Good brownies are a thing of beauty. Like a nice sunset, or the last pair of clearance pants being your size. I’ve tried at least twenty different brownie recipes in search of the perfect brownie. I ended up finding four perfect recipes, each perfect in its own, delicious, chocolate-y way.

This recipe is a modification of one of those four recipes. Modified with Nutella. That’s right, I said it. Nutella. Hells yes. Today is World Nutella Day, and if there was ever a condiment worth celebrating, it’s Nutella. So creamy, chocolatey, nutty, and utterly delectable. I love it in many different forms; spread on toast, waffles, and crackers. Baked into banana bread, loaves of bread, cookies, and brownies. Or on a spoon. Or finger. It’s a truly fantastic substance.

These brownies are lovely. Chocolatey, bittersweet, and Nutella-y. Chewy, tender, and amazing. What else could you want in a celebratory treat? Be sure not to over-bake or over-beat, and you’re guaranteed a batch of brownies that will make you lots of new friends.

Nutella Swirl Brownie

¾ cup butter, in a few chunks
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp coffee powder
1 1/3 cup white sugar
¼ tsp table salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup Nutella, warmed

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8×8″ pan, and line it with a 8″ wide strip of parchment paper that is long enough to overhang the ends of the pan.

Melt the butter. Once it’s melted, whisk in the cocoa powder, the coffee powder, the sugar, and the salt. Then whist in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.

Add the flour, in three parts, stirring with a rubber spatula after each addition. Spread about half of the batter in the bottom of the pan, and dollop with half the Nutella. Top off with the rest of the batter, and the rest of the Nutella. Swirl the batter in the pan a bit with the spatula, and gently smooth out.

Bake for 20–30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the brownie comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Let cool, remove from the pan, and slice.