The Easiest Brownies You'll Ever Make Only Require 3 Simple Ingredients

Store-bought brownie mixes are perfect for times when you don't want to make the dessert from scratch, but if you don't even have a box of Betty Crocker on hand, what's a sweet treat lover to do? The grocery store product makes preparing brownies simple, but mixing Nutella, eggs, and flour together is the easiest way to whip up the treat.

If you're partial to a dose of chocolate on pancakes, crepes, toast, or anything, really, then you probably already have a third of what you need to make these ridiculously straightforward brownies. Nutella comes with ingredients you might add to a brownie mix, like milk and oil. Thanks to its thick texture, mixing Nutella with eggs and flour produces a dense, fudgy batch of brownies. The chocolate hazelnut spread already creates foolproof three-ingredient Nutella cookies; all you need to do is switch up the ratio to get moist brownies rather than airy cookies.

Mix two large eggs with a ½ cup of all-purpose flour and 1 ½ cups of Nutella. For a cake-like texture, feel free to throw in an extra egg. If you want gluten-free brownies, the ratio rule for almond flour is to use 25% less than you would need if using standard wheat flour. Stir the ingredients together gently, taking care not to overmix. Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Three-ingredient Nutella brownies are just the thing to make when the main components are dwindling down, so you might as well toss in any other baking ingredients that you're running low on. Nutella has a great milk chocolate flavor, but you can amp up the intensity with a dash of cocoa or espresso powder. A teaspoon or two complements the earthy hazelnut in the spread, adding complexity to the simple recipe.

Speaking of hazelnuts, any leftover nuts are a delicious addition to brownies. You can chop them up before adding them to your batter, or simply place them on top before baking. If you're not a fan of any crunchiness in brownies but still appreciate a nutty taste, blend the nuts instead. You can sub out some all-purpose flour for the ground nuts, which helps to disperse their flavor throughout the treat while also boosting its moist texture. For an even better flavor, toast the nuts to coax out their richness.

If you prefer brownies that taste a little lighter, elevate the chocolate with dried fruit. Dried blueberries, cranberries, and more amp up the sweetness while adding a delicate tang to Nutella brownies. Standard dried fruits break up the fudginess with a chewy bite, but you can opt for freeze-dried fruit for a slight crisp.