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Where do you stand in the cakey brownie versus fudgy brownie debate? I was never quite sure, except that most of my recipes to date have been cakey. These are most definitely not. These brownies are the ones you want to eat accompanied by a tall glass of cold milk, or at the very least, topped with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream. If fudgelicious was a word, these would be that! And if fudgy wasn’t enough, they are topped with everyone’s favourite chocolate hazelnut spread… yes, you heard right. Nutella.

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There are now ten (10!) brownie recipes on this site, all special in their own way. The first one to hit the blog was a luscious marriage of tart raspberries and sweet chocolate. The second was a true classic, and is what I like to call my ‘special occasions’ brownie. The third was a squidgy, citrus flavoured almond brownie, and my first attempt at gluten-free. The fourth was more bliss ball than brownie, and my first foray into raw desserts. The fifth was my ‘what to make at the last minute’ recipe, my ‘go-to’ as it were.

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After that came butterscotch brownies, made with oat bran instead of flour; chewy and crunchy, and beguiling in their own way. The seventh was that classic combination of chocolate and peanut butter; you really can’t go wrong! The eighth was my rebellion against tradition; adding sour cherries to brownie batter in lieu of Black Forest Cake. More recently, my nod to the paleo diet was The Lazy Cook’s Buckwheat Brownies, topped with hazelnuts and sea salt. And finally, these. The fudgiest of them all!

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Fudgy Flourless Nutella Swirl Brownies {gf}
The fudgiest brownies are made with almond meal and swirls of Nutella for added decadence!

Makes 16

Ingredients
3 eggs
125g (¾ cup) raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
30g butter or 2 tablespoons coconut oil
170g (6 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
50g (½ cup) almond meal
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao
½ cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)*

Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350F). Grease and line a 20 x 20cm (8-inch) or 23cm (9-inch) square baking tin with baking paper.

Put the eggs and sugar into the bowl of your mix master/kitchen aid. Beat until smooth and creamy and light in colour (at least 5 minutes). Add the vanilla paste and beat until mixed through.

In a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, gently melt together the chocolate and butter or coconut oil until smooth and set aside to cool slightly. Poor the melted chocolate mixture into the egg/sugar mixture and beat until completely blended.

In a small bowl, mix the almond meal and cocoa powder. Gently fold this into the wet mix with a large spoon or spatula.

Pour the brownie mix into the lined baking tin and top with spoonfuls of Nutella (about 9 dollops) spaced evenly across the top. Swirl with a knife and bake for 18-20 mins, until the top of the brownies are just firm. The top will crack and peel a little.

Set aside to cool (for up to 24 hours), and then cut with a large knife that has been dipped in hot water. Clean knife between each cut.

These are great served warm, topped with vanilla ice cream… and just as great two days later… if they last that long!!

Notes
Adapted from Food, Glorious Friendly Food

*If you want to make these brownies dairy-free, simply substitute a homemade version of Nutella, or leave it off entirely.

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