Red Velvet Brownies Are Even Sweeter With Nutella Hearts

Valentine’s Day is sweet, and these brownies are too. Make a batch for all your favorite people — and save a bunch for yourself, too.

Red Velvet Brownies With Chocolate Hazelnut Hearts

Yield: 16 servings

What You Need

Ingredients

Tools

Instructions

1. Fill the Mold

Spoon Nutella into a silicone hearts mold. When filled, tap the bottom of the mold against your work surface to make any air bubbles rise to the top.

Good to Know: You can also remove air bubbles by squeezing the bottoms of each cavity, or by swirling a toothpick to even out the Nutella inside each heart.

2. Freeze

Freeze the hearts for at least 1 hour. Keep in the freezer until ready to use.

3. Prep the Brownies

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 8-9″ square pan with foil and set aside.

Good to Know: Using foil makes the brownies easier to lift out, cool and cut.

Place the stick of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter melt and simmer for 6-8 minutes. It will bubble and eventually the color will start to turn amber. Once you notice the change in color, immediately remove the pan from the heat. Pour the butter into a bowl to let cool for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk together so there are no cocoa powder and brown sugar chunks.

After 5 minutes, place the room-temperature egg, vanilla and food coloring gel into the bowl of butter and whisk until combined.

4. Put Everything in the Pan

Combine the wet and dry ingredients until it resembles loose cookie dough. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly.

Take the hearts out of the freezer and push each one into the dough, arranging them evenly in a 4-by-4 grid.

5. Bake and Serve

Bake for 26-28 minutes. Let the brownies cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Lift out using the foil, then let cool completely on a wire rack or wooden board.

Cut into 16 pieces and serve!