Valentine’s Day Nutella Brownies are over-the-top rich, creamy and dreamy! They are indeed full of heart — and that heart is literally full of Nutella. There’s chocolate, hazelnut and a little love in every mouth-watering morsel! This is one of the best Nutella recipes ever!
“You can’t make everybody happy, you’re not a jar of Nutella.”
-I don’t know who said this, but think it’s funny.
My whole life people have asked if I was born on Valentine’s Day.
Nope.
Then they ask if I’m Italian or Russian. (The name Valentina is popular in both Italy and Russia.)
Though some of my ancestors were from Russia, my parents just liked the name Valentina. They thought it was pretty, happy and lyrical. I agree and I’ve always loved it.
Could my name be the reason that I’ve always loved Valentine’s Day? Could it be why I’m in love with these Valentine’s Day Nutella Brownies? Um, I seriously doubt that! If my name were Sally or Joyce, I’m pretty sure I’d still be in love with them! 😉
I thought Valentine’s Day was so fun when I was little – exchanging little heart-shaped cards with friends and eating sweetheart treats and various heart-shaped chocolates.
And as an adult, it never mattered if I was single or not on this day of love. I still always looked forward to it!
I don’t know why, really — it’s sort of silly to have a designated day to celebrate love, right? We should celebrate love every day! Duh.
After all, my favorite time to get a surprise bundle of beautiful flowers from my husband is on an ordinary day, not a holiday. And similarly, of course I would eat Valentine’s Day Nutella Brownies absolutely any day. Any time or place, for that matter. And really, that goes for most Nutella recipes.
Hearts should always be full of love.
And possibly also full of chocolate. Or in this case Nutella!
So, spread a little love around on Valentine’s Day — and everyday — with these super cute, super delicious Valentine’s Day Nutella Brownies full of Heart!
Make them this weekend!
And would you believe this recipe only has three ingredients? It’s true!
And yes, of course you can skip the little hearts. I know everyone doesn’t have that little cutter on hand. These brownies are delicious either way.
Enjoy!
Oh, and here are a few of more mouth-watering Nutella recipes for you:
- Nutella Blackout Cake
- Nutella Truffles
- Gluten-Free Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Hazelnut Praline Nutella Pie
Timeline for Valentine’s Day Nutella Brownies full of Heart:
up to 1 day and at least 4 hours ahead: Make the batter and bake the brownies.
up to 1 hour and at least 20 minutes ahead: Cut out the hearts and fill them up!
You can actually make the brownie portion, through the baking a few days ahead, and freeze them, wrapped tightly in plastic. When I do this, I like to warm them in the oven just before serving. Don’t add the Nutella to the heart until after you defrost them.
Valentine's Day Nutella Brownies are over-the-top rich, creamy and dreamy! There's chocolate, hazelnut and a little love in every mouth-watering morsel!
*WARNING: This is a bizarre batter -- it won't look or have the texture of a regular brownie batter. DON'T WORRY! It should be like this.
*Makes approximately 2 dozen
- about 1 teaspoon unsalted butter for the pan melted
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons Nutella
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, sifted
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Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease one or two non-stick mini-muffin pans with the butter, or use small cupcake papers. (My mini-muffin pan has 2 dozen spaces, and each is about 3/4-inch deep with a 2-inch diameter.)
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Separate the eggs placing the whites in a medium-sized mixing bowl, and the yolks in another.
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Add the 1 1/2 cups of Nutella and cocoa powder to the egg yolks and mix until it's evenly blended. Set aside.
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Now, use the whisk attachment on an electric mixer, on a medium-high speed to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. (You can also use a hand whisk -- it will just take a bit more time and energy.)
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Fold the whipped whites into the Nutella mixture until they are fully incorporated. This will seem difficult at first because the Nutella batter is quite thick. Keep mixing and it will incorporate. You can also use the electric mixer here to make it smooth, but for as little time as possible.
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Then add the batter into the prepared pans, filling each space about 3/4 full. This is easily accomplished with a small cookie scoop (a 1-1/4-inch scoop is the perfect size.)
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Bake in the preheated oven until they have risen, are solid and have a crackled surface, about 10 minutes. They will fall down a bit in the center after they are out of the oven. Let them cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes.
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If you haven't used cupcake papers, use a small knife to go along the edges of each brownie to loosen it. Then they should pop out easily. Let them cool to room temperature.
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Use a small heart shaped cookie cutter, or a paring knife to cut out a small heart on top of each brownie. (I use a heart cutter that's 3/4-inch wide at the top.) DO NOT push the cutter all the way to the bottom of the brownie -- about half way is perfect. Once the cutter is in the brownie, gently wiggle it as you pull it up. This will pull out a bit of the brownie in a little heart shape, and will only work if the brownies are not too warm. If you use a knife, once you shape the heart, use the tip of the knife to remove a bit of the brownie. (Save these cute brownie hearts and they served as part of this treat!)
