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Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies

Brownies and cheesecake come together with chocolate and hazelnut to make these delicious Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies. - Bake or Break

Several years ago when I discovered Nutella, it was love at first bite. Now, countless bites later, I’m still completely enamored. I think there has been only one time since then when I didn’t have a jar in my pantry. And that was a complete oversight on my part. I think there are at least two jars in there right now. You just never know when you’re going to require it in a big way. I know surely some of you understand.

With my love of that chocolate-hazelnut spread, I’ve made all sorts of things with it, including brownies and cheesecake. But now, these Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies combine brownies, cheesecake, and chocolate-hazelnut spread into one delectable, irresistible dessert.

You don't have to choose between brownies and cheesecake with these luscious Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies! - Bake or Break

These brownies are seriously good. Each layer on its own is pretty fantastic. But layer them and you’ve really got something special. This is by no means a shy dessert. The rich flavors of chocolate and hazelnuts really shine without being over-the-top sweet.

These are big, tall bars, too. I cut them into 2-inch squares, but if you’re feeding a crowd, you can cut these into small bars and still provide plenty of big flavor in a small bite. Just don’t be surprised if some folks come back for seconds!

Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Bars are tall, dark, rich, and delicious! - Bake or Break

For serving these brownies, you can top them with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream or a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar. Maybe even some chocolate curls or toasted hazelnuts. I decided to skip any extras and just enjoy the chocolate and hazelnut experience in all its glory.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies

Yield 24 2-inch brownies
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Brownies and cheesecake come together in these delectable, irresistible Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies.

Brownies and cheesecake come together with chocolate and hazelnut to make these delicious Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies. - Bake or Break

Ingredients

For the brownies:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 & 1/4 cups unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread*
  • 4 large eggs

For the cheesecake:

  • 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread*
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

To make the brownies:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°. Grease a 9"x 13"x 2" baking pan.
  2. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, melted butter, chocolate-hazelnut spread, and eggs. Mix until combined. Add flour mixture, and mix just until combined.
  4. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly.

To make the cheesecake:

  1. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, chocolate-hazelnut spread, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Stir in hazelnuts, if using.
  2. Carefully spread cheesecake batter over brownie batter in pan.
  3. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until cheesecake layer is firm. Cool to room temperature in pan on a wire rack. Then, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before cutting into bars.

Notes

*You can use a fresh 13-ounce jar of chocolate-hazelnut spread. Use 1/2 cup for the brownies, and then use the remainder (about 3/4 cup) in the cheesecake layer. There are many brands of chocolate-hazelnut spread out there these days. I used Nutella.

Recipe slightly adapted from BHG.

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    15 Comments on “Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies”

  1. I just discovered your website a couple of days ago. OMG, what yummy goodies! I want to try them all!

  2. Debby, you found one of the BEST sites on the web. It only gets better! Jennifer, this one is PERFECT for my guys who love chocolate and hazelnuts. Of course living in Oregon we are a little biased about hazelnuts. The only thing missing is some coffee…and we can add that in liquid form when we eat this one! Thanks for another great recipe!!!

  3. Oh yes please! I am a HUGE Nutella fan. These are right up my alley!!

  4. These remind me of a vintage brownies recipe that I made a few weeks ago. It had three layers!

    I, too, love hazelnuts & chocolate hazelnut spread. I was in the grocery store and I needed some chocolate frosting for decorating, but all the premade frostings had artificial vanillin in them (which I don’t really like the taste of), so I had a brainstorm and bought a jar of chocolate hazelnut spread instead!

    Did you use Dutch process or natural cocoa?

  5. These are the ultimate brownie — I especially love all those chopped hazelnuts in that top layer!

  6. Just by looking at your pictures, I can tell my family would love these brownies! (Nutella’s pretty popular in our house, too.)

  7. Good think I JUST bought a jar of nutella! The extra large kind. So I’ll have enough to make the brownies I was planning on AND these!

  8. Love the tip about using a fresh jar of Nutella! These look so good!

  9. The chopped hazelnuts is the perfect touch for these! I love nutty crunch in my brownies.

  10. When I mixed in the cream cheese, it wouldn’t completely integrate into the mixture and left tiny blobs of cream cheese throughout the mixture. Suggestions?

  11. Why not go all the way and put a white chocolate hazelnut mousse on top?

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