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Browned Butter Hazelnut Brownies

Close shot of plate with brownie slice with hazelnuts.
Here's my new Chocolate brownie recipe, but this time, with browned butter and hazelnuts.  With the same gooey texture, these Browned Butter Hazelnut Brownies are as addictive as my original recipe version.

Browned Butter Hazelnut Brownies

Proper Gooey Brownies At The Next Level


Chocolate Brownies

Browned butter hazelnut brownies, are my new flavour of proper chocolate brownies. Now the reason I say ‘Proper Brownies’ is I see too often recipes claiming to be brownies, but are simply just chocolate cake squares, with basic cake instructions and no soft gooey centre. Love them or hate them, brownies should not have a sponge texture through out and must have a ‘paper crust’ to the top.

They are by no means pretty in the conventional meaning of the word, but if they have the true characteristics of a ‘proper’ brownie, (as described), these will be visible and people will be drooling – enter drooling emoji ?. And going by feedback on my original Chocolate Brownie recipe, this is all true.


browned butter hazelnut brownies

Key To Perfect Brownies

Now getting brownies right is by no means hard, and only takes a few minutes more of gentle mixing and getting out of the oven a bit sooner than if you were making a chocolate cake or tray bake. The secret is whisking the sugar and eggs for 5 minutes till mousse like, very pale in colour and with a noticeable increase in volume size. So after this you don’t want to mix in as normal.

The best way is to fold the other ingredients in the shape of an ‘8’. As if you were writing the number 8; where the spatula is your pen & the batter your paper. And in doing so, only until all the flour is no longer visible. Over mixing can also ruin the brownie texture you are looking for.


Go to Chocolate Orange Brownie Tower With Hazelnut Spikes

Experienced Bakers

For experienced bakers, you can skip to the Recipe Card – an abbreviated version of the recipe, that you can also print. Click below:

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

browned butter

A Note On Brownie Ingredients

Browned Butter

Don’t be worried if you haven’t made browned butter before. It is super simple to do, and adds so much flavour to these browned butter hazelnut brownies! It is just that, butter that you have browned. Well technically it’s clarified butter, that has been toasted a little. Clarifying the butter, just means separating the fat from the liquid.

I will go through it all in the recipe. I also have a short video of the process. (This is in with the recipe further down, but if you want to skip to the video, just click the ‘jump to video’ option below.

Jump to Video

Cocoa & Chocolate

There is cocoa powder in the chocolate brownie and I use inexpensive dark (bitter) chocolate for the gooey centre chunks and it works well for these, with milk/semi-sweet chocolate melted and added to the batter. (Lidl or Aldi cheapest chocolate is fine for this). Note the brownies are very rich and go nicely with some ice-cream or whipped cream!


Hazelnuts Or Other Nuts

I have used whole hazelnuts in the recipe, but you can of course use your favourite nut, or omit it entirely. You will still get great flavour from the browning of the butter.


browned butter hazelnut brownies stacked

Gluten Free Gooey Brownies

I should point out too, that this recipe can also be used with GLUTEN FREE plain/all purpose flour and in the exact same amount, just bake a little longer and add Xanthum Gum.  See photo of the gluten free one.  (See Photo). Recipe to come to the new site.

Gluten free brownie

A Note On Tin Size

I recommend a baking tin approximately 23 x 23 cm (9″ square). Don’t use too small a pan/tin or it will take too long to cook because of the increased depth. I wouldn’t recommend going any smaller than a 20x20cm/8″ square tin. You want a dish were the sum of the length + width is about 46 cm (18″), and not much more, or they will be too thin and you run the risk of over-baking too. Example: a 20x25cm (8×10″) baking tin (20+25=45cm, or 8+10″=18″).



I used Frylight Cooking Spray for greasing & lining the tin.  Works great for silicone bunt cases too.  Comes in different types like butter or extra virgin olive oil.  Go to Frylight website. Note Frylight are not sponsoring this recipe post & I am recommending because Ifrequently use it & find it great as well as inexpensive, for baking.


Recipe Card

Browned Butter Hazelnut Brownies

Browned Butter hazelnut Brownies
Here’s my new Chocolate brownie recipe, but this time, with browned butter & hazelnuts. With the same gooey texture, these Browned Butter Hazelnut Brownies are as addictive as my classic version.
Caro @ Caroline’s Easy Baking Lessons
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Cooling Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Serving Size 16 Servings

Equipment

  • Scales or measuring cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Small Cooking Pot
  • Wooden spoon
  • Microwave safe bowl to hold chocolate
  • Microwave or use stove top for melting
  • Spoons (several)
  • Mixing bowl
  • Sieve
  • Stand/Hand-held Mixer
  • Plastic/silicone baking spatula
  • Baking tin (approximately 23 x 23 cm (9" square). Don’t use too small a dish or it will take too long to cook. You want a dish were the sum of the length + width is about & not to exceed 46 cm (18") or they will be too thin).
  • Spray, lining paste or butter for greasing
  • Baking/parchment paper
  • Scissors & pen/pencil (optional)
  • Timer
  • Wooden Cocktail stick
  • Cooling rack

Ingredients

  • 185 grams Browned Butter, cooled (unsalted & cubed – 1 stick + ⅓ cup or 6.5 oz. See notes & video for how to make browned butter)
  • 185 grams Milk chocolate (6.5 oz semi-sweet)
  • 200 grams Granulated sugar (1 cup, 7 oz)
  • 75 grams Light Brown Sugar (⅓ cup, 2.5 oz OR 275g/9¾ oz/1⅓ cup Golden Granulated Sugar)
  • 3 Medium Eggs (US Large)
  • 85 grams Plain Flour (⅔ cup, 3 oz All Purpose Flour)
  • 40 grams Cocoa Powder (⅓ cup, 1½ oz)
  • 100 grams Dark Chocolate (3½ oz bitter chocolate)
  • 140 grams Hazelnuts (1 cup, 5 oz, whole)

