Oreo and Nutella Fudge Brownies

Yes. The baking blog posts are back. Spending a lazy Sunday ill inside has resulted in me doing one thing...baking. Brownies are the ultimate comfort food, and this recipe is honestly amazing. It is from a book called 'Baking Made Easy' by Lorraine Pascale. I can take no credit for how faultless it is. I have made one optional addition however and that is a few teaspoons of Nutella marbled through the batter. You don't have to include this however it makes it that extra bit indulgent. Peanut butter would work well too.

Ingredients: 

• 
  
• 165g/5½oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 200g/7oz dark chocolate, grated or finely chopped
• 3 free-range eggs
• 2 free-range egg yolks
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds only (or alternatively 2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 165g/5½ oz soft light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• pinch salt
• 154g/5½oz pack chocolate biscuits, such as Oreos, broken into quarters
• 3 tbsp Hazelnut Spread (Nutella) optional. 
• icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm/8in square baking tin with butter, then line with baking paper with the paper overlapping the sides a little.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. When the butter has melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the grated (or chopped) chocolate. Leave to stand for a few minutes, or until the chocolate melts, and then stir together. Alternatively, you can put the chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt in the microwave in 25-second blasts, stirring well each time.
3. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and vanilla together in a large bowl until the eggs begin to get light and fluffy. Add the sugar in two additions, whisking between each. Pour it around the side of the egg mix so as not to knock out the air that has been whisked in. Keep whisking until the mixture becomes stiffer. Once the egg mixture is ready, pour the chocolate into it - again around the sides so as not to knock the air out.
4. Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and a third of the biscuits and stir until fully combined, then pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Scatter the remaining biscuits over the top, pressing them in slightly. Add the optional Nutella and marble through the batter.
5. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 25–30 minutes. The middle should be very so slightly gooey. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin - the top will sink and crack a little.
6. Pull the brownies out using the overlapping paper and cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar and serve. 

Thank you so much for reading,

Luke.