Triple Chocolate Brownies

I have yet to find someone who doesn’t like brownies!  I adore them, when properly made, not cakey, but chewy, with lots and lots of chocolate.   Seeking to improve on perfection, I tried adding even more chocolate (and this batch was also done with rice flour for a gluten-free treat), and tested the results, first on the Army, and then on my builder, who doesn’t eat sweet things.  Well…  it has to be said that my builder is now converted to Triple Chocolate Brownies – you see, I said I had yet to find someone who didn’t like them!

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Triple Chocolate Brownies

4oz/100g plain chocolate

5oz/150g butter

4 ½ oz/125g plain flour (or rice flour)

½ oz/15g cocoa powder

10 ½ oz/300g soft muscovado sugar 

1 pinch salt

2 eggs

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

2oz/50g dark chocolate chunks

4oz/100g chopped pecans/walnuts

Preheat oven to 180 deg C, and line a baking tin 9 x 12” with non-stick baking parchment. 

Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, stir the 4oz/100g chocolate into the butter so it all mixes together (it is better to under-heat the chocolate and stir out the lumps using the residual heat in the butter).  

Sieve the flour, salt, cocoa and baking powder together.    In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs, adding the sugar and vanilla.  Mix until just combined (this gives the best brownie texture – ie, not beaten to death).   Fold the melted chocolate into the beaten egg mix, then add the flour, chocolate chunks and nuts.  

Spread into the tin and cook for up to 25 minutes – the mixture will rise in the tin, but it is better that it is undercooked rather than solid.    Cut into bars or squares when cool, if you can wait that long! 

This is a fabulous easy pudding – just warm the brownies gently and then serve topped with a generous scoop of home made vanilla ice cream, and some fresh fruit or fruit compôte.