Joe’s Chocolate Recipes

I am a relative newcomer to Brownies. I think I tried them once when I was a kid and was unimpressed, and so avoided them. Then one day, in a moment of whimsy I tasted something that presented itself before me at a teashop and called itself a Brownie but looked distinctly too appetising to my mind to deserve such a title. It was a moment of epiphany – a moist dense treat, with a crispy top, rich and chocolatey, and extremely satisfying without being too heavy. Since then I have been assiduously testing various recipes, trying to find something that replicates that experience. Most recipes have been disappointing – I think partly because some people seem to think that if something is sweet and coloured brown it is therefore chocolate flavoured (bah! we all know that is not so), and offer something that is akin to a sponge cake with a little cocoa added. Others know that lots of real chocolate is the secret, and bung it in with no regard to whether this makes the finished product too greasy. Reader, I have risked my (and my dear hubby’s) waistline for you – I hope you are suitably grateful at the result!

This recipe is very simple – it does not include any chocolate chips or nuts. Like many of my recipes, it can be modified, but one word of caution – if you add lots of extras, it will affect the volume of the batter to such an extent that the cooking time will need to be altered, and possibly the tin size as well. If you want more info about this phenomena consult my article about baking. I do not guarantee that it will taste as good if you modify it – I’ve found brownie recipes to be a bit temperamental.

Ingredients:

176g (6 ¼ oz) unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing)
36g (1 ¼ oz) cocoa powder
142g (5 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids minimum)
225g (8 oz) caster sugar
10ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
2 medium eggs
1 medium egg yolk
85g (3 oz) all purpose flour

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Grease an 8 inch square pan (20cm x 20cm), then line with baking parchment (2 overlapping “slings” of paper crosswise to cover the base and sides of the pan is best) and grease the lining.

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove the pan from the heat, cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar, and then the vanilla and salt. The mixture will be somewhat grainy in appearance. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, stirring each time until blended. Add the flour and cocoa, beating until thickened and smooth, which should take about 30-60 seconds.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs (not wet batter) clinging to it – this should take about 35 - 45 minutes in a conventional oven. I found it took 30 minutes in my electric fan oven.

A note at this point: some people swear that you can get a better finish if you plunge the hot brownies in their tin into an ice bath immediately after removing from the oven – it is supposed to give a crispier crust and denser centre. I’ve tried it, and I’m not sure, but I expect a lot depends on how your oven behaves.

If you’re not going to bother with the ice-bath ritual, then once cooked, set the pan on a rack until cool enough to handle. Run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan and then invert the pan onto a flat surface and peel off the parchment. Flip the baked brownie back onto the rack to cool completely. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. Brownies are best eaten straight away, but I find this recipe at least keeps well overnight in an airtight box in the fridge. So far, it has never lasted longer to allow for additional shelf life testing!

I find that this makes about 16 brownies, smallish in size but very satisfying nonetheless, and my calculations suggest there’s about 225kcal and 11g per brownie (3613 kcal and 177g fat per batch), so take up running or something if you plan to eat these on a regular basis!