Chocolate & Hazelnut Brownies
Everyone loves these! They have just the right texture and really good flavor.
¾ cup Alison’s Pantry Hazelnuts
½ cup canola or grapeseed oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 large eggs
½ tsp salt
1 cup standard flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ cup cocoa
Heat oven to 180° (or 170° fanbake) with the rack just below the middle. While it heats, lightly brown the hazel nuts on a baking tray for 5-10 minutes. (Do not overcook!) When cool, place nuts in a folded, clean tea towel and rub off the skins. Line the base and sides of a baking pan about 20cm square with baking paper.
Combine the next five ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and beat with a fork. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa and stir until evenly mixed. Chop the nuts as finely as you like, then stir them in, too.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer poked into the center comes out clean. (Don’t worry if the sides rise higher than then middle). Cool, then lift from the pan and cut into pieces of the size you like.
Serve large pieces with vanilla ice-cream for dessert, drizzling a little hazel nut liqueur over the ice-cream if you like. OR cut in smaller bars to serve with coffee. Store in an airtight container in a cool place, up to 5 days.
Variations: Replace hazel nuts with chopped almonds, pecans or macadamias.
Download PDF version: Alison Holst’s Chocolate & Hazel Nut Brownies