THE BEST BROWNIE RECIPE EVER. EVER. EVER.
Not for anyone trying to diet! 😂 I make these brownies about once every 6 weeks and it’s now got to the stage where I have to make industrial amounts for both mine and my boyfriend’s work places, our neighbours, friends and family. I’ve tinkered with a BBC Good Food recipe across the last couple of years and have typed it up and included a couple of pics for all of you to try and have a go yourself! You will NOT be disappointed, I promise!
Ingredients:
- 185g unsalted butter
- 150g dark chocolate
- 85g plain flour
- 50g cocoa powder
- 60g white chocolate
- 60g milk chocolate
- 3 large eggs
- 250g golden caster sugar
Useful Extras (according to type of brownie you wish to make):
- Baking parchment
- Pecans
- Fudge pieces
- Creme eggs
- Peanut butter
Method:
- Preheat oven to fan 160C or in a conventional oven 180C/Gas Mark 4.
- Cut 185g unsalted butter into small cubes and tip into a measuring jug. Break 150g dark chocolate into small pieces and place in the jug. Put in the microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds on High. Take it out and stir and then heat again in 1 minute blocks stirring between each turn until all the chocolate and butter has melted. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
- Line a shallow 20cm x 30cm tray/tin with non-stick baking parchment.
- Chop 60g of white chocolate and 60g of medium chocolate into roughly 1cm size chunks and set aside for later. Try not to do what I do and snack on this as you bake the rest! (In this case do more than 60g!)
- Break 3 large eggs into a large bowl and tip in 250g of golden caster sugar. With an electric whisk or mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar together until they look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. This can take 3-8 minutes, depending on how powerful your mixer is. You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. You can also check by turning off your mixers and lifting out the beaters and wiggling them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’ve got it!
- Pour the cooled chocolate mixture over the eggy mousse, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown.
7. Gently fold in the 85g plain flour and 50g cocoa powder, bit by bit, into the eggy chocolate mixture using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look a bit dry and dusty at first, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Finally, stir in the white and milk chocolate chunks until they’re dotted throughout.
8. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and gently ease it into the corners. If you are making plain classic brownies continue to number 12 of the instructions.
9. Peanut butter brownies: With a teaspoon, dot walnut sized dollops of peanut butter onto of the mixture. Then with a knife stir this into the mixture to spread it out making sure you go all the way to the edges. Be careful you do this gently so as not to tear the baking parchment on the bottom of the tin.
10. Creme Egg brownies: These can only be done during ‘creme egg season’ and make the most gooey brownies. Cut a creme egg into 4 and place yolk side up on top of the brownie mixture.
11. Pecan and Toffee: These are by far my favourite and also popular with my friends and family. Break up about 20 pecan halves into pieces into a bowl and then scatter them over the top of the brownie mixture. Then scatter fudge pieces over the top. These will caramelise in the oven to create that toffee taste.
12. Put in the oven and set your timer for 25 mins. When the buzzer goes, open the oven, and with a clean knife stick it into the middle of the brownie tray. If it comes out with mixture on it (if this is pure chocolate you may have hit a chocolate chunk – if so try another area of the tray) they aren’t cooked. If it comes out clean I tend to give it another couple of minutes for good measure then take it out of the oven. You can also tell when it’s done if the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin.
13. Leave the whole thing in the tin to cool for 10 minutes, then when slightly cool lift very carefully onto a cooling rack. I cut the tray into 4 by 5 so it makes 20 brownies.
I know they are good but make sure you share!
The great thing about these brownies is they will keep for at least 2 weeks so long as you keep them in an airtight container.
Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food Best Ever Chocolate Brownie Recipe: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1223/bestever-brownies
GABY MENDES 