Sea Salt Nutella Brownies
The richest, chewiest, most flavorful Nutella brownies, courtesy of everyone’s beloved chocolate-hazelnut spread. Top them with a generous sprinkle of sea salt, and don’t even try to resist. This is my go-to for potlucks, and *the* recipe that persuades everyone to start making brownies from scratch!
One thing about being a food blogger, even an aspiring one, is that you really no longer feel able to mail it in for an office party or potluck. I mean, yes, you could simply volunteer to bring drinks, or a sandwich platter from the local shop, but wouldn’t that sort of look.. bad? Somewhere between lazy and disingenuous? If you spend nearly all your free time making and taking pictures of food, and sharing that with the world, it seems reasonable to expect you’ll be able to come up with something to share in real life, no?
Of course, the cold hard reality is that food bloggers, just like everyone else, have weeks that are busy or bad, when all the trains ran late, the baby didn’t sleep, the dog ate your shoes, etc. And, of course, sometimes (often) those weeks coincide with parties or long-awaited plans or office events that cannot be rescheduled to suit.
When that happens, you can bet I’ll be bringing these brownies. They are the easiest, most delicious, most reliably crowd-pleasing dessert I know how to make.
I’ve made these Nutella brownies countless times, with a number of small adaptations from the genius recipe originally developed by Shelly Jaronsky in The Cookies & Cups Cookbook. Essentially, all of the chocolate flavor comes from Nutella. We’ll add a few chocolate chips for texture, and because, is adding chocolate chips ever a bad idea? But basically we’re eating baked Nutella, and that is a beautiful thing.
As I’ve written the recipe below, it calls for a full 400 grams of Nutella, which for my fellow Americans translates to about 1 1/3 cups. They sell convenient 400 gram jars of Nutella at every grocery and corner store here in Belgium. And it’s just so darn efficient to use the entire jar for one batch of brownies, no?
A little mixing – butter, eggs, sugar, flour, the usual – and your batter is ready to go. Swirl some more Nutella on top (til that jar is gone, remember??) and sprinkle generously with sea salt. It may seem like a small touch, but let me tell you, everyone notices and enjoys it. I mean, everyone loves a good simple brownie, right? If the rich chocolate hazelnut flavor weren’t enough to set these apart, the sea salt takes you right to the next level.
A Few Tips for Making Nutella Brownies:
- Use a square baking pan that’s either 8- or 9-inches square. If yours is 8 inches, the brownies may need a few extra minutes to bake; if 9 inches, check them on the early side. I love pans like this one, with sharp square corners!
- Be sure to line your pan with parchment paper. Aluminum foil would work, as well. Lining makes it SO EASY after baking to lift all the brownies out of the pan and cut them neatly.
- Don’t hesitate to scrape down the bowl a few times while you’re mixing the ingredients together. You want everything well blended, and don’t need to worry about over-mixing until you incorporate flour at the end.
- Fleur de sel is a fantastic sea salt to use for these and many other treats in the kitchen. I usually just buy it at the grocery store, but it is on Amazon, too!
Better Than Box Mix – Really!
Despite my love of cooking and baking from scratch, for a long time brownies were the one item I continued to make from a box, simply because they are so good. (And yes, I do still keep a box in the pantry for true emergencies. Nothing wrong with that – the Ghirardelli mixes are damn tasty!) But, this recipe for classic chewy chocolate brownies – made in one bowl! – started my shift to homemade brownie heaven, and these Nutella beauties have brought me the rest of the way.
Truly, I’ve taken these so many places, and can’t begin to count how many people have asked me for the recipe, all saying some version of the same thing – “I usually make brownies from a box, but THESE are something else!” 🙂
Now it’s time to try them yourself!
If you try these brownies or any other recipe on the blog, please remember to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing from you, and other readers will benefit from your experience!
Sea Salt Nutella Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/3 cups (400 grams) Nutella, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang to easily lift the brownies out of the pan when cool. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat the butter on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and beat on high speed until creamed, 1-2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and beat on medium-high speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add about 1 cup of the Nutella and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and mix until batter is smooth and fluffy. Add flour, mixing on low speed just until combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips by hand.
- Scrape batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Drop generous spoonfuls of the remaining Nutella across the top, and, using a butter knife, swirl Nutella into the batter. Top with a generous sprinkle of sea salt.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs.
- Set pan on a wire rack and allow brownies to cool completely. Then, lift out the parchment, cut brownies into squares, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
I’ve used this recipe a few times. I’m making them now for a staff potluck tomorrow. So tasty!
Hi Jeannette – yay! These are one of my favorites to make for potlucks, too. You are going to have some happy coworkers, that is for sure! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave this nice review – I really appreciate it!
