Recipe: Chocolate Brownies

The weather is (finally) getting a little colder and of course that means that I can get into the kitchen and bake things without wanting to pass out from heat exhaustion.
Now I haven’t made brownies since I was a child – before the whole scare about eating raw eggs happened I would sneak tastes from the wooden spoon or dip my finger into the mixing bowl and smile happily at the delicious mixture.
Ah, memories.
But I digress, which is something I do a lot so bear with me.
Unless you count packet mixes, which after this recipe I know I certainly won’t; then brownies were a distant memory that brought me back to weekends spent in the warmth of the family kitchen eagerly waiting for whatever goodies were in the oven to come out to a squeak of glee that the recipe had worked.
These brownies evoked much the same reaction when I made them yesterday. The recipe is not at all the way I remembered making these deliciously squishy squares of chocolaty goodness and there was a point where I wondered if it would turn out at all like a brownie but I persevered and I am very glad I did as this was the result:


It took me all of my willpower to not eat these babies right out of the oven. Yum.


RECIPE
1 ¼ cups sugar (I really like using soft brown sugar for this)
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup pecans, roughly chopped (optional)
¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)
2 large eggs
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325°F (160°C).
• Line an 8”x8” square baking pan with parchment paper, making sure to leave an overhang on opposite sides.
• Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and place over a large pan of simmering water.
• Stir occasionally until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth*.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir in the vanilla extract and then beat in the eggs one at a time; making sure to thoroughly blend them in each time.*
• When the batter looks thick and shiny, sift in the flour; stirring until it’s completely blended.
• Beat the mixture vigorously for 40 strokes and then stir in the nuts and chocolate chips if using.
• Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Leave to cool completely until turning out of the pan and cutting into either 16 or 25 squares. I managed to get about 30 squares out of mine but it really depends on how big you want the pieces.

*You may find it looks a little grainy at this point but don’t worry about it. Once the eggs go in, the graininess will vanish.
*Don’t worry about cooking the eggs or having them curdle in the still warm mixture, just carry on beating them in and it will be absolutely fine.


Enjoy!
Vesta xox