Food Recipes Hazelnut Swirl Blondies 3.7 (7) 4 Reviews Ribbons of rich chocolate-hazelnut spread top each bite of these outrageously delicious blondies. By Jenna Helwig Jenna Helwig Instagram Jenna is the food director at Real Simple and the author of Bare Minimum Dinners, a cookbook featuring more than 100 low-lift, high-reward recipes. Previously, Jenna was the food director at Health and Parents. She is also the founder and operator of Rosaberry, a boutique personal chef services company, and the author of four other cookbooks, including the bestselling Baby-Led Feeding. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Published on April 13, 2021 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Hands On Time: 15 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins Yield: 16 blondies Classic blondie batter forms the base of this crowd-pleasing treat. Think: generous dark brown sugar for maximum caramel flavor and just enough flour so the dough holds together yet remains chewy. What makes this recipe particularly outstanding are the dollops of chocolate-hazelnut spread (like Nutella) that you'll swirl into the batter before baking. Chopped hazelnuts also stud each bite, adding texture and balancing out the sugary notes with nutty undertones. Ingredients Cooking spray ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ cup toasted unsalted skinned hazelnuts (optional), chopped ⅓ cup chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Melt butter in a large pot over medium, stirring occasionally to ensure butter doesn't brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in sugar until well-combined. Whisk in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and kosher salt to butter mixture; stir until batter is smooth. Stir in hazelnuts, if using. Transfer batter to baking pan. Spread in an even layer and smooth top. Dollop chocolate-hazelnut spread in tablespoonfuls on top of blondie batter. Drag a wooden spoon or a skewer through spread to swirl it slightly (it won't be evenly spread out over batter). Sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake until top of blondies is set and edges are golden (center will still be a bit gooey), 22 to 24 minutes. Transfer baking pan to a wire rack and let blondies cool completely, about 2 hours. Using parchment paper overhang as handles, remove blondies from pan and slice. Greg DuPree Print