Is it just me who has spent years trying to find the perfect brownie recipe? Each one I've tried has either been too cake-like, too gooey, not enough crackle on the top or just not quite 'the one' - and without meaning to overreact with the harrowing disappointment I felt each time I took a bite of my creations (cue the infamous Kourtney Kardashian quote - 'Kim, there's people that are dying') it became almost annoying that I couldn't achieve the perfect, irresistible brownie. I mean, I can bake - why weren't these going as well as other treats? That was until, well - now.
Take a look at that gorgeous, gooey centre and the crisp, crackled top!
Since being in lockdown; baking has become something of a weekly treat for me (and the family!) and I'd shared a couple of bakes with friends when dropping them off at their houses. One made a request for some brownies; so I decided to overcome this long overdue, chocolatey baked goods failure and find a recipe that worked every time.
Some tips that I found was that whisking the sugar and eggs made all the difference - you still can mix regularly but taking the time to really get the air into the sweet egg mixture achieves that perfect brownie texture that we all know and love. Something I refer to it as is creating a chocolate mousse like concoction; before customising it into a brownie mixture.
To make these as rich and gooey as possible; I also recommend using dark cocoa powder, and don't be tempted to substitute for hot chocolate powder. I may be at a slight advantage due to loving dark chocolate anyway; but don't be put off if you can't stand it - the sugar and the time in the oven will naturally make them sweet instead of bitter.
Don't worry about the brownies being too gooey or undercooked either; the heat from the oven will take care of everything so they are completely safe to eat when they come out the oven; gooey and delicious!
The best bit about this recipe? It's one bowl - so makes easy washing up; what's more to like!
INGREDIENTS
• 115g unsalted butter, melted and HOT
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil, (I used sunflower, although any oil will do)
• 250g caster sugar (I used golden, although white will do)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 65g plain flour
• 65g cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 200g chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 175°C, and line a rectangle baking tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Mix the sugar, melted butter and oil together and whisk well. After about a minute in a stand mixer; or two minutes by hand, add the eggs and vanilla. Beat until pale.
3. Switch to a wooden spoon. Sift in flour, cocoa powder and salt and gently fold these into the wet mixture until there is no more dry bits. Do not overmix as this will change the texture of your brownies; you don't want this!
4. Add half of your chocolate chips into the mixture and fold a couple of times; then pour into prepared tin. Once in the tin; and scatter the rest of the chocolate chips on top.
5. Bake the brownies for 20-25 minutes; or until the brownie top no longer wobbles. If you do test bakes with a toothpick; they will come out dirty for gooey brownies.
6. Leave them to completely cool; then slice. If they are hard to cut cleanly; leave them in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour and then they will cut perfectly.
Let me know if you try these; else enjoy! Why not bake them for a socially distanced picnic or present for friends? They certainly went down well with mine.
Got the baking lovebug? Check out some of my other recipe posts here!
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