Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies
Filled with a layer of hazelnut cheesecake and topped with chopped Baci, these Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies are a great way to celebrate National Chocolate Day!
Some people go on vacation and take photos of amazing landscapes. Others take selfies in front of famous spots. Me? I take pictures of grocery stores. I guess I should explain, huh?
This past May, Laura and I took a vacation to Italy. The trip was nothing short of awesome! One of our favorite things to do when visiting other countries is to explore a local supermarket. I am seriously fascinated by all of the different products in foreign stores! And, sure enough, we were exploring a grocery store in Florence when Laura caught me taking pictures of the Baci display. (Don’t worry, I caught plenty of pictures of the two of us, too!)
Have you guys ever tried Baci Perugina? Baci feature a creamy hazelnut center covered in a melt-in-your-mouth dark chocolate. Oh, and there’s a whole hazelnut on top, too. I love chocolate mixed with toasted nuts, and Baci are unique since they feature chopped hazelnuts. Baci is actually the Italian word for ‘kiss,’ and every Bacio (singular) is wrapped in a note featuring messages of love and friendship. You may remember that I gave Laura a box of Baci for our very first Valentine’s Day together. We just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary, so I guess those Baci did the trick!
“Friendship is a necessary part of life.” That was the message inside the first Bacio I opened when making these Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies. I absolutely love that quote! Whether meeting for a cup of coffee or just hanging out around a firepit on an Autumn weekend, friends always have the ability to cheer you up. I actually pinned that note up next to my desk. It’s a great reminder of the power of friendship!
Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies
Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake BrowniesSpeaking of friends, one sure-fire way to make more friends is to show up with a plate of these Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies. In keeping with Baci’s chocolate + hazelnut combo, I decided to add a layer of hazelnut cheesecake in the middle of these brownies. Truthfully, I couldn’t decide whether to make brownies or cheesecake…so I did the logical thing and combined them into one! Seriously, though, these Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies? So delicious! And they feature chopped Baci on top, too. I promise you’ll make all sorts of friends when you make this treat!
The fun thing about these Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies is that you can serve them warm or cold. I ate a warm brownie (right after I took these photos actually), and it was delicious. Warm, gooey chocolate filled with chopped Baci and hazelnuts. But then we refrigerated the rest of the brownies, and Laura took ’em to the curling club and shared them with her teammates. She said they were a huge hit. And, yes, she made a few new friends thanks to these brownies!
Did you know that National Chocolate Day is coming up in just a couple of days? Yup, October 28 is National Chocolate Day. I say we should all celebrate by eating Baci and making brownies! I don’t really need an excuse to eat delicious Italian chocolate, but National Chocolate Day sounds like a great reason to celebrate. In preparation for October 28, I say grab 2 boxes of Baci Perugina. One box for making a batch of these Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies, and the other box just for you. Cheers, friends, and Happy National Chocolate Day!
If you love Baci as much as I do, then definitely check out this Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake. It’s one heck of a stunning dessert, and it would be a great addition to the holiday dessert table this year!
Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
For the Hazelnut Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- ½ cup hazelnut spread
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
For the Brownies
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 1¾ cups semisweet chocolate chips divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
For Topping
- ⅓ cup hazelnuts chopped
- 12-15 Baci Perugina chocolates chopped
Instructions
For the Hazelnut Cheesecake Filling
- Using a medium bowl, add all ingredients for the hazelnut cheesecake layer (softened cream cheese, hazelnut spread, brown sugar and egg); whisk until smooth. Set mixture aside.
For the Brownies
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line an 8”x8” baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2” of overhang on all sides. Set pan aside.
- Using a medium saucepan, add the butter, unsweetened chocolate and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Place over medium-low heat, stirring often, until butter and chocolate have fully melted; set pan aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Stir the egg mixture into the warm (not hot!) chocolate mixture.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture.
- Stir the remaining ¾ cup of chocolate chips into the batter.
- Spread half of brownie batter evenly into prepared pan.
- Spread hazelnut filling evenly over batter.
- Spread remaining brownie batter evenly on top of hazelnut layer.
- Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts evenly on top.
- Bake for 45 minutes and then tent top with aluminum foil. Continue baking for another 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of brownies comes out mostly clean. (Note: Remember, there is a cheesecake layer inside the brownies, so the toothpick won’t be perfectly clean. Just make sure it doesn’t look wet.)
- Let cool for 1 hour and then sprinkle chopped Baci Perugina chocolates on top.
- Let brownies cool completely before slicing. Brownies can be served warm or refrigerated and served cold.
Disclosure: This Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies post was sponsored by Baci Perugina, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!
Taking pics of food is the story of my life, lol. I always love grocery shopping, especially when I travel because it’s so fun to come across brands or products that you might now have seen before. I would have taken pics too 😉 These brownies look delicious, David! And National Chocolate Day? Isn’t that every day?? Hahaha. Looking forward to giving this a try soon! Hope your week is going awesome, my friend.
Oh, if only I could’ve packed a huge shopping cart full of all the things in that Italian grocery store! I would have needed another suitcase for everything I wanted. 🙂 Hah! I love your comment about National Chocolate Day being every day…I couldn’t agree more! Thanks so much, Dawn!
You and I would travel well, as the first thing I like to do is head to the super market. You can tell a lot about a culture and the economy of a country by such a visit. Baci is very popular here, you can even get ice cream made with Baci in it and it’s awesome, just as your Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake Brownies would taste with a scoop of vanilla bean.
Yes! I seriously stalk out the local super markets when I travel, Ron. Heck, I’ve even wandered into different stores in the US when I travel, but that’s not as much fun as roaming through an Italian grocery store! That’s interesting to hear that Baci is so popular there in Sweden. It’s so tasty, and it’s been one of my favorites for years! Wait. Ice cream with Baci in it? Ummm, yes please! And you’re totally right about these brownies with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. You just described my perfect dessert! Thanks, Ron!
I thought I was the only one who makes a point of visiting grocery stores in other countries! That’s my favorite thing to do, even more than visiting museums and historical sites; I LOVE seeing American products made for the palates of different cultures. I got the best seaweed potato chips in Indonesia, and they were Lays brand. I still dream about them :). And speaking of dreaming, you know these brownies are a dream come true for me right? Chocolate, hazelnut, cheesecake. . .I’m making these ASAP.
Apparently a lot of us visit grocery stores in other countries. Although, to be fair, we’re all food bloggers, so I don’t think we’re really a representative cross section of the general public. Nope, we’re the weird kids in the corner! 🙂 Yes! I hear ya about American products made for different countries. We discovered Prawn flavored Pringles on a trip to Scotland a few years back. Uh…what!? I couldn’t bring myself to try those. But these Baci? Let’s just say more than a few of the Baci in that photo ended up in my cart!
These are a common impulse buy at World Market for us. Guilty pleasures, no doubt. (Speaking as one grocery store junkie to another, have you used their chocolate to make candy? Right?) Seriously, David, these look so decadent!
Ah, World Market. Another awesome store that hasn’t discovered upstate New York yet. I seriously can get lost wandering in that place! These brownies are everything a young brownie dreams to be when it grows up! 🙂 Thanks, Bill!
What? We celebrated National Chocolate Day today, and you didn’t congratulate me on this delicious day by shipping a slice of the brownies? That’s sad, David! I might reconsider congratulating you on National Lavender Day (Which doesn’t exist anyway). But I can tell you’ve created something irresponsibly delicious…chocolate, hazelnut, cheesecake…Well, I’m going to check my mailbox tomorrow once more 🙂
I must say that I’m surprised there isn’t a National Lavender Day. I just googled it, and it appears that they are trying to establish one. You should help out with that project! In the meantime, check your mailbox. I just sent you a special package…I just hope the mailman doesn’t sneak a bite or two. 🙂
We love to check out grocery stores in other countries! It’s always an adventure…we once bought tapioca pudding in Venice thinking it was yogurt and I remember that Sour Patch Kids are called ‘Very Bad Kids’ in Paris – lol!
