Now to call my brownies the “best ever” is a bold statement but, if I do say so myself, I make a brilliant brownie. I have been meaning to post the recipe for ages (ever since I made Mary Berry’s Dark Chocolate, Pecan and Cranberry Brownies for the Weekly Bake Off) but for some reason I just never got round to it.
As I mentioned back then, it’s the one recipe I have in my repertoire that I have been asked for more times than any other. It started life as a Darina Allen recipe (from “Ballymaloe Cookery Course”) but I have adapted and refined it over the years so that I think I can (almost) call it my own.
What it is not, however, is a sophisticated brownie recipe. If you don’t have a sweet tooth then these brownies certainly won’t be for you. I favour pure chocolate in my brownies, no nuts, and although it may make brownie purists recoil in horror, I like to use a mixture of dark and milk chocolate, preferably Cadbury’s*. The best thing about my brownies is the sugary crust, top and bottom, encasing the almost undercooked fudgy centre. Hugely calorific but utterly scrummy.
Go on, give them a try. They will keep for at least a week in a tin or tupperware but I bet you they won’t last that long!
* I maintain Cadbury’s chocolate is excellent for cooking. It melts like a dream (no burnt chocolate disasters) and is reasonably priced. However, if you want to go posh and stuff your brownies full of Green and Black’s or similar, be my guest!Best Ever Brownies
- 200g unsalted butter, softened
- 400g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
- 100g dark chocolate, melted
- 150g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 50g dark chocolate, cut into small chunks
- 50g milk chocolate, cut into small chunks
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20cm x 20cm baking tin with foil and grease lightly with butter.
2. Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Whisk in the eggs, a little at a time, until well incorporated then beat in the vanilla extract and melted chocolate.
3. Fold in the flour and baking powder until totally incorporated then fold the diced dark and milk chocolate into the mixture.
4. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tin and smooth the top. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the brownies do not “wobble” when the tin is shaken lightly.
5. Leave to cool in the tin then, using the foil to help you, lift out on to a chopping board. Cut into 16 squares and devour.
I’ll have to try this. I have had the worst luck making brownies. I keep trying though. Not sure what I do wrong.
Do try these and let me know how you get on. I have made them so many times that I am sure I know all the possible pitfalls you might encounter. Ninety nine percent of the time they come out perfectly for me though. Good luck!
I will try them as my kids love brownies. But it’s a running joke in the family about me and the brownies! And I can bake!
Best ever eh? Definitely going to be giving these a go. I do love a good squidgy brownie!
Hmmm, maybe regretting the title of this post. Probably setting myself up for a fall! IMHO though they ARE the best brownies ever and many other people have said so too. Maybe they were just being kind
Let me know if you try them and if you agree/disagree with me.
I love making brownies, and these look divine!