I keep dreaming about Nutella desserts, and this recipe for strawberry Nutella brownies might be the best thing I have created in my whole career. They have a fudgy texture, are filled with a thick layer of Nutella, have a paper-thin, crackly top, and are decorated with fresh, sweet strawberries.

If I had to make this recipe again, I don’t think I would change anything; it’s perfect as it is! We shared a fudgy brownie recipe in the past, and we took inspiration from that.

Why are these the best brownies ever

If you are a chocolate lover, more specifically a Nutella lover, this Nutella brownie will be your biggest temptation.

• They are perfectly sweet, balanced, and flavorful. Made with a mixture of rich Nutella and chocolate, we achieve the perfect brownie.
• Texture-wise, this strawberry brownie is NOT CAKEY, which is so important. When we make brownies, we want to avoid a cakey texture, and we look forward to a gooey ooey center. If you’re looking for a chocolate cake, you should try our moist chocolate cake recipe.
• Easy to prepare. They don’t take too long to prepare, and you can easily prepare them.
• FUDGY and rich.

Grab these ingredients

• Eggs: They play a very important role when we make brownies; they affect the texture and appearance of the Nutella brownies. Keep them at room temperature for the best results.
• Sugars: a mixture of brown sugar and granulated sugar.
• Fat: butter and oil, we will need both to achieve that paper-thin crust we love so much. We prefer using unsalted butter, but it’s always a preference thing to control the amount of salt it goes into our brownies.
• Vanilla: enhances the overall flavor of the brownies; you don’t want them to taste like vanilla, you want to increase that chocolate flavor, while it also cuts the bitterness from the cocoa powder. It’s like when you add salt to your desserts, not to make them salty.
• Chocolate: We found that doing half chocolate and half Nutella in our brownies works the best. We are using dark chocolate for a stronger flavor; it’s up to you if you’d like to use milk or dark, both will work beautifully.
• Nutella: basically the star of this dessert. We chose Nutella specifically as it will melt beautifully, it freezes in 20 minutes, and won’t give you trouble.
• Salt: balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor.
• Flour: gives structure to the brownies.
• Cocoa powder: use 100% cocoa powder; this will be essential to avoid adding extra sugar into the brownie.
• Strawberries: Use fresh strawberries or frozen; we prefer fresh as they are decorative. Clean, dry, and cut them in half.

Why are we not using baking powder or baking soda in our brownie recipe? Using any of them would give you a cake instead of a brownie; we have plenty of recipes on our website, like our sheet chocolate cake or crunch cake. Leavening agents puff up the dessert; they give us a tender crumb, and that’s something you don’t want when making brownies.

Brownies were actually invented by someone forgetting to add baking powder to their chocolate cake, creating a dense, fudgy, and flat dessert.

Eggs in brownies

How you treat the eggs in your brownie recipe will affect the final texture and appearance of the brownies. Eggs are super important as they are a big factor when it comes to the paper-thin top layer in brownies. They help dissolve the sugar, and that makes it go all the way up when baking, creating that thin crust featured in our brookies, red velvet brookies, red velvet Nutella brownies, or brownie pudding.

I recommend you use a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment. Start by beating the eggs. When they are slightly frothy, start adding both sugars and continue whisking. Increase the speed and beat the eggs until they turn pale and have basically tripled in size.

The sugar will completely dissolve, and that will give us the perfect texture.

Reminder: keep the eggs at room temperature before beating them; this will help with the beating process.

Brown butter

Whoever invented brown butter did something magical to the baker’s world. Brown butter basically gives your baked goods a nutty, caramelized taste; it’s subtle but noticeable. You brown butter by cooking the butter over medium-low heat until the milk solids have turned golden brown. You will be able to smell it in your kitchen. We have used it in many recipes, especially for cookies, like our chocolate chip cookies, cookie fries (red velvet too), and double chocolate cookies.

Very important to do this step over medium-low heat and try not to rush it, burnt butter will give a very bitter taste to the strawberry Nutella brownies.

Brown butter is so important that we even dedicated a whole post to it.

Achieve a crackly top in brownies

What makes a brownie have a crackly top? Sugar, fat, and eggs.