Instructions

BROWNING THE BUTTER

  • Begin by making the browned butter. Take the butter and place in a small pan. Top Tip – Have the butter cubed, and it will melt quicker.
  • Melt the butter on medium heat. Then let come to a boil. Note the colour of the butter once melted. It will be an opaque yellow colour. See Photo 1 above.
  • Let the butter boil & bubble away for at least 5 minutes and until the liquid and fats separate. It will begin to smell nice and a foam will form on the surface. The liquid will change to more of a translucent consistency, and some residue will be visible on the bottom of the pan. Once the liquid starts to turn a slight brown colour, it’s time to remove from the heat. Don’t leave any longer or it will be burnt. So ideal to keep an eye on the colour. Watch my video below for this process, and also Photo 2 below, of the stages.
    Browned Butter Process
  • Pour the browned butter into a small heat safe bowl and be sure to scrape down the residue and add this to the bowl, as this is where the flavour is. Leave to cool down while you move on to the next stage.

Prepare The Ingredients & Tin

  • Break up the 185g/6½ oz milk/semi-sweet chocolate & microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring well in-between each, until fully melted. Leave to cool while you gather the other ingredients. Alternatively, melt in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
  • Weigh out the flour & cocoa through a sieve into another bowl (not the main mixing bowl).
  • Grease the baking tin & place baking paper/parchment inside it. See photo 4 above for how to cut your paper to fit. I usually hold in position with baking spray or Cake Lining Paste. This time I used Frylight Oil spray (see notes).
    whisking eggs and sugar
  • Next whisk the eggs & sugar with a hand/stand mixer for approximately 4 – 5 mins, on medium to high speed. It must become thick & creamy, paler in colour & increased in volume. This is the key to these gooey brownies. See from Photo 5 above how thick it is, and it will leave a trail that doesn't immediately vanish. You can also see my quick video on Whisking Eggs & Sugar To The Ribbon Stage.
  • Gently fold in the cooled browned butter & melted chocolate/butter with a plastic/silicone baking spatula & do so in the shape of a number 8. Think of your spatula as a pen & the mixture your paper. Mixing too vigorously will undo all the whisking from earlier. Mix just until all mixed in and no more. **Make sure you add the residue from the bottom of the bowl with the browned butter. See photo 6 above.
  • Next re-sieve the flour & cocoa mixture, into the batter. Mix it in again like before until no flour is visible, scraping down the sides too.
  • Roughly chop the remaining 100g/3½ oz dark/bitter chocolate & Hazelnuts and finally fold into the batter just till evenly distributed. See Photo 7 above.
  • Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan & level off if required. See Photo 8 above. Leave to sit so that it will form a crust later. (Leave at least 10 mins). Heat up the oven to: 180°c/160°c Fan oven/350°f/Gas mark 4 while the brownie sits.

Bake The Brownies

  • Bake for about 18 – 25 minutes, turning the tray if needed, after half-way through. The top will have formed the crust, (see photo 9 below). Testing with a wooden cocktail stick, the outer edges produce a clean stick, whilst the centre is a little moist with just a few crumbs. This is what we want.
    browned butter hazelnut browies baked
  • Leave the brownies to sit to cool down in the tin for 5 minutes. Then transfer via the paper, to the cooling rack to cool down completely before cutting into 16 squares. See tips in notes for cutting.
  • Store left-overs in an airtight container for a few days. I prefer cake tins.
    chocolate brownie squares with hazelnuts showing, served.

Video

Notes

Watch Browning Butter Video
*Type of chocolate can be adjusted to taste, just note however, that these brownies are very rich, so both chocolate being dark/bitter chocolate would maybe be too much. Also if using half dark/bitter chocolate, there is no need for higher cocoa content chocolate.
*Can be made gluten free, see main recipe post.
browned butter hazelnut brownies
*Don’t skip the 5 minute mixing of the eggs and sugar stage, as this is key for gooey brownies.
*Brownies can be cut easier if left overnight at room temperature to cool.   Alternatively, place the brownies, still in the tin,  into the fridge to speed up cooling, about 15 minutes after coming out of the oven.  Once cooled completely, remove with the paper & cut with a warm sharp knife and wipe it in-between each cut.
chocolate brownie squares with hazelnuts showing, served.
*I used Frylight Cooking Spray for greasing & lining the tin.  Works great for silicone bunt cases too.  Comes in different types like butter or extra virgin olive oil.  Go to Frylight website

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Share The Love

Please see the sharing options or even printing, at the right/bottom of your screen (bottom of your screen for mobiles, and down the right-hand side on computers). You can even pin this to your own Pinterest page. Alternatively, you can print the recipe with/without the photos, via the Recipe Card above. You could also leave some feedback if you like.


New Recipe

Look out for my next brownie recipe, it’s an extra special one I made for my son’s birthday. See photo. Go to Chocolate Orange Brownie Tower With Hazelnut Spikes


DIFFICULTY LEVEL: easy with guidance

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

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Happy Learning & Baking!

Caro x


BROWNED BUTTER HAZELNUT BROWNIES

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One Comment

  1. (5/5)

    5 stars
    Thanks for another thorough recipe and great flavour addition to your brownie recipe that is so popular in my house. Can’t tell you how well these went down – looking forward to the next recipe.

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