Easy Chocolate Brownies

I am not much of a baker but I do love a piece of cake (especially the ones you can have for breakfast!) and a decadent brownie.

I am quite particular about the texture of my brownies though as well as finding just the right balance of sweetness vs bitterness.

The key to a GOOD BROWNIE is :

1. use good chocolate 🍫 – the better the chocolate the better the brownie. I never ever use cooking chocolate
2. when melting the chocolate, think gentle, don’t let the glass bowl touch the simmering water.
3. the tin is important, 20cm sq tin.
4. use room temp eggs
5. leaving them just long enough in the oven to cook through but still be gooey inside – 22 minutes to be precise!l
6. leave these to cool in the tin & only cut once they have completely cooled down.

TIP: I leave my brownies in the fridge to cool, I ❤️ the texture.

Make these, freeze them, hide them and if you are generous share them.

A note on Gluten-Free flours

Not all gluten-free flours are the same, usually a blend of lots of different flours (potato, rice, tapioca and maize) try to find a flour blend you like. I like this one from Komati Foods.

Delicious served with a dollop of crème fraîche

20cm square tin or ceramic and a glass bowl to fit over a smaller saucepan to melt the chocolate.

• 100g Lindt Milk Chocolate
• 100g Lindt 80% Dark Chocolate
• 140g unsalted butter cubed
• 85g plain flour (gluten free works well)
• 225g caster sugar
• 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
• 2 tspn vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven 180c. Line a 20cm square tin with baking paper.
2. Snap the chocolate into pieces and add to a large glass bowl along with the cubed butter. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, until melted, stirring regularly. Chocolate is very heat sensitive, so think gentle here. Remove once melted and let it cool down slightly.
3. Mix the eggs and the vanilla extract together and add to the chocolate mixture – whisk well.
4. Add the sugar to the chocolate mixture, mix well followed by the flour and mix well.
5. Pour the brownie mix into the baking tin, and place in the oven for around 22 minutes.
6. Unlike cakes, you don’t want a skewer to come out clean – the skewer should have some batter on it (crumbly not runny) the brownies should be slightly springy on the outside but still gooey in the middle.
7. Allow to cool completely in the tray, then carefully transfer and cut into chunky squares. I love to add my brownies to the fridge as I love the texture.