Full Fat, non Vegan, Chocolate Brownies

I attended a family wedding at the weekend which was lovely. When the invitation came a few months back it came with a request for a batch of sweet treats for serving at the reception to keep everyone going before dinner. I thought long and hard about it and then decided to go for a batch of the best brownies. Nigel Slater is very coy when he calls this recipe his 'very good chocolate brownie recipe'. I think I might die if I tried his very best brownie recipe!

I recommend reading the article even if you have no intention of making the brownies. It is gastro-porn!

Ingredients (makes 12 brownies)

300g golden caster sugar
250g butter
250g chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids)
3 large eggs plus 1 extra egg yolk
60g flour
60g finest quality cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder

Method

1. Set the oven at 180°C/Gas 4. Line the bottom of the baking tin with baking parchment. 

2. Put the sugar and butter into the bowl of a food mixer and beat for several minutes till white and fluffy. You can do it by hand if you wish, but you need to keep going until the mixture is really soft and creamy. - I had forgotten why I needed the food processor for this recipe - this is why!

3.Meanwhile, break the chocolate into pieces, set 50g of it aside and melt the rest in a bowl suspended over, but not touching, a pan of simmering water. As soon as the chocolate has melted remove it from the heat. 

4.Chop the remaining 50g into gravel-sized pieces.

5. Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat them lightly with a fork. 

6. Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder and mix in a pinch of salt. With the food mixer running slowly, introduce the beaten egg a little at a time, speeding up in between additions. 

7. Remove the bowl from the mixer to the work surface, then mix in the melted and the chopped chocolate with a large metal spoon.

8. Lastly, fold in the flour and cocoa, gently and firmly, without knocking any of the air out. Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top and bake for 30 minutes. The top will have risen slightly and the cake will appear slightly softer in the middle than around the edges. Pierce the centre of the cake with a fork - it should come out sticky, but not with raw mixture attached to it. If it does, then return the brownie to the oven for three more minutes. It is worth remembering that it will solidify a little on cooling, so if it appears a bit wet, don't worry.

I had intended to cut the brownies into heart shapes but my cutter wasn't deep enough and I'd forgotten how crumbly they were so I cut them into bite-sized squares instead.

One of the benefits of the failure to cut the brownies into heart shapes was the left overs. There were some brownie bits that couldn't be served to the guests so they sustained Mr VST and I on our long journey north. 

When we got there we had some carrot and coriander soup, home made bread, crackers and cheese for dinner.