The BEST chocolate brownie recipe ever!

Ok, I know that’s a bold statement to make. And I’m aware that everyone probably has their very own best brownie recipe hidden away in a bulging recipe folder but just try it and then see if you agree. It produces a rich, moist brownie that’s super adaptable. I tend to double the mixture then do two different varieties at the same time, double trouble but delightful to devour 🙂

• 185g unsalted butter
• 185g best dark chocolate
• 85g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 3 large eggs
• 275g golden caster sugar

Method

1. Turn the oven on to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4 and whilst its heating up, line a 20cm cake tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Cut 185g unsalted butter into smallish cubes and tip into glass bowl along with  185g good dark chocolate broken into small pieces. Put the glass bowl over a small saucepan filled with hot water and leave it there till the chocolate and butter have melted. You may be tempted to dip your finger in but just give it a stir every now and again! When melted, put it to one side to cool.
3. Whilst the chocolate is cooling, put the eggs and the caster sugar into an electric mixer and whisk for a good  5-8 minutes (unless you want a good bingo wing workout, then try doing it by hand,ouch!). You are looking for a pale, creamy mixture that has doubled in size. Try lifting out the beater and wiggling it from side to side, the mixture falling off should create a little trail across the top of the mix.
4. Measure the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl.
5. Pour the melted choc/butter mix gently into the eggy mixture and fold in gently with a wooden spoon, then fold in the flour and cocoa, gently does it, you don’t want to knock out all the air that you whisked in earlier.
6. Now here, the kitchen cupboard is your oyster! I like to add broken up walnuts or pecans (or sometimes both), or you can grate orange into the mix and for extra decadence, break in pieces of chocolate orange, or how about sour cherries, or tart raspberries, or a creamy caramel, whatever takes your fancy.
7. Pour into a greaseproof paper lined tray and bake in the oven for around 25 minutes (this really depends on your oven). Brownies are not very nice undercooked but that is definitely preferable to overcooked.  You are looking for a slight wobble in the middle and cracks across the surface.
8. Take them out of the oven and try your hardest not to dig straight in. Rather, leave them to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then on a wire rack, before cutting them into man-sized squares or petite ones, whichever you prefer.

If you can resist eating all of them in one sitting, they keep well as long as you store them in an airtight container, around two weeks or you can make in batches and store in the freezer.

Enjoy!