Nutella Brownie Bites

I think that this has become one of my favorite brownie recipes. Not for the fact that it tastes great, which it does, or because it uses Nutella, and who doesn't love that, but because it uses only four ingredients and bakes in under ten minutes. I honestly can't think of a simpler brownie recipe and for that reason alone it ranks highly among the many brownies I've made.

Although the brownies tasted delicious, with a wonderful hazelnut flavor accented by the chopped nuts on top, when I served them everyone at the table said they had wished it had more of a gooey center. I supposed that naturally, people associate brownies as moist and gooey, or at least chewy. This brownie was more airy and cake like rather than fudgy. I think that in the future, I will bake it for 1-2 minutes less and see if that keeps some of the gooiness inside. Also, I'm curious as to how these would turn out if I baked the entire batter in a regular pan and then cut it into pieces. Because I loved this recipe so much, and I'm sure I will be making it again, I will definitely try experimenting with it and see what happens.

Nutella Brownie Bites
Note: A single batch makes 12 mini brownies.

• 1/2 cup Nutella
• 1 large egg
• 5 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the nutella and egg until smooth and blended.
2. Add the flour and whisk until combined.
3. Spray a 12-cup mini muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with paper or foil wrappers. 
4. Spoon the batter into the cups, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
5. Sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts over top of each cup.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Next time, I'm going to try 8 minutes and see how that turns out.