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Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of Nutella to a small zip-lock bag and cut a tiny bit off of one of its bottom corners. Then, holding the tip close to the bottom of each hollowed out heart, squeeze gently to fill it up.
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Serve with the tiny heart cut-outs.
I like to keep it simple and Nutella-y, but of course these would be adorable if you filled the hearts with pink or red frosting.
For an easier route, and if your making these for an occasion other than Valentine's Day, simply spread a thin layer of Nutella on top. (If you made them, they're full of love either way!)
You can also make these brownies in an 8 x 8 x 2-inch baking dish. The baking time will be longer, maybe 20 minutes or so. Let them cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting them into squares and serving.
Jeanne @JollyTomato says
February 9, 2012 at 5:01 pmOK, this looks amazing – and only three ingredients ?!!? – I am bowled over. Must try these at home.
Incidentally, I love the name Valentina…My brother had a little girl born on Valentine’s Day and I was lobbying hard for “Valentina” but he chose another beautiful name instead. Too bad it wouldn’t have worked for either of my boys. : )
stephchows says
February 9, 2012 at 7:51 pmEEk! These look so delicious! Man you have patients with all those little cut outs, I’d just eat the stuff by the spoonful 🙂
Emily says
February 10, 2012 at 6:18 pmI made these babies last night and used a mini muffin pan. SO CUTE! And yummy! They were a hit at work. Thanks for sharing!
valentina says
February 10, 2012 at 7:03 pmEmily, so happy you tried them — and made so many people happy at work! Yay! 😀
April says
February 10, 2012 at 6:36 pmTrying to convince my husband to make these for me right . . . now. YUM.
valentina says
February 10, 2012 at 7:03 pmApril, he’ll love them, too. 😉
Sophie says
February 11, 2012 at 7:39 pmWaw! What amazingly, tasty & apart only 3 ingredients muffins!!
You rock, Valentina! 🙂
valentina says
February 12, 2012 at 4:40 amSophie – YOU rock! 🙂
Cheryl says
February 12, 2012 at 5:44 amThese are so amazing! I cannot wait to try the recipe out with the little one. They are going to make a wonderful Valentine Gift! Thanks for sharing!
valentina says
February 20, 2012 at 6:59 amThank you, Cheryl! <3
fenella says
February 14, 2012 at 11:15 amthese look FAB 😀 it says 250 degrees for the oven is that Celsius or Farenheit ?? i really wanna make them !!!
valentina says
February 14, 2012 at 5:32 pmHi Fenella — it’s 350 F. I just made the edit 😉 — Enjoy these and Happy Valentine’s Day!
Deb|EastofEdenCooking says
February 9, 2018 at 10:49 amLove the story about your name! And of course the Nutella brownies are awesome! Happy Valentines Day!
valentina says
February 9, 2018 at 10:20 pmHappy Valentine’s Day to you. Here’s to love, chocolate, and Nutella. 😉
Hannah says
February 9, 2018 at 3:15 pmWe don’t need Valentine if we have these Nutella brownies! :)) They are so good!
valentina says
February 9, 2018 at 10:19 pmI’m with you, Hannah! Thanks!
Mindy Fewless says
February 9, 2018 at 4:35 pmThese look so easy and delicious!!! I wish I had one right now!
valentina says
February 9, 2018 at 10:19 pmThey really are easy. And delicious. 😉 Hope you try them, and thank you!
Marie says
February 9, 2018 at 4:40 pmThese look so cute and perfect for Valentine’s Day! I love Nutella desserts!
valentina says
February 9, 2018 at 10:18 pmMe too!! Hope you try them. 🙂
Leslie says
February 9, 2018 at 6:36 pmThat is such a cute idea to cut out the little hearts. These sound perfectly rich!
valentina says
February 9, 2018 at 10:18 pmOh they are! Thank you! 🙂
Jaime says
February 9, 2018 at 6:46 pmWOW! These look amazing and I love that they are only three ingredients! You could cut them into any shape to make them work for all the holidays. My son will be so excited to help me make these
valentina says
February 9, 2018 at 10:17 pmSo true . . . I’m imagining Nutell Brownie stars for winter holidays. Fun! Thanks for visiting. 🙂
David says
February 14, 2018 at 9:14 pmThese look absolutely incredible! Happy Valentine’s Day to you, Valentina, and thanks for all your wonderful recipes throughout the year! I love them all – and, if nothing else, Valentine’s Day is about love.
valentina says
February 15, 2018 at 9:40 pmAwww, I love this David. Thank you. Hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day too! XOXO