Description
Twenty minutes in the oven gives these brownies a crackly top and a wonderfully fudgy middle.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 150 g butter
- 5 ml - 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 175 g caster sugar
- 1.25 ml - 1/4 tsp salt
- 12.5 ml - 1 tbsp heaped drinking chocolate, such as Nesquik
- 2 large eggs
- 150 g chocolate, with at least 75 g being plain or dark chocolate
- 100 g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 100 g plain flour
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C).
- Line a 7-inch square baking tin with baking parchment, leaving a little overhang so the brownies are easier to lift out later.
- Put 150 g butter and 150 g chocolate into a small saucepan.
- Melt them together over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth and glossy. Take the pan off the heat and leave the mixture to cool for a few minutes. You don’t want it piping hot when it meets the eggs.
- In a mixing bowl, beat 2 large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 175 g caster sugar until the mixture looks creamy and a little lighter. It doesn’t need to be whipped for ages.
- Sift 100 g plain flour, 1 tbsp heaped drinking chocolate and 1/4 tsp salt into the bowl. Fold gently until you don’t see big patches of dry flour.
- Pour in the slightly cooled 150 g butter and chocolate mixture, then add 100 g roughly chopped walnuts.
- Fold everything together with a spatula until the batter is smooth, thick and glossy. Don’t beat it once everything is combined.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and spread it into the corners.
- Bake at 350⁰F (180⁰C) for 20 minutes, then check it.
- The top should look pale, slightly crackled and dry, while the middle should still have a gentle wobble.
- If it looks too loose, give it another 3 minutes and check again. Try not to overbake them. A skewer inserted near the centre should come out with moist crumbs rather than completely clean.
- Leave the brownies to cool completely in the tin.
- Once cool, lift them out using the parchment and cut into 16 portions. If you want really neat slices, chill them for a little while before cutting.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Preshana
