Nutella Brownie Truffle Bites are sliceable, no-bake, dense, rich bites come together in 5 minutes and are pressed into a pan and sliced, rather than rolled, a huge time-saver.
Truffles are so good but they’re a pain to make.
These sliceable bites provide the richness of a fudgy brownie crossed with the decadence of a truffle, minus any tedious rolling or dipping.
I didn’t know what to make with the remaining Nutella after the Nutella Cinnamon Rolls but I started thinking truffles. And promptly talked myself out of that idea. I just don’t have the patience to melt chocolate with heavy cream, wait for it chill for a few hours, only to have to roll out dozens of little balls, which each require being dipped in melted chocolate or dredged through cocoa powder. No thanks.
I am the queen of bars and desserts-in-a-pan and decided to incorporate my fondness for Nutella Brownies with no-bake truffles that are pressed into a pan and sliced rather than rolled. Such a time-saver. The batter comes together in one bowl in five minutes and they can easily be kept vegan and gluten-free.
To make the bites, combine Nutella, softened butter, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, one-quarter cup flour, and stir until combined. Those ingredients are the fundamentals in chocolate slice-and-bake-style shortbread cookies, but my theory is why bother baking cookies if I can have something that tastes like a cross between chocolate-cookie cookie dough, a fudgy brownie, and a truffle. I’m sure you understand.
The dough is thick, dense, and will seem quite wet. Add additional flour, one tablespoon at a time and only as necessary, in order to take it from wet and sloppy to smooth and malleable. One or two tablespoons can make the difference from gloppy to crumbly. When judging dough consistency, ask yourself, could I pack this into a pan and slice it into bite-sized pieces that will hold their shape? Depending on your answer, play with the flour ratio in small amount. If you happen to over-do it, adding a touch more Nutella will re-moisten it. I used one quarter cup plus two tablespoons of flour.
Fold in the chocolate chips and transfer mixture to a foil-lined and sprayed 8-inch square pan. If you have a 6-inch square pan, it’s ideal and use it, but most people don’t. Therefore, it’s important to note that the mixture should cover only two-thirds of the base of the pan, leaving approximately a two-inch bare margin. Don’t spread it over the entire surface because the truffles will be thin and flat. I want something that I can really sink my teeth into and prefer thicker bites, which is why using only a portion of the pan is advantageous.
Allow the mixture to set up in the refrigerator for at least two hours before slicing and serving. The bites are rich, as anything would be made with Nutella, butter, sugar, and two forms of chocolate is, so I slice them on the smaller side. These are truffles after all, a rare treat in which I’ll concede bigger isn’t better.
The dark nuggets will keep for many weeks in the refrigerator or freezer. I store them in the freezer here in Aruba and they never freeze solid, thanks to the butterfat and Nutella. I recommend storing them in either the refrigerator or freezer not only because there’s butter in them, but because dark, rich, and fudgy desserts taste better and more decadent when served chilled. Remarkably, they stayed quite firm even in my 88F degree hot and humid Caribbean kitchen, a welcome change from most other chocolate treats that tend to melt in minutes. In more normal climates, you could likely keep them sitting out for many hours before they’d soften much.
Although they’re sweet, they’re not overly sweet treat like traditional fudge tends to be. There’s just one-half cup confectioners’ sugar added to the entire batch, and it’s done for both bulking the batter, drying it out, and offsetting the bitterness of unsweetened cocoa powder.
What the bites lack in sugary status, they make up for in richness and creaminess thanks to both the butter and Nutella, which also adds a hint of hazelnut flavor. They’re dense, very chocolaty and fudgy, which is how I like my brownies. They’re much more fudgy like brownies than like actual fudge, which tends to be far too grainy and sweet for my liking. The chocolate chips in every bite boost the chocolate intensity and add welcome texture.
Part no-bake fudgy Nutella brownie, part rich chocolate-cookie cookie dough, and part decadent truffle.
It’s dangerous that they’re a five minute project.
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Nutella Brownie Truffle Bites
Ingredients
- ¼ heaping cup Nutella], https://www.nutellausa.com/ store brand chocolate-hazelnut spread may be substituted, or use [Justin's Chocolate-Hazelnut Butterto keep vegan
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened (use vegan butter or margarine to keep vegan)
- ½ cup confectioners' sugar
- ⅓ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder + more for final dusting, Hershey's Special Dark or Dutch-process brands may be substituted
- ¼ cup plus 1 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as necessary (gluten-free flour may be substituted)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine Nutella, butter, sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder and stir until a thick paste is formed. Add 1/4 cup flour slowly, stirring until the dough firms up and combines. Dough should be sticky enough to hold together - imagine it being pressed into the pan and you'll need to slice it - so not wet and sloppy, nor dry and crumbly. 1 to 2 tablespoons flour can make the difference between a workable dough and not.
- Add flour only until dough combines and if you overdo it and dough becomes too dry, add a touch more Nutella to re-moisten it. I used 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour.
- Add chocolate chips and fold to incorporate. It will be a bit challenging to fold them in because dough is thick and dense, but keep stirring until incorporated.
- Turn dough out into prepared pan, and important note is that dough should cover only two-thirds of the base of the pan; leaving a 2-inch wide column bare. This is done in order to create truffles that are the thickness shown. If dough is spread over the entire pan, truffles will be much thinner, which I don't prefer. Firmly pack and flatten dough mixture into the pan, smoothing it with a spatula.
- Place pan in refrigerator for at least two hours to chill before slicing and serving. Optionally, dust with a sprinkling of cocoa powder or confectioners' sugar prior to serving. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Do you like truffles or make them? Or make anything with Nutella?
Tell me about your favorite recipes.
Thanks for the Vanilla and Chocolate Stevia Giveaway and the Two Vegan Cookbooks Giveaway entries
Merry Christmas!
I love making truffles, but these are such a great alternative! Look so beautiful and fudgy :)
I want to dip one in your champagne whipped cream :)
Chocolate cookie dough, a fudgy brownie, + a truffle!? I’m in! :D
Happy Holidays to you and your family, Averie!
And right back at you! I’d love to go out for a drink with you, and maybe we can dress your cat up. I loved that cat-in-the-hat pic!
These bites are chocolate/Nutella heaven! Merry Christmas, Averie! :)
Thanks for the pin my friend and a very Merry Xmas to you & your family!
Truffles are a must for Christmas. I can’t wait to try these – huge fan of Nutella here :)
Have a wonderful Christmas, Averie!
I’m impressed that you’re still posting recipes! You’re a machine! Happy holidays, Averie :)
No rest for the weary :) Lol
an easier version of a truffle… i am so into that! these would be a great treat to give as gifts, too!
i made your fudgy nutella brownies yesterday at my parents’ house! but they didn’t have any nutella around and i didn’t want to brave the store. however, they DID have cookie butter in the pantry, so i just subbed that in… and wow it was tasty!!
hope that you and your family have a very merry christmas!
Cookie Butter, Nutella, really…you can’t go wrong with either! Sounds like they didn’t disappoint and I am so glad to hear that! I love that brownie base and it never lets me down! I hope you and your family have a very Merry Xmas as well :)
Thanks for such a great sweet treat without the tedium ~ who has time for that?! Happy Holidays to you and yours my sweet friend :) XO
Neither of us certainly have that kind of tedium :)
I detest making truffles and do everything I can to make them in bar or bark form. Plus, my hands roll things funny (I have never, not once, made a sphere…they always end up looking like misshapen brains). This is a great recipe! Pinned!
Well my hands leave fingerprints on things. Who wants to eat (or take pics of) that truffle ball with the tiny fingerprint on it. Lol It’s hard to get a perfectly smooth not-a-smudge-in-sight kind of surface!
And thanks for the pin!
Averie, these no bake truffle bites look like the ultimate chocolate and nutella treat!! Like a thick frosting that I can pick up with my hands. A rich intense fudge. Wow. I’m blown away! The cocoa powder dusting on top brings the perfect touch and makes them look so fancy! And yes, you are the queen of no-bakes, bars, and quick and easy. :) I hope you have the merriest of holidays and that Santa brings little miss Skylar everything she wants! And I’m sure a lot of it is pink!!
Love the shots with the bite taken out – nice and close and we can really see how fudgy these are!
“The cocoa powder dusting on top brings the perfect touch and makes them look so fancy!” <-- and it also prevents horrific photographic glare and a too-reflective surface :) The bite shots with a dark subject really push my lens to it's fullest capabilities to get that macro on the food and still be in focus. (and I realize this reply is all about photography but I know you understand!) They are so fudgy and I bet you'd love them. I am still thinking about your pineapple infusion! Merry Xmas! xoxo
I so very rarely make truffles for exactly the reason you mentioned…too much rolling stress! I’d much rather have them in bar form. These look heavenly.
Joanne they are the easy-way-out truffle! All that slicing, rolling, not worrying about fingerprints on the perfect globes – all avoided! And I hope you liked the Sugar-Doodles! LMK how they went over with you and your brother!
Oooh, I love nutella and truffles. Honestly, if a recipe says to make balls out of the dough, I tend to not even read the rest, I had rolling dough into balls. Love your solution of just making little bites out of it.
My thoughts exactly. I tune out for the rolling. It’s just like there are so many other recipes I can make that I just skip to one of those. The flavors may be great but I don’t have the patience!
Ooo, they look fantastic! Merry Christmas!
Dustin would devour these! And I’d help him. :D
Merry Christmas, Averie! Xoxo
And a very Merry Xmas to you both, too! :)
xoxo
Merry Christmas to you Averie!
One of my favorite recipes this year is a perfect holiday side, ‘Christmas Rice’. Its a wonderful way to cut some of the sweets we all gorge on this time of year……(so we can go back after dinner and enjoy more)
Wild rice, Spinach, Limas and a scoop of Pomegranate berries. I could eat this as my meal any time but it’s particularly festive looking so I’ve deemed it ‘Christmas Rice’ Great stuff!
Hoping the best for you, Skylar and Scott in 2013. Be safe :)
Wow that rice sounds amazing – cinnamon in anything is a favorite. And Pom berries, mmmm, I bet so good and festive! Thanks for your loyal readership & sweet comments and hope you have a great 2013 as well! :)
I love truffles, but forming and dipping are steps I generally don’t have the time for. Bars rule in my kitchen too! All of your nutella recipes look so good–I’m having a hard time deciding what I would want to make first. Brownies and fudge are probably my top 2 favorites. Chocolate decisions…deliciously fun!
The Nutella cinnamon rolls cannot be topped just because warm gooey doughy cinn rolls are just in a league of their own! But after that – this recipe is great and then the Marshmallow-Biscoff treats – they could be made with Nutella but they’re already pretty choclaty but they are good. Can’t go wrong when it comes to chocolate though with any of it! :)