I made these yesterday and they are so incredibly delicious! I didn’t have unsalted butter, so I used salted butter and omitted the salt listed in the recipe. I baked the brownies in a 9×13 pan for about 25-30 minutes and they were perfectly moist. These brownies taste even better the next day! Thank you for sharing this recipe. 🙂
So, made these for the first time on Saturday- and am about to start on the second batch of the week! It’s only Tuesday… ? Thank you for the recipe!!
Hooray! Love the thought of you all enjoying some delicious Nutella brownies! 🙂 Miss you so!!
Seriously dying over these right now. I’m pretty sure I’ll be stopping off for a jar of Nutella in the morning and I really hope they have 400g jars in my part of the world! Pinned 🙂
Haha, me too, Anne! Although I suppose swirling in a little extra on top wouldn’t be the end of the world, you know, if you really had to. 😉
Drooling just a little bit over here:) I’ve been so curious about the whole nutella brownie craze…going to give these a try!
It’s well worth the hype, in my humble opinion! I hope you enjoy them!
These are bound to be decadent! I may make these this week, but no promises of if I will share them with anyone else… HA!
Haha, please let me know how they turn out if you try them! And, if you eat them fast enough all by yourself, no one else has to know they ever existed…. 😉
These are incredibly beautiful! I love them! Pinned!
Thanks so much, Nicole!
This such an awesome combination of flavors! The thought of the hazelnut flavor from the Nutella in my brownies is make me want to start baking even though it’s 11 o’clock at night!
Haha, thanks so much, Rachel! I hope you try them sometime soon, whatever the hour! I’m always down for some late-night baking!
Omigosh, those brownies look absolutely decadent and delicious! The Nutella and sea salt in them sound like perfection!
Thanks so much, Michele!
There’s nothing quite like homemade brownies! These look scrumptious and I love the addition of sea salt.
So true! Thanks for stopping by, Jennifer!
My friends constantly give me grief because I “never make my recipes for them”! I’m so with you with that feeling that you always have to be “on” with the food you bring to a social gathering. I may need to make these Nutella brownies for the next party, simply to have an excuse to buy a jar of Nutella 🙂
Haha, right!? Glad I’m not alone! You definitely should make these – adding these to my list of “go tos” has given me an excuse to begin treating Nutella as a pantry staple, and let me tell you, that is a wonderful thing! 😉
LOL I”m laughing about the need to bring something homemade and special to any gathering with food! I know that so well… And I must say your solution is impressive! I love that Nutella gives the hazelnut flavor as well as chocolate!
HA glad you can relate, Anne! The struggle is real! And thanks for your kind words!
Yes please! Sea salt is a requirement on my brownies! Idk what it is, but it just makes everything so much chocolate-ier. Love the creamy addition of Nutella!
I hear you! Sea salt is quickly becoming a go to for me, it’s just such a nice touch on so many things!
WOW.. These brownies look absolutely gorgeous. I always picturise brownies to be exactly like these. Its got the perfect crust and texture. Thanks for sharing this one
Thank you, Pearl!
These brownies are life! My favourite brownies that I make at home are nutella brownies. I have got to try adding sea salt next time!
Yes, you said it! And yay for Nutella goodness! The nice thing about the sea salt, too, is that it’s SO easy to sprinkle on there, but finishes everything so nicely. Enjoy! 🙂
These brownies look and sound just divine. Sea salt + nutella were truly meant to be in brownies. I have many nutella lover friends, so I can’t wait to share this with them!
Thanks, Dominique, hope they enjoy it as much as we do!
Nutella is always good in my books and I’m totally on board for adding a little salt. It really enhances the flavor of the chocolate.
Definitely! Thanks so much, Jenni, for stopping by!
My goodness !! These look so deliciously decadent. A winner ??
Thanks so much, Chichi!
You had me Nutella! Adding sea salt is an awesome idea to ramp up the deliciousness.
Thanks, Tilly! Right? Sea salt is always a good add! 🙂
Monica, your pics are so beautiful!! I am totally pinning this!! Love love love it!
Thank you so much, Cam! That means a lot to me! 🙂
Oh Monica, I soooo know the pressure of feeling like I need to bring something super impressive to every gathering because everyone knows I love to cook and bake! It’s a hard life for us. But I’m pretty sure Nutella brownies would make it all better. As happens every time I come by your blog, you have definitely inspired me to make these ASAP!
Aw, thanks so much, Ann, that is so nice of you to say! And I’m glad I’m not alone in feeling that way, haha! These brownies DO make it better. It’s great to have an option in your back pocket that is really easy to make, and that you KNOW everyone will enjoy! Plus it’s like the perfect marriage of a classic crowd-pleaser (I mean, brownies, right?) and that little extra. 🙂 I hope these can fill the same role for you! xx
These would be the life of any work party. Nutella and chocolate rule. Can’t wait to sink our teeth into one of these!
Absolutely! Hope you love them as much as I do!