Salted Lemon Nutella Brownies; velvety chocolate brownies swirled with chocolate hazelnut spread, laced with lemon zest, and sprinkled with sea salt.
It’s no secret that brownies are a real weakness of mine. Even the bad ones are good.
However, in recent years I’ve discovered a new weakness, a new killer combination of flavours that keeps me HOOKED. Let’s talk chocolate and lemon.
It’s no secret that chocolate and orange are best friends, or that chocolate and lime can be good buddies. Unfortunately we don’t celebrate the joy of combining chocolate and lemon often enough for my liking. That sharp, fresh, zesty lemon fragrance against deep, dark, rich chocolate is such a perfect pairing.
Love lemon and chocolate together? Try out this Marbled Chocolate and Lemon Loaf!
This recipe was a bit of kitchen experimentation on a lazy afternoon, but turned out so well that I couldn’t help share it here and on my YouTube channel.
Velvety soft and tender brownies, swirled with everyone’s favourite chocolate hazelnut spread, spiked with fresh lemon zest, and sprinkled generously with flaky sea salt. Bite through that ever-so-gentle flaky surface into marbled puddles of soft Nutella and fudgy brownie. Enjoy that addictive combination of heavy, indulgent chocolate with refreshing, zingy salt and lemon. It’s like dessert and a cocktail in one mouthful.
Being a lemon-and-chocolate addict, I’m unsurprisingly biased, but even a couple of my pals here in Italy (the blood of whom is at least 25% Nutella from birth) enjoyed these little beauties!
Have you tried this Dark Chocolate Lemon Layer Cake yet?
The most important ingredient, as is always the case in chocolate-heavy treats, is good chocolate. If you ever want to level-up your baking without any extra effort, use the best quality chocolate you can afford!
Thanks to the lovely team at Willie’s Cacao, I was gifted some bags of their cooking chocolate a while ago to play with. As expected, this stuff is not only truly delicious but ideal for baking.
In these Salted Lemon Nutella Brownies I used their 72% Rio Caribe dark chocolate chef’s drops. The chocolate has a bold, nutty, and almost coffee-like flavour that really stands up to the bold hazelnut and lemon flavours of these bars. You’ll find they come in handy resealable 1kg bags, and can be used for all kinds of sweet and savoury purposes. With this recipe, I melted the drops straight into the brownie batter. It’s amazing how professional it can make even a simple treat taste.
I’ve loved eating chocolate from Willie’s Cacao for years now. They are frontrunners of the UK craft chocolate market, ensuring ethical environmental and labour practices in their bean-to-bar process. It’s chocolate you can truly feel good about snacking on or baking with, and it’s worlds apart from the nasty bitter dark chocolate you’ll often find in supermarkets!
If you’d like to try some of their cooking chocolate for yourself, you can find it here.
I really hope you’ll love these Salted Lemon Nutella Brownies as much as we have, and thanks as always for popping by.
Want to save these Salted Lemon Nutella Brownies for later? You can pin the image below:
To make these Salted Lemon Nutella Brownies, simply follow the recipe below:
Ingredients
- 180g (6 oz) milk or dark chocolate
- 180g (12 tbsp) salted butter
- 3 large eggs, beaten together
- 100g (½ cup) caster or granulated sugar
- 100g (½ cup) soft brown sugar
- 45g (3 tbsp) Nutella, plus extra for swirling on top
- Pinch of flaky salt, plus extra for sprinkling once baked
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125g (1 cup) plain flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven – 160°C / 140°C fan / 325°F / gas mark 3.
- Grease and line a tin to bake the brownies in, both 20x20cm (8x8in) or 20x30cm (8x12in) tins have worked well for me.
- Chop up your butter and chocolate and melt together gently in a heatproof bowl, either in the microwave or over a pan of simmering water, until smooth.
- Separately, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs with the sugar, Nutella, salt, lemon zest, and vanilla until just combined.
- Once melted and cooled slightly, pour the butter/chocolate mixture into the bowl of egg mixture and whisk to incorporate.
- Tip in the flour and gently fold together with a spoon or spatula until just combined.
- Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin.
- Use a couple of teaspoons to blob a generous dose of Nutella over the brownie batter. Use the tip of a butter knife to gently marble it through.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes until the brownies are no longer wobbly in the middle when the tin is shaken.
- Once baked, sprinkle over pinch of sea salt and some more lemon zest
- Allow to cool completely before slicing (this isn’t a quick bake, but it’s so worth it!). These are delicious at room temperature or chilled in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
BE A MAVERICK: try switching the lemon zest for orange, lime, or grapefruit zest instead!
These Salted Lemon Nutella Brownies will keep well in an airtight container or on a covered cake stand for up to 5 days, but are best enjoyed fresh!
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