife, drag it through the mixture to create a swirl effect. (Hint: do not over swirl or you will begin to mix the Nutella into the batter and lose your swirl effect).

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until you can cleanly remove a toothpick/cake tester.

Immediately sprinkle the top of the blondies with mini marshmallows once it is out of the oven. Return to oven on 325 degrees for 3 minutes to allow the marshmallows to melt.

Place your blondies on a rack to cool for 20 minutes and then in the refrigerator for an additional 15 minutes. You really want to make sure those marshmallows have hardened up or you will have a mess on your hands in a few steps. While blondies are cooling, melt chocolate chips in a double broiler and stir in the salt. Pour the melted chocolate on top of the hardened marshmallows. Use an off-set spatula to spread the chocolate in an even layer.

Refrigerate the  blondies for at least 1 hour to allow the chocolate to harden. Once the chocolate is set, you can remove the blondies from the pan and cut them. Note: Be sure not to cut them until the chocolate is firm and set! Serve & enjoy!

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

After a long day at work (or in my case a long week!) nothing is better than putting your feet up and enjoying a delicious treat. These cookies fit the bill. I love chocolate as much as the next person, and sometimes a double chocolate chip cookie just doesn't cut it. My solution? Let's mix in some Nutella and chopped hazelnuts. Could you think of anything better?

Recipe yields 48 cookies

Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup Nutella
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

Add both sugars and Nutella to butter and continue to mix. Be sure to scrape down the sides to insure even mixing.

Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat the first egg into the mixture before adding the second. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Hint: Do not skip this step! Cocoa tends to be very clumpy, so sifting helps smooth it out.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they are fully incorporated. As always, do not over mix!

Fold in the chocolate chips and the hazelnuts so that they are evenly spread throughout the cookie dough.

Refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes. Coat a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or your hands, place 1" drops of dough onto the parchment paper.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 2-3 minutes. Remove from tray and place on a cooling rack. Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes, if you can manage.

Serve with an extra large glass of milk (trust me, with all the chocolate in this cookie, it needs to be an XL glass). Enjoy!