The ultimate chocolate brownie

An all time favourite. The paper-thin, shiny, crinkled top and a decedent, rich, fudgy centre are all trademark signs of the ultimate brownie. The key is to underbake them slightly, which can be hard as it goes against the normal baking rules - but once cooled, it gives the brownies their gooey, fudgy soft centre.

Time to prepare: 15 minutes Time to bake: 25 - 30 minutes

Serves: 12

Ingredients

280g unsalted butter

280g 70% + good quality dark chocolate

300g caster sugar

3 eggs

60g plain flour

60g cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp espresso powder*

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 160°C fan.

2. Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm (8” x 8”) square baking tin. Let the baking paper come up over the sides of the baking tin, these will act as ‘handles’ to be able to pull the cooled brownie out of the tin once baked.

3. In a small saucepan over a low heat, melt the butter and dark chocolate together. Remove from the heat once it’s nearly melted, it will continue to melt off the heat. Add the caster sugar in to the melted chocolate and butter and stir until mixed through. The sugar will start to dissolve but the mixture will still be slightly grainy.

4. In a mixing bowl, sieve in the flour, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder (if using), stir to mix.

5. In a seperate large mixing bowl, crack in the eggs. Use a standing mixer, electric or hand-held whisk to briefly whisk the eggs together until they're frothy. Pour the melted chocolate, butter and sugar mix in with the eggs and then whisk for about 2 - 3 minutes (if using a standing or electric whisk, on medium speed) or for 5 - 6 minutes (if doing it by hand) until the batter is thick, glossy and leaves a slowly sinking trail when you lift the whisk. This vigorous whisking is what helps create a paper thin, shiny crinkled top.

6. Add in the sieved dry ingredients and fold through until just combined. The batter should be thick, heavy and glossy. Pour this into the prepared tin and smooth out the top with the back of a spatula or spoon.

7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until the top of the brownie has set and the outside is firm to touch. It’s okay if the middle is still wobbly and in-fact this is what we want to aim for, a little jiggle when you gently shake the pan. This is the perfect time to take the brownies out the oven - when they’re slightly underbaked - and is what gives them their soft, fudgy centre. They will continue to bake and firm up outside of the oven.

8. Wait until completely cooled before removing from the tin and slicing.

Nutritional Information

(per slice)

447 calories

6g protein, 37g carbs, 30g fat

Good to know:

• Because chocolate is the predominant ingredient here, you want to make sure it's good quality. Not cheap baking chocolate (which is useful in other recipes, but not brownies!)

• I love using dark chocolate chips because they melt quicker

• Espresso powder is completely optional, you can't taste the coffee but it's commonly added to chocolate bakes to help enhance the flavour of the chocolate. Feel free to skip it or use decaf powder. If you don't have powder you can use instant coffee powder (eg. Nescafe Azera) or coffee granules dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water. Add this in at stage 6

• Once the brownies have cooled completely at room temperature, you can chill them in the fridge for at least an hour to make them a lot easier to slice

• Brownies will last for up to 7 days at room temperature. To freeze, wrap slices in cling film and store in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost for 1 - 2 hours at room temperature