Hazelnut Brownies

It was half-term this week and, after a couple of days of enjoying my freedom and visiting family and seeing friends, I got the baking itch. I wanted to make something that would serve as dessert and as an afternoon treat to have with a cuppa. Brownies fit the bill perfectly!

I had a packet of crushed hazelnuts in my baking cupboard that I had been hoping to use for something, and brownies seemed to fit for that too. Chocolate and nuts is never a bad idea, so I threw them in with the mixture to add some extra texture. My husband is not a fan of nuts in any form, so I ended up doubling the mixture and only putting hazlenuts in half.

We were going away for a few days to Canterbury for our anniversary, so I packaged them up to take with us. I thought it might save some pennies if we had our own treats instead of buying cafe treats everyday. Unfortunately, even though we packed very light, there still wasn't room for an enormous tupperware of hazelnut brownies so, at the last minute I popped the tub in the freezer.

I've already defrosted them, ready to have warm with ice cream for dessert. 

I hope you will enjoy making a batch for your family too! You might also want to try my Cappuccino Brownies.

Make Hazelnut Brownies

For a printable version of this recipe, please click here: Hazelnut Brownies

Ingredients

(makes 12-15 brownies)

230g unsalted butter
450g caster sugar
50g good quality dark chocolate
4 eggs
100g cocoa powder
115g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla essence
50g chopped hazelnuts

Method

1. Heat the oven to  180 (170 fan, gas mark 4).
2. Put the instant coffee in a small glass and add 3 tbsp of boiling water carefully. Mix together well and leave to one side. 3 tsp will give you a nice flavour, but you could use 4 if you like it strong.
3.In a pan, melt the butter and the sugar. It should be just bubbling, not boiling at full speed. Stir regularly, making sure that it doesn't start to caramelise.
4. Take the pan off the heat, break up the chocolate, and mix it through until it has fully melted.  .
5. Once the butter and sugar are well-cooled, mix in the eggs until well combined, then the flour, baking powder and hazelnuts.
6. Sieve the cocoa powder, getting rid of all the lumps and mix together.  It should give you a lovely glossy mixture when it has all been fully mixed.
7. Grease or line a rectangular tin (I used a 9x9x2 tin, but a slightly smaller or bigger one would be fine.) I lined the tin to make them easier to lift out.
8. Pour all the chocolate mixture into the tin and even it out with the back of a spoon.
9. Pop in the oven and cook for 25 mins.
10. When cooked, and while they are still warm, cut lines across the pan (wiping the knife after each) and then down, until you have about 12-15  brownies.
11. Leave for 5 more minutes to cool further and then lift out. 

Serve warm with ice cream for dessert or alternatively eat as they are for afternoon tea. Freeze some as soon as they cool, if desired.