Brownie Perfection...

Brownie Pefection

 

 

 

For a good while now I have been hunting from the perfect brownie recipe, each time I thought I nearly had it, it escaped and ran away from me, until now!

This recipe is the closest thing you will find to fudge brownie perfection, they are crisp on the outside, dense and fudgy on the inside and an absolute delight!

The base recipe comes from EddKimber who was the winner of the first The Great British Bake Off in 2010; this recipe came from his blog, the only tweaks I’ve made are the size of the tin – I use an 8inch square brownie tin and sometimes of I don’t have enough dark chocolate I’ll use milk chocolate to make up the weight.

The great thing with finding the perfect ‘base’ recipe is that now the flavor additions are endless, but of course they do taste delicious just as they are.

So I’ve made 2 new varieties peanut butter & After Eight (mint thins) both of which are totally scrummy.

So, on with the basics…here is the fudge brownie recipe:

Fudge Brownies

180g plain flour
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
300g dark chocolate or milk chocolate or a mixture of both!
150g unsalted butter
220g light brown sugar
150g caster sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

1.    Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan.

2.    Grease an 8inch square tin and line with a strip of parchment leaving about a 2-inch overhang along the long edges to make removing the brownies easier.

3.     Sieve the flour, cocoa powder and salt together into a medium bowl and set  aside.

4.    Place the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, and stir occasionally until the mixture is fully melted.

5.    Take the bowl of the heat and add the eggs and sugars and beat until the mixture is smooth.

6.    Sieve over the flour mixture and gently fold together.

7.    Pour into your prepared tin, giving it a tap on the work surface to get rid of any air bubbles.

8.    Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, you don’t want raw batter. Allow to cool completely before using a sharp knife to cut into squares.

Peanut Butter Brownies

 

 

So now you’ve got your basic brownie know how, why not try some peanut butter brownies by adding 130g crunchy peanut butter at step 4. and melting it together with the butter and choc.

Then when you’ve poured your batter into the tin drizzle 130g of warmed crunchy peanut butter onto the top for the mix and marble gently with the tip of a knife.

Bake as normal and enjoy!

 

After Eight Brownies

 

 

Or, how about super rich and super dark After Eight Mint Brownies? Follow the basic brownie recipe but at step 4. add a couple of drops of peppermint oil/extract to your butter and chocolate mixture.

Then at step 7. Pour on HALF of the mixture into your tin, smooth it out, and then add a layer of After Eight Mints to the top of the mixture, leaving about a 1cm gap from the edge, then pour the rest of the mix on top and smooth out till even, give the tin a tap and the add a few pieces of cut up After Eight mints to the top (I also added some cocoa nibs for extra crunch).

Bake as normal and enjoy!

Salted Caramel Brownies

 

 

These are divine, delicious Salted Caramel Brownies? Follow the basic brownie recipe then at step 7. Pour on HALF of the mixture into your tin, smooth it out, and then add a layer of salted caramel (a good recipe can be found here) to the top of the mixture, leaving about a 1cm gap from the edge, then pour the rest of the mix on top and smooth out till even, give the tin a tap and bake! Ensure you leave these to cool right down otherwise you'll burn yourself on very hot caramel!!!

Ginger & Orange Blossom Brownies

 

 

Chewy & spicy Ginger  and Orange Blossom brownies,follow the basic brownie recipe but at step 4 add 2 1/2 teaspoons of orange blossom water and the zest of a large orange, then at step 7. Pour on HALF of the mixture into your tin, smooth it out, and then add 150 finely choppd crystalised ginger to the top of the mixture, leaving about a 1cm gap from the edge, then pour the rest of the mix on top and smooth out till even, give the tin a tap, sprikle on a few more pieces of chopped ginger and bake!

 

More varieties coming soon.....