Roast Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Brownies with Milk Chocolate Chunks (Gluten-free)

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Melt in the mouth, soft, silky smooth, luscious, dark chocolate brownies studded with crispy roast hazelnuts and chunks of creamy milk chocolate. Replacing the flour with ground roast hazelnuts helps create a flavour deliciously reminiscent of Nutella with the added benefit that these brownies are gluten-free.

These brownies are simply wonderful served just as they are with morning coffee or as an afternoon treat with a cup of tea. They also make a fabulous dessert; either with some strawberries or raspberries on the side or try them warmed with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce. Just divine.

How to make Roast Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate Brownies with Milk Chocolate Chunks (Gluten-free)

Based on my Daffodil Brownies – Core Recipe, you can make these in less than 20 minutes and they take only 23 minutes in the oven, plus a further 8 minutes to roast the hazelnuts. The only change I have made to the Core Recipe brownie batter, is to replace the flour with ground, roast hazelnuts. This both enhances the flavour and means that they are gluten-free. I added whole hazelnuts and chopped chocolate prior to cooking, to add further flavour and more textures.

Collect all your ingredients together and line the baking tin:

In order to guarantee soft and fudgy brownies, it is important to use the correct size tin – in this case it is a 20cm/8inch square tin. If your tin is larger the depth of your cake batter will be less and the cake will cook more quickly. Equally if the tin is smaller, your cake batter will be deeper and cook more slowly.

1. Sit the tin on greaseproof paper making sure the paper is large enough to line the tin, come up the sides and have a little overhang.
2. Cut out the corners of the paper so it will fit easily into the tin
3. Fold the paper from corner to corner so the size of the centre of the paper matches the base of the tin. Slot inside the tin.

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Brownie Ingredients:

• whole hazelnuts
• unsalted butter, in cubes
• dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, broken into pieces
• soft brown sugar
• caster sugar
• large eggs
• fine salt
• cocoa, sieved
• instant coffee powder, sieved
• chopped milk chocolate

Now make these delicious gluten-free brownies:

1. Scatter the hazelnuts on a baking tray and bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 8 minutes, stirring after 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
2. Weigh half into a food processor and blitz until they are the consistency of ground almonds. Be careful not to over blitz or they will become hazelnut butter. Set the remaining whole hazelnuts aside.
3. Chop the butter into squares and place in a microwave safe bowl with the chopped chocolate. Melt in a microwave or a bain marie or and mix until smooth. (See Recipe Notes for details.)
4. Meanwhile put the sugars, eggs and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until thick and creamy. This will take around 3 minutes.
5. Pour the chocolate and butter into the eggs and sugar, whilst whisking, and mix thoroughly with the electric whisk until smooth and glossy.
6. Tip in the ground hazelnuts.
7. Put a sieve over the bowl and add the cocoa and coffee.
8. Sift directly over the cake batter.
9. Fold until nearly mixed in.
10. Add the whole hazelnuts and chopped milk chocolate and fold in. Be careful not to over-mix at this stage.
11. Transfer to your baking tin and level the surface, making sure the cake batter goes all the way into the corners.
12. Cook in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, depending on how squidgy you like the centre to be. It will carry on cooking when you take it out of the oven so bear this in mind. (I cook mine for 23 minutes in London and 24 minutes in Switzerland.)

This gives me a slightly crispy top but a gorgeous gooey centre. The cake will be slightly risen and cracked around the edges but the centre will feel quite soft. Remember the cake will continue to cook after you have taken it out of the oven. 

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Made this recipe?

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