Monday 31 August 2009

Chunky Chocolate Brownies


*Also available for purchase ready made To Order

Adapted from Mary Berry's excellent Ultimate Cake Book, these decadent chunk-filled goodies are the single most popular item in my baking repertoire. Some people like warm gooey brownies, but I personally prefer dense ones like these which get a lot more intense and chocolatey when left to go cold and stored in a container overnight. More like indulgent slabs of pure chocolate than cake if you will :)

Chunky Chocolate Brownies

Melt together and let cool:
350g (12oz) dark chocolate (I generally use those with cocoa content around the 50%-60% mark)
225g (8oz) butter

Whisk together until pale and frothy, and beat into chocolate mixture:
3 eggs, beaten
225g (8oz) sugar (I use half white half brown usually)
A few drops coffee essence (or 2 tsp instant coffee, diluted in 2 tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Fold in:
3 tbsp self-raising flour
225g (8oz) dark chocolate, chopped into chunks

Pour into a lined 12"x 9" shallow baking tray.

Bake at 190 C (0r 170C fan-assisted) for about 45 mins until firm to touch with a dull crust. Leave to cool in tin.

Cut only when completely cold and store in a container (chocolate flavour intensifies if left overnight).

14 comments:

  1. How moist are these brownies at 45 minutes

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  2. there are three eggs in there. they won't dry out at 45 min.

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  3. Yes, yes! I am a fudgey (not cakey) brownie fan, myself. I am also a snob, and prefer brownies as you have them here, with melted chocolate, rather than cocoa powder. (Perhaps that is the difference between the fudgey and cakey?) I know I have some brownies frozen, waiting for me right now to come rescue them from the depths of the freezer. Taking all my willpower to finish this post...! :)

    Anyway, I found you through TasteSpotting and am writing to say that if you have any photos that aren’t accepted there, I’d love to publish them. Visit my new site (below), it’s a lot of fun! I hope you will consider it.

    Best,
    Casey
    Editor
    www.tastestopping.wordpress.com

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  4. Thanks all! GarlicBOSS, I don't usually cut them at 45 mins but they are definitely melty and fudgy and not dry, especially the hot chunks inside. You can tell by the recipe that it's pretty much all melted chocolate anyway :)

    tastestopping- I sometimes add a bit of cocoa powder to flour to give it an even bigger chocolate hit, but I've never made a brownie that uses only powder and not melted choc!! It's not a brownie then in my opinion.

    Will check out your site, thanks!:)

    x

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  5. umm question...is the taste quite bitter because of the dark chocolate or is it sweeet because you added sugar thank you!

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  6. The end result is very chocolatey and rich, sweet enough to be addictive but not sickeningly so:)

    It's definitely not bitter as the dark chocolate I use is only about 50% cocoa. If you chocolate of a higher content then it would be different of course- I wouldn't recommend anything above 70% content as it'll be too bitter.

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  7. hi sam, i made this the other day for my daughter's 1st birthday party. it tasted great! but it looked ugly coz i didnt managed to cut it nicely like yours. it broke into smaller pieces when i cut into it. is it because i took it out of the baking tray and cut it? should i cut it while it's still inside the baking tray? please advise. thanks.

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  8. Hi Rachel,

    Glad the recipe tasted good at least :) No it's not because you removed it from the tray, that's how I do it and you can cut cleaner that way.

    Did you wait for it to turn stone cold before cutting? I find that slicing it warm makes it break apart as the chocolate is still melty. I would recommend using a large sharp knife (the kind for chopping onions) instead of a thin one, and pressing it down in one firm motion to chop totally through rather than dragging the knife across.

    Let me know if that helps!

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  9. I've made these and chill them overnight. They taste better!

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  10. Glad they turned out Simonne, have never chilled it myself but then again it's cold enough at room temperature here :)

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  11. tried this recipe yesterday, super chocolatey and yummy... though i need to reduce the amount of chocolate chunk next time, this is really a perfect recipe, thanks for sharing and look forward more of your recipe!

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  12. Made this recipe for the 2nd time yesterday, mine had turned out more fudgy than the one in the pix. I'd say it's a fudgy brownie. I wonder if it turns out fudgier because the choc I used had more water content. Love the taste of the brownie, the coffee does accentuate the choc flavour & I agree it tastes better after chilled. Thanks Samantha :)

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  13. Mmmmmmmmm !! Yummmmmmmmy !! Ahhhhhhh !! Thats it !!!!!

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