Starting with the sugar, you can’t skip adding sugar to brownies; they will not give you a crackly top if you omit, reduce, or use another sweetener. It must be dissolved by beating the eggs with it.

Adding oil to the brownies will help with that crack. Also, it will help add moisture back into the brownies after we have browned the butter.

Eggs need to be beaten until light and fluffy for a better texture.

How to make the Nutella middle layer

To have a middle layer of Nutella in our brownies is essential that you freeze the Nutella. What that will do is help with a uniform layer of Nutella that you can easily manage. Using a frozen Nutella block instead of melted Nutella straight into the brownie batter also helps with the temperature of the Nutella; instead of burning it, it will end up beautifully melted.

My recommendation is that you don’t even melt it to make the layer. Grab the pan you will use to make the brownies and line it with parchment paper. Spread a thick layer of Nutella, making sure it doesn’t reach the edges, so the Nutella doesn’t escape when baking and remains inside the brownies.

Freeze it while you start with the recipe; it needs 20 minutes to freeze.

Don’t use an off-brand chocolate spread, as it will not take 20 minutes to freeze; it can take days. We tested it with a grocery store brand chocolate spread and got awful results.

We use this method in our famous Nutella pancakes, chocolate Nutella pancakes, and red velvet Nutella pancakes.

Best tips to make strawberry Nutella brownies

1. Beat the eggs with the sugar until light, pale, and fluffy.
2. Don’t over-bake brownies or they’ll turn out dry. If you prefer a firmer brownie, add 5 minutes to the recommended baking time.
3. Adding moisture back into the brownies after we brown the butter will help achieve that crackly top.
4. After you bake the brownies, let them cool in the pan for at least 3 hours. This is super important, don’t rush it as I did, or it will become a complete mess! (delicious mess if I have to add).
5. Mix the brownie batter until just combined.
6. If you want the Nutella layer to be EXACTLY in the middle, make sure to weigh the brownie batter and divide it by two.
7. Using fresh strawberries will give it a better appearance. Make sure to wash them well with water and a little bit of baking soda, and rinse well. Dry them with paper towels and cut them in half. Don’t add the strawberries until the brownies have fully cooled, or they will turn pink and have a gummier texture.

How to know if brownies are baked

Checking if brownies are fully baked is a little tricky. They’re supposed to be very fudgy, and the Nutella in the center will get in the way of you checking the doneness of the brownies.

Follow the recommended baking time, and if you’d like to check to make sure you can do it by inserting a wooden toothpick in the center of the brownie when you lift it, you will notice if there’s brownie batter with Nutella or crumbs with Nutella.

We use the same method to check red velvet brownie pudding, orange cake, or hazelnut mousse cake.

How to serve Nutella brownies

Nutella brownies are best served warm. Warm them up slightly in the microwave (10-20 seconds) so the Nutella in the center is fully melted and they have a nice fudgy texture.

We will decorate them with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of Nutella. Strawberries will add a nice freshness to this brownie dessert, and you can additionally add a nice scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Can you freeze strawberry Nutella brownies?

As a matter of fact, yes, you can. You can do it in three different ways.

1. Freeze brownie batter: prepare the brownie batter and pour it into the pan as mentioned in the recipe card, instead of baking them, cover with aluminum foil, and freeze. Whenever you need them, bake from frozen for 10 extra minutes or thaw in the fridge and then bake following the recommended time.
2. Freeze brownies in portions: after they have fully cooled, slice the brownies into 9 squares. Place them separately in a parchment paper-lined tray and freeze for 4 hours. Move them to a freezer-safe food container or bag. It’s best to do so if the brownies are fully chilled and hardened so they don’t break.
3. Freeze the whole tray: if you need the brownies for another occasion and you won’t have time to fully bake them, you can freeze the whole tray with the brownies covered in aluminum foil. Make sure they have fully cooled before freezing. Thaw them in the fridge overnight and bake for 5 minutes in the oven at 355F (180 °C) so they have a nice texture and better taste.

You can keep brownies in the freezer for up to 3 months if stored properly. Always make sure to use food and freezer-safe containers. Add name, date, and baking time and temperature if needed.

Strawberries might be a little watery on top of the brownie after thawing. Make sure you separate them before you thaw the Nutella brownies and then add them on top after.

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