Posts tagged brownie

Coffee and Walnut Brownies

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Coffee and Walnut Brownies

Leftover Easter eggs. Still you cry! Yes, as a dark chocolate lover you don’t need much hence why I have a vat of the stuff still sitting patiently in the pantry. Brownies anyone?

Without doubt the best, most trusty brownie recipe and one I’ve always gone back to time after time. My only concern each time I make it is the sugar content. But we are talking about brownies here which come with a certain set of health flaws anyway. Courtesy of Green & Blacks but highly adapted here to reflect one of my favourite cakes, walnuts for crunch and coffee beans for surprise.

Makes about 20

  • 200g unsalted butter
  • 100g dark chocolate (70%) Green & Blacks
  • 350g dark brown soft sugar
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g self raising flour
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
  • Pinch salt
  • 100g chopped walnuts
  • 2 tbsp coffee beans, ground into chunks in a pestle and mortar
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  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 28cm x 18cm brownie tin with parchment (or a similar size)
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
  3. Stir in the sugar and instant coffee granules until combined.
  4. Whisk the eggs and vanilla well in a bowl and then whisk these continuously into the chocolate mixture until well combined and glossy.
  5. Gently fold in the flour and salt.
  6. Finely, stir in the chopped nuts and crushed coffee beans.
  7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until crispy on top but still soft inside. The edges may cook quicker leaving the middle pieces gooey and dense.
  8. Leave to cool completely (yes I know…amuse yourself here) until cold. Then cut into enormous pieces. Serve with some cool creamy ice cream.
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Marsala soaked Prune and Chocolate Brownies

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Marsala soaked Prune and Chocolate Brownies

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The weather recently (with the odd exception) has been quite frankly horrendous that even the wine samples I bought home from work last week have resorted to their own wetsuits. (Some new Armit wine carriers which were enthusiastically handed out at work). If new to Armit Wines see here….we have a healthy collection of vino.

After a long week, some juicy samples were a welcome bounty to whisk home accompanied with the new sly advertising to an unshameful Friday evening in. Yes, I stayed in. It was bliss.

The wine. This Seresin Estate (Organic) Sauvignon Blanc is a definite crowd pleaser for those who love this NZ favourite. Flawlessly zesty with fresh, acidic and noteworthy mouthwatering and sharp gooseberry flavours. I immediately knew it would please my mum’s taste so off home I went the following day with sample and an extra shiny halo. Its a nice punchy wine but confirms my appreciation for more classic French wines which I’m growing to love more….

In addition to this white I also bought home a downright delicious and luxurious Marsala. My mind instantly went to my favourite wild mushroom, pancetta and marsala baked chicken recipe but I felt the harvest of my kitchen creations should be shared with the office so a baked creation was in order. Rich, moist and deep dark chocolate brownies with plump sweet prunes drunk and bloated on this boozy Marsala…

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It is also ‘Fairtrade’ week so as a nod to the chaps at Green & Blacks and a toast to the founding of the Fairtrade Foundation I urge you to use their Fairtrade chocolate here or another equally good natured product. This basic brownie recipe (minus the prunes) is courtesy of Bill Granger and is one I’ve been meaning to attempt. Warming – they are very rich!

Marsala soaked Prune and Chocolate Chunk Brownies

Makes about 18-20 large ones

  • 350g caster sugar
  • 80g Green & Blacks Cocoa powder
  • 60g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 200g unsalted butter, melted
  • 200g Green & Blacks dark cooking chocolate, chopped
  • 140g pitted prunes
  • 4 tbsp marsala
  1. Begin by soaking the prunes in the marsala for about 6 hours of overnight – the longer you do this the more they will absorb the booze so the less you will have to waste!
  2. Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease and line a brownie tin (mine was)
  3. Sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa and mