When a friend asks if I can make something for their birthday, I get excited! I love cooking and baking for people! It gives me a chance to think about creating something fun, and tailoring it specifically for that person. This week, my friend Becca is turning 50. Becca and I have never met before. How could I possibly make something for someone I’ve never met? Well, the food community is very friendly! Especially food bloggers. We’re connected by our passion for food AND wanting to share it! Plus, Becca has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve ever met. She loves chocolate and bacon, she’s working on hard on getting in shape and her faith shines in everything she does!! It really touched my heart Becca reached out to see if I’d help her celebrate this 50th birthday milestone, along with a few other bloggers. After the haze of the last two months, it’s delightful to return to the kitchen to make something sweet for such a sweet woman! These are Becca’s Brown Butter Hazelnut Birthday Brownies!
Becca blogs over at “It’s Yummi” and you can find her on Facebook at “Cooking with Chef Bec.” Check out her blog! I know you’ll love her just as much as I do! For her birthday, I tried to balance decadent chocolate, chunks of hazelnut and delicious brown butter with a smaller, healthier portion. This way Becca (and YOU) can enjoy a treat and still stay on track with exercise and eating healthier! Not only is Becca celebrating turning 50, she’s having a GIVEAWAY EVER DAY this week, so YOU get the presents! Isn’t that awesome?!?
The 3 winners for today’s giveaway will each get a copy of Melissa’s Produce beautiful hardcover book “50 Best Plants on the Planet) along with a $25 gift card!! I don’t know about you, but $25 dollars AND a new cookbook is a great present!! All the info and link to the giveaway is at the bottom of this post! So scroll through the delicious chocolate and ENTER to WIN!
This recipe is back-to-basic simple! The recipe itself only makes six brownies (See! portion control!) you can whip them together in less than an hour.
I made Becca’s Brown Butter Hazelnut Brownies in a heart-shaped muffin pan because I love her tremendous heart and she deserves to have the best 50th birthday EVER!
Make them yourself, as a birthday treat for a good friend or for any milestone you want to celebrate! You know, like making it through Wednesday.:-) Top the brownies with ice-cream to make them extra decadent! Enjoy my friends!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECCA!!
Brown Butter Hazelnut Birthday Brownies
Ingredients
½ cup butter
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup Ghirardelli cocoa powder
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup Ghirardelli chocolate chips
¼ cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees
Start by making the brown butter.
This should take 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of your pan.
Slice the butter and melt it in a heavy-bottom pan.
The butter will foam up a little, then subside as the water begins to cook out of it.
You’ll see brown specks forming at the bottom of the pan. Watch it carefully.
As soon as the butter begins to have a nutty aroma, take it off the heat and pour the butter and all those delicious brown bits into a bowl to cool.
Don’t let it cool in the pan because the butter will continue to cook and could burn.
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt)
Using your stand mixer, combine the cooled butter with sugar. Mix until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing for a full minute between each egg.
Add vanilla extract and mix until combined
Add dry ingredients to your bowl and combine.
Incorporate the chocolate chips and toasted, chopped hazelnuts, stirring gently to combine.
Pour batter into six wells of a well-greased 12 cup cupcake pan
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Check the brownies after 15 minutes to be sure they aren’t cooking too quickly.
Enjoy!
Now here is YOUR CHANCE to win! Enter below and GOOD LUCK to everyone!
What specific pan did you use for these?
Hi TC. Oh, gosh. I have had this pan for ages and I couldn’t tell you…. I believe it’s a Wilton Pan, but I’d have to look it up. Let me check in to it and I’ll get back to you!
Sara what a wonderful recipe. I’m a huge brown butter fan I just can’t wait to try these. I’m back in front of my computer after a few days of Snowmageddon. I’ll be giving you a shout out and sharing. So happy to be on the Birthday team with you. Libby
These brownies sound great Sara!
Thanks Bernadette! They were pretty yummilicious! ;-)
Oh my sweet Sara, I am BEYOND touched and grateful to have you celebrate my birthday in such a special way… and to do it with these lovely PORTION CONTROLLED brownies just makes my heart sing and my face smile.
I loved you so much already that I wasn’t sure it was possible to love you more, but HELLO CHOCOLATE, BROWNED BUTTER, and BROWNIES!
My heart is beyond full of love <3
I knew I had to either make you something with Brown Butter, Chocolate, Nutella or Bacon. P.S. Bacon with these… not so great, but I did try! LOL!
I love you too sweetie! I hope you have the HAPPIEST of birthdays and I’m looking forward to seeing what wonderful things you create over the next 50 years!! <3 <3 <3