Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies

I strongly believe there's no such thing as too many brownie recipes. So I keep adding new ones I deem worthy of my amazing readers. That's you btw.

These fudgy nut brownies are my way of not feeling guilty for throwing away a very large amount of vodka-infused hazelnuts from this homemade hazelnut liqueur. A very old recipe I still have to update.

It calls for straining the final liquid and discarding the nuts. Yeah. Like that was gonna happen. The hazelnuts tasted amazing after months of infusing, and I didn't want to waste them.

Making a boozy version of this hazelnut loaf cake or the chocolate hazelnut mini bundts came to mind.

But I concocted a new brownie recipe with ground hazelnuts, dark chocolate, and some rice flour. Lucky you. Really. It's wonderful.

They are some of the best brownies I have ever made, a thought later reinforced by dozens of guests at a party and my family for whom I made these two nights ago.

Ingredients

• Hazelnuts
• Unsalted butter.
• Chocolate: use your favorite dark semisweet chocolate for this recipe. I like Callebaut 54% chocolate wafers or Ghirardelli Premium baking bar.
• Eggs: fresh, large.
• White granulated sugar.
• Rice flour:
• Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
• Baking powder: make sure it isn't expired. 
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper. 

See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.

How to make hazelnut brownies

No need for fancy equipment, like with most brownie recipes. Just a large mixing bowl and a whisk.

Add the sugar to the chocolate and butter that have been melted together. This helps bring down the temperature and avoid the risk of curdling the eggs.

The eggs are added all at once and mixed thoroughly. No need to beat but make sure they are very well integrated.

The rest of the dry ingredients are added together. The ground hazelnuts add texture.

The ingredients are stirred until no dry spots remain.

Baking

Preparing the pan

It should be buttered or sprayed with baking spray (containing flour).

I also line it with a strip of parchment paper wide as the pan, covering the bottom and two sides. The other two will remain greased but not lined (images below). This will help remove the block of brownies from the pan.

Pour the brownie batter into the greased and lined pan and even out the surface.

Bake according to the instructions in the recipe card and let cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the pan.

Vintage Kitchen tip: don't overbake them so you'll have fudgy and not dry, cakey brownies. Take them out while they still jiggle in the center. They will keep firming up with the residual heat as they cool down.

Variations

The combination of hazelnuts and chocolate is unparalleled, but you can vary this recipe.

• Spiced - add ½ teaspoon cinnamon or a large pinch of nutmeg or mace. All pair well.
• Other nuts - use ground almonds, cashews, walnuts, or pecans. They will all bring a unique flavor.
• Kid-friendly - omit the liqueur and increase the vanilla extract or use hazelnut extract for an extra punch.

Storage

• Room temperature: even if you keep them on the counter, chill them first so they firm up. They keep for 3 days well covered.
• Refrigerator: keep them for a week, always well covered (plastic wrap or airtight container) to avoid dryness.
• Freezer: they keep for a month. I wrap them in plastic and then foil and label it. It's a great brownie to have frozen for last-minute desserts or cravings.