There’s something so magical about the first time you successfully bake a dessert — it comes with a sense of achievement and sugar rush that’s mildly addictive. Luckily for me, the first thing I ever baked with my mum was a batch of brownies, which tasted so good that it kicked off a lifelong affair with all things sweet.
Baking is a science, and brownies, in general, are the most forgiving when it comes to novice mistakes.
So follow my much-loved recipe for brilliant brownies and I’m sure you’ll be in for a delicious treat.
Best-Ever Chocolate Brownies
Makes 24 brownies
Ingredients
- 226 gm unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 170 gm butter
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 heaped tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder (optional but highly recommended)
- 150 gm chopped nuts (optional, I love toasted hazelnuts, so I usually add those)
Method
- Preheat your oven to 175 degrees centigrade. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper so you can easily remove the brownies from the pan.
- Mix together your flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt, and set aside. (You can coat the nuts in this flour mix if you are using them)
- Place butter and chopped chocolate in a medium-sized heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, being sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the boiling water. Stir until chocolate and butter are completely melted. Use pot holders to remove the bowl from over the boiling water. Let mixture sit for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs. Whisk until pale and thick. Add vanilla essence and espresso/instant coffee powder.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Gently whisk until completely incorporated. Add the flour mixture all at once, and cut and fold to incorporate.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out semi-clean (you can let the skewer come out with mix stuck to it for gooey brownies).
- Let the mix cool in the pan.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours. This will help you make clean slices.
- Slice. Warm. Enjoy.
Recipe adapted from JoyTheBaker.
Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think in the comments section. More of an ice cream person? Check this out! Or you could order from one of these home bakers instead.