You come up with very tempting sweets, David! And these gorgeous brownies are no exception. It’s dangerous to visit you site because it always makes me hungry!
Hah! That is so funny about ‘Sour Patch Kids’. I hope you grabbed a bag just for the story! 🙂 Hey, I appreciate you stopping by and checking out these desserts, Marissa. And these brownies? They’re incredible! They’re what happens when a brownie and a cheesecake meet and fall in love. 🙂 Haha!
I can see how you could make friends with these brownies, they look yummy. I didn’t know that National Chocolate Day is October 28th, that is good to know. Congratulations to 8 years of marriage.
Thanks so much, Dawn! I can’t believe it’s been 8 years already. It seems like our wedding reception was just last night. 🙂 And, yes, National Chocolate Day is coming up soon. Make sure to celebrate!
I love grocery stores and seek them out whenever I travel. It must be in my blood because my grandfather was a grocer. As for these, hazelnuts are my fave and chocolate well…that’s my ultimate fave. Sounds like you and Laura have lot to celebrate!
Interesting! That’s so cool that your grandfather was a grocer. I also love looking at grocery store ads from decades ago. They’re really quite fun! Speaking of fun, these brownies. They’re so tasty, Abbe! Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend!
October is full of all the good food holidays, National Pasta day is today and now that you’ve told me national chocolate day is the 28th! So, just load up the two drones I’m sending over to your place with a boatload of these decadent brownies with Baci and you can add Lil S and I to your friends list…deal? 🙂
Seriously,fantastic job with these, David! Baci is one of our fav chocolates too and these bad boys wouldn’t last long in our home! BTW – have you tried adding Baci to brownie or cake batter? It kinda melts but its still so darn delish! I found Baci at a Walmart near me so I’m gonna get me 3 or 4 bags of Baci and enjoy them ALL on October 28th!
I just heard on the radio that National Pasta Day is today! Excellent. Laura and I have pasta lined up for dinner tonight! (Of course, this is more of a happy coincidence…but still.)
Interesting note about putting Baci into brownie/cake batter! I haven’t tried that yet. I’ll have to swing by Walmart this weekend to see if I can grab some more Baci. Maybe I’ll try that idea out for Sunday to celebrate National Chocolate Day! 🙂
Okay, hazelnut + chocolate is hands down my favorite food combination in existence! So of course I’m a huge Baci fan. Brilliant recipe you created with them! And I too love checking out the grocery stores when I’m traveling. So fun and interesting.
Yes! I couldn’t agree with you more, Valentina. I feel like hazelnut doesn’t get as much appreciation, but chocolate + hazelnuts is one of my favorite combos, too! Thanks so much! 🙂
I like checking out other countries grocery stores too. Isn’t it fascinating the range of products they have that we don’t. Or if there are familiar products, the different things about them compared to ours? I love how you and Laura take your recipes to the curling club and share them around. I’d be a member just for you guys turning up with treats like these chocolate hazelnut cheesecake brownies!! Ha ha!
I’m with ya, Neil! Occasionally you mention products on your site that we don’t have in the States, and I always find it really interesting. Sometimes the products are familiar with a slight twist, and other times the products are completely foreign (no pun intended!). Either way, it’s fun! And since you’re Scottish, I’m fairly certain the curling club would welcome you with open arms. Come on over, my friend!
I love Baci and I’m absolutely swooning over these brownies! Any time we travel the first (actually the only) thing on my mind is food! Visiting grocery stores overseas is lots of fun. It really gives an insight on the people. In Dubai, most of the shopping is done in one stop at a hypermarket. In Amman, however, there’s so many little specialty stores: the butcher, the baker, the sweet shop, the produce stand, the nut store, the spice store. They really take their food seriously 🙂
Hey Kelly! Cheers to another Baci lover. 🙂 I totally agree that grocery stores tell you a lot about a country. I personally just love standing and staring at the bakery section. (What can I say? I love breads!) Dubai’s hypermarkets sound a lot like our big grocery stores here in the States. But Amman sounds like the kind of place I need to visit. It reminds me so much of Italy! Thanks so much for sharing.