Nutella Ferrero Rocher Brownies

Did you know that today February 5th is World Nutella Day? I love Nutella and could eat it straight from the jar! Yes I know it's bad for you but it's oh so naughty! I haven't eaten or baked with Nutella for ages so I can't wait to see all the delicious recipes on the blogosphere today. These brownies actually came about because I had a lot of leftover Ferrero Rocher chocolates from Christmas and New Year. Yes it does happen! A colleague loaned me her Ferrero gold tower which I used for my Christmas party and again for my New Year party. We ate most of the chocolates from the first time but I topped it up again and we barely made a dent in it. It's been sitting on the table for weeks now and the biscuit is starting to go a little soft so it was definitely time to bake with them. Alternatively I could sit on my sofa and eat lots and lots of Ferreros and make myself really ill!! 

As Ferrero contain hazelnuts, I decided to pair it with my favourite chocolate hazelnut spread - Nutella. I've had a craving for brownies for a few weeks now so there was absolutely no question about what I would bake. These brownies are very chocolatey and fudgy in the middle with a crispy top which is exactly how I like my brownies. The Ferrero Rocher remained whole and added an extra layer of indulgence to the brownies. Quite a few people were eating around the Ferrero chocolate saving it for last!

I'm sending this to We Should Cocoa hosted by Katie from Recipe for Perfection on behalf of Choclette from Chocolate Log Blog. The theme this month is brownies. 

 my ferrero tower - as you can see there's a LOT leftover! 

 adding nutella to the butter and sugar mixture 

 adding mini chocolate chips at the end 

 ready to go in the oven 

 I love how the Ferrero stayed whole after baking 

 These were taken before sunrise so excuse the poor lighting! You can see how fudgy the brownies are 

 

Makes 15 large squares

225g butter
150g nutella
350g light brown sugar
4 eggs
160g cocoa powder, sifted
190g plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
275g mini chocolate chips
15 Ferrero Rocher chocolates

• Preheat the oven to 180C. Spray a rectangular baking tray with non stick spray. 
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter over a low heat. 
• Turn of the heat and whisk in the sugar.
• Whisk in the nutella.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking as you go.
• Then stir in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
• You should get a thick fudgy mixture.
• Finally stir in the mini chocolate chips.
• Pour into the baking tin and level the top with a spatula.
• Press the Ferrero Rocher chocolates at regular intervals as shown.
• Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until the top is crispy and cooked and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out slightly wet.
• Allow to cool completely before slicing into 15 squares.