I was working in the Emergency Department in Lloyd Hospital on friday, and thought that I’d bring a treat for the nurses. Those seashell chocolates were still haunting me, since I only used up half the box in the cookies, and I’ve been craving brownies for weeks…so in they went into my brownies!
And they soon filled up the kitchen with an irresistible chocolate aroma. When they were done, I took them out and cut them into squares to take to work the next day. This was around 10pm, and I thought I’d call it an early night since I had to be in the ER at 7 the next morning. However, I couldn’t resist nibbling a corner off one to “make sure they were good”. Oh dear. What trouble that caused. A corner soon became half, which became a whole, which had to be washed down with milk they were so gooey and delicious. A little crunchy on the top, but soft and moist and melty on the inside. And the sugar-high gave me an awful night’s sleep. I think I finally got to sleep around 12:30 and woke up at 5 to get ready for work. =(
I almost regret nibbling it. Almost, not quite! It’s worth the sleep deprivation.
Nutella Brownies (from twopeasandtheirpod.com)
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped (I subbed belgian chocolates and chocolate chips)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp table salt
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp hazelnut extract (I used vanille extract)
1/4-1/3 cup of Nutella (I used a heaping 1/4 cup)
Directions:
Position an oven rack on the middle rung. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease an 8×8 square cake pan (or in the original recipe, a 9 inch pie/cake pan)
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add in the chocolate chunks. Whisk until blended.
In a separate bowl, mix together the oil, eggs, and extract with a fork until just blended.
Pour the liquid over the flour mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until just blended. The batter will be kind of dry, don’t worry. Add in the nutella and stir until combined.
Scrape the mixture in to the pan and spread evenly. You might have to press the mixture in to the sides if you are having trouble spreading with a spatula.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in to the center comes out with only a few gooey pieces clinging to it. Transfer the baking dish to a cooling rack and let cool. Cut into wedges, squares, or just eat from the pan!
Shoecakes. 