Nutella Blondies

Stephen and I have finally had a chance to breathe a little, now that recruitment is over for our respective Greek organizations. This school year promises to be busier than usual; all the senior year festivities, graduation audits, and final projects have already begun to dominate my time. (And I’ve only been going to class for two weeks!) It’s my last school year at UCLA and I have high expectations for myself. Balancing work, sorority life, schoolwork, thesis research, and a healthy, committed relationship requires hearty sustenance and bottomless joie de vivre. These Nutella blondies from Martha Stewart are definitely keeping me chipper in the early mornings when I have early class and perky when the afternoon lulls sleepily in the last of summer’s warmth.

Start by mixing your dry ingredients together: flour, salt, baking powder.

Then, beat together unsalted butter and brown sugar. (Look, no mixer needed!)

Add eggs and vanilla.

Get your whole hazelnuts ready. These are from Whole Foods, and were quite affordable. They come in a plastic box that holds enough hazelnuts for a few recipes. Place the hazelnuts in a single layer and toast them for about 15 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 375 degrees.

This will cause the skins to blacken and blister. Place the toasted nuts in a kitchen towel and cover for a few minutes (this allows the nuts to steam a little). Rolling covered nuts within the towel will cause the skins to flake off. For a more thorough job, rub each one individually, but don’t worry too much if not all the skin comes off.

Combine the dry ingredients with the wet.

Prepare your Nutella. For me, a pristine jar of Nutella holds as much optimism, love, and good will as a teddy bear and a bouquet of flowers.

Get a good dollop of Nutella into the bowl. Though the recipe prescribes a heaping tablespoon, I think triple that amount is appropriate.

Chop, chop!

Combine until all the nuts are evenly integrated.

Press it into a prepared dish that has been buttered for easy release.

Bake!

Dense, chewy, and nutty, with an underlying chocolate flavor that coats the tongue. The richness of Nutella is much more prominent in these blondies than when it’s spread on a piece of toast.

You’ll probably want an extra jar or two of Nutella lying around.

Because if you think you consume these just straight up…

… you would be wrong. This is the official, Martha-endoresed way to eat these blondies. We wouldn’t want to disappoint her now, would we?

Hazelnut Blondies (Nutella Blondies) from Martha Stewart

• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skins rubbed off with a kitchen towel, and chopped
• 1 heaping tablespoon chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella, plus more for serving

Full instructions here.