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Chocolate Brownies with Nutella Fudge Icing and Buttercream Swirls

Chocolate Brownies with Nutella Fudge Icing are very decadent. The icing is as thick as the brownies and tastes like Nutella fudge! Who doesn’t love chocolate brownies and fudge? Perfect for any celebration, these brownies slice perfectly and look festive when decorated with Vanilla Buttercream Icing swirls and sprinkles.

Chocolate Brownies with Nutella Fudge Icing and Vanilla Buttercream Swirls

Brownie Layer
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon iodized salt

Preheat oven to 350ºF. For easy slicing, line a 9 X 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper or non-stick foil with extra length to use as handles to remove brownies from pan after brownies are baked and iced.

Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl with a wire whisk. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Whisk half of flour mixture into batter. Stir. Add remaining flour mixture, scrape down sides of bowl with a silicone spatula and mix again.

Pour batter in an even layer into prepared pan. Bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center come out with a few crumbs. Remove from oven and cool completely in pan.

Nutella Icing

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1½ cups chocolate chips
1 cup Nutella chocolate hazelnut spread
¼ teaspoon iodized salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Place sweetened condensed milk, butter, chocolate chips, Nutella, and salt in a glass or metal bowl. Set bowl over pot of simmering water. Do not allow water to touch bottom of bowl. Cook stirring frequently until chocolate chips melt and mixture is smooth. Add vanilla.

Pour icing over cooled brownies. Place in refrigerator several hours for icing to set. Remove from refrigerator and cut into bars. Makes 9-16 brownies depending on what size you cut them. Bring brownies to room temperature before serving.

Vanilla Buttercream Icing
Enough icing to decorate 9-16 brownies with swirls

½ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup shortening
⅛ teaspoon iodized salt
2 cups powdered sugar
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ tablespoon water
multi-colored sprinkles

With a mixer, cream butter and shortening until combined. Add salt. Gradually add powdered sugar. Add vanilla and water. Beat 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. (Make sure to add the water- it makes the icing fluffy and easier to pipe.)

I used a Wilton 1M or Ateco 844 closed star tip to make miniature cupcake swirls. (For directions go to Wilton.com and look up, “how to make a cupcake swirl” under the “Learn”/ “piping techniques” tabs. Sprinkle swirls with sprinkles as soon as they are piped so sprinkles will stick to the icing and not fall off.

Published in The News and Neighbor on May 9, 2018