Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate Brownies-A Cookbook Collection

 

Brownies have never been my thing. There, I’ve said it! I know that makes people think I’m a freak. I love chocolate but I never buy or order brownies. I’m not a huge fan of fudge cakes either, I generally prefer a lighter chocolate cake like this loaf. I even have a baking tin specifically for brownies but never used it for it’s proper purpose til now. I saw a recipe by John Waites for brownies with a pear crisp and it just sounded so nice that I decided to try my own. Of course I never got around to making the pear crisps but I did steal his idea to add chocolate chips to the batter. If I was making them just to eat myself I would use dark chocolate chips, but I used milk chocolate so that it’s more of a crowd pleaser.

This recipe is lighter than other brownie recipes, that won’t suit everyone but we loved it. Others add nuts to the recipe but I left them out. I also used soft dark brown sugar in the batter as it gives a richer taste, but use ordinary caster sugar if that’s what you have. The options for variations are endless – check out Aoife at Babaduck‘s recipe for raspberry brownies.

The raw batter is pretty good too, it’s worth making these just to lick the spoon! What?! I know I’m not the only one who does this.

These freeze well or can be stored in an airtight tin for a few days. Just reheat in a low oven of approx 140c/120c fan/gas mark 1 before serving.

Makes 8 generous servings

 

Chocolate Brownies - A Cookbook Collection 1

 

Ingredients:

  • 200g good quality dark chocolate (at least 70%)
  • 225g unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 200g soft dark brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150g plain flour
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 100g chocolate chips

Method:

  • Preheat your oven to 180c/160c fan/gas mark 4 and line a brownie pan (11″ x 7″) with baking paper.
  • Break the chocolate into a glass bowl and add the butter. Gently melt this over a pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Once melted, stir well together and set aside to cool slightly.
  • Whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla until they mixture becomes frothy and lighter in colour and the whisk leaves a figure of eight pattern in the mixture.
  • Pour in the cooled melted chocolate and mix well together.
  • Sieve the flour and salt into the liquid mixture, add the chocolate chips and fold everything gently together until just combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out as evenly as possible.
  • Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until the top has become lighter in colour and starts to crack slightly on top. You want the middle to still have a slight wobble as they will continue to cook in the tin as they cool and you don’t want overcooked brownies!
  • Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then cut into squares. Serve with cream or ice cream, or just on their own.

Chocolate Brownies - A Cookbook Collection

 

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