Chorizo, churros, jamon, paella, pintxos, sangria, tapas… These were all foods well noted in advance on my Spain bucket list. However, something I didn’t expect to catch my attention was a sweet confection, turrón.

A large variety of turrón spotted along La Rambla

Having been previously offput by the tooth-aching sweetness of Italian torrone, I was pleasantly surprised on the very first day of our family vacation by a sample of Spanish turrón I tried from one of the stands in La Boqueria. Made with virtually the same ingredients (almonds, eggs, honey, sugar), the difference lies in the proportions with Spanish turrón sporting the higher proportion of almonds. Barcelona was both the starting and ending place of our journey and so glady a hefty 500 g block of turrón became one of the last-minute additions to my suitcase.

While it’s good stuff, it’s the kind of stuff meant to be savored one little piece at a time. But since coming back to the States with such a generous portion, it got me thinking… (*cue brownie craving). With turrón both baked in the batter and showcased in the center, these Turrón Brownies sport a batter that is not as sweet as that of traditional brownies making it the perfect, nutty encasement for a rich turrón center. Now all there was left to do was keurig a cup of espresso to go with and I was back in Barcelona.

turrón Brownies

Makes 9 brownies (loosely adapted from Jacques Torres)

Ingredients:

• 150 g soft turrón, room temp. (plus more cubed)
• 1 tbsp milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for the pan)
• 4 tbsp salted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and lightly dust nine wells of a muffin pan with cocoa powder.
2. Using a stand mixer, beat the turrón and milk until it resembles the consistency of chunky peanut butter.
3. On low speed, add the eggs one at a time. Add the cocoa powder and mix until combined. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined.
4. Slowly add the flour and mix until just combined.
5. Using a medium (1.5 tbsp) cookie scoop, divide the batter into the prepared wells and gently push 1 piece of turrón into the center of each.
6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the brownies pass the toothpick test. Let cool slightly before enjoying warm.