important things today! i've got brownies and a giveaway for you! but first, these cake-y, hazelnut-y brownies!

i've making my fair share of desserts and treats laced with chocolate over the past few months, which i basically chalk up to eating my feelings: feeling #1: being cold. feeling #2: stressed. and feeling #3: chocolate, because chocolate is totally a feeling! these brownies were born out of a love for the happy marriage of chocolate and nuts, and the wonderful things they produce when mixed, stirred and mushed to together. point in case, these brownies! they're adapted from sarah's chocolate chunk nut butter blondies which i made a few weeks ago for valentine's day; they were awesomely delicious and totally inspired me to try a different, nut-based take on a traditional dessert. but because i wanted more brownie and less blondie, i tweaked the recipe by adding hazelnut butter and a bit of raw cacao - so yeah, they're basically NUTELLA brownies! i can't tell you how insane the taste of nutella, in brownie form is, just too good.

and now for the giveaway! my awesome pal, jessica recently released a lovely e-book, a year of breakfast! when she emailed me last year asking if i would like to contribute a breakfast-y, plant-based recipe to her book, i was super thrilled! the book is filled with awesome breakfast recipes; from muffins, to smoothies, and a savory grit recipe i'm dying to make! jessica's just one of those people who has a magnetism about her; whether it's about her work, her little babe, or the things she believes in, she's just one of those super sparkly gems! and jessica's so awesome that she's giving away two copies of a year of breakfast, to 2 lucky peeps!

***to enter a chance to win: in the spirit of friends and recipes, leave a comment below sharing what your favorite recipe is, either from a friend, family member or interweb pal, and i will choose 2 winners at random. contest ends monday, march 16th at 6pm, good luck, y'all! xo

***also, you can still vote for your favorite blogs for the Saveur Blog Awards until march 13th!

hazelnut butter brownies (gluten + dairy free)

the brownies here were made with 2 eggs, resulting in a cake-like texture. however, it you're looking for a more dense, fudgy brownie, use one egg. also, i think these could benefit from some crunch, perhaps leftover chopped hazelnuts, or topped with puffed quinoa were both thoughts that came to mind!

adapted from My New Roots

| makes 16 brownies |

hazelnut butter

2 cups raw hazelnuts

brownies

3/4 cup coconut sugar
1-2 eggs (1 egg for dense brownies, 2 eggs for cake-like brownies)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup hazelnut butter
1/3 cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2.5 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (65%-70% cacao), divided

instructions

hazelnut butter

preheat oven to 375°. roast hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. let cool completely. rub hazelnuts with fingers or in a dish towel to release skins. place skinned nuts in a high speed blender, blend hazelnuts into a creamy consistency, stopping blender to scrape down sides when needed. place in a lidded jar and refrigerate until ready to use

brownies

preheat oven to 325° and line an 8x8-inch square baking pan with a piece of parchment - long enough to hang over 2 sides
in a medium mixing bowl, briskly whisk together eggs and sugar; add vanilla and hazelnut butter and whisk again until thoroughly combined. in a separate bowl, sift cacao, baking soda and salt; stir into hazelnut butter mixture. then fold in half of the chopped chocolate
spread brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan, the batter will be very sticky; use fingers if necessary to spread out. sprinkle with remaining chocolate, and bake in the center of your oven for 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean
allow brownies to cool completely before cutting. brownies can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for up to 5 days

enjoy!