Nutella and Amaretto Brown Butter Blondies

Another year has passed and it's Children's Day again in Romania. :)
Brown butter is a super-easy way to make almost any dessert more delicious, and it even works for savory dishes. It still tastes buttery, but also resembles walnut, and the butter taste gains a whole new level of depth. 

Naturally, blondies with brown butter are a great pairing. The dash of Amaretto liquor makes it even more amazing, and when you also add Nutella to the mix, the small bites of sweet stuff become addictive. 
Recipe source: here.

Last year: nothing.
Two years ago: nothing.
Three years ago: nothing.
Four years ago: Sour cherry muffins with black and white chocolate chunks.
Five years ago: Poppyseed, honey and strawberry glaze Bundt cake.
Six years ago: Elder flower and vanilla syrup (vegan).
Seven years ago: Raw walnut-cocoa truffles with honey and cinnamon (raw vegan).
Eight years ago: Stuffed baked avocados (Middle Eastern).



Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 stick unsalted butter (170 g)
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour (180 g)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1-1/2 cups light brown sugar (300 g)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp amaretto
• 1/2 cup Nutella (or any chocolate hazelnut spread of your choosing)

In a small sauce pan on the stove, melt the butter over medium heat until it foams up and smells nutty. Swirl the pan gently as it cooks to prevent burning. Keep a close eye on it because it will go from done to overdone very quickly. Pour the butter through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, cover it, and put it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to cool off.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C. Line a square 9-inch baking dish with baking paper.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the light brown sugar and the cooled browned butter until well combined. Beat in the eggs, stirring them one at a time. Then add the vanilla extract and amaretto. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until combined.

Spread about two thirds of the batter evenly in the baking pan. Drop the Nutella by the spoonful all over the batter.

Spread the remaining batter on top, and using a skewer or offset spatula, swirl the batter and Nutella. Bake 30-35 minutes, until the top begins to brown. (Forget the toothpick test: a toothpick inserted will not come out clean; it will come out coated in Nutella goodness). 

Cool on a wire rack before cutting. Cut it into small-ish bits, because their taste is rather concentrated. It's done, dig in!