Nutella-Frosted, Caramel-Topped Brownies

Fudgy Brownies - made September 21, 2013 from One Bowl Baking by Yvonne Ruperti

This was the second brownie I took on my Florida trip to pass out to my coworkers.  I started with the standard fudgy brownie recipe from Yvonne Ruperti's book, One Bowl Baking, and dressed it up a trifle. I've made so many brownies over my baking lifetime that I'm not sure I'm capable of making a plain brownie and leaving it alone.

Once I took it out of the oven, I dropped small dollops of nutella over the top and spread it carefully.  The heat from the just-baked brownie will warm up your nutella so spreading is easy but if your nutella is too thick to spoon out properly, just warm it up briefly in the microwave. You don't want the frosting layer to be too thick though, even if you're a rabid Nutella fan, as it's easy to make these too rich.

Then, just because I can't leave well enough alone, I also chopped up Milky Way Caramels and sprinkled them over the nutella frosting.  Many people complain they can't buy Halloween candy too early or they'll eat them all before October.  I have a different problem.  All of the Milky Way Caramels and Midnight Milky Ways I've bought to pass out on Halloween are all going into what I've been baking lately.  I need to replenish my candy supply before the big night.  But, c'mon, look at that picture! If you want to lick your screen, go ahead.  I won't tell.  Since I was giving these away, I only had the barest sliver to make sure they tasted okay.  I passed them out to my Florida coworkers and got a few thank you emails, an "OMG, those brownies!"instant message and some in-person thank yous so I think they liked them.

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for greasing the pan

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 2/3 ounces) all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 ½ cups (6 ounces) walnuts, chopped, divided, optional (I left them out)
Nutella, amount varies depending on how thick you want the frosting layer to be
1/2 to 3/4 cup Milky Way Caramels, cut into large dice

1. Place an oven rack in the middle position.  Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.  Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
2. In a large heatproof bowl, heat the bittersweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, butter and salt until just melted, stirring occasionally.
3. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla.  Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until completely combined and the mixture is glossy.
4. Stir in the flour, cocoa and 1 cup of the walnuts until combined.
5. Pour the batter into the pan and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of walnuts over the top.
6. Bake until just firm and a toothpick inserted into the center has moist, fudgy crumbs, about 25 minutes.
7. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool.  Cut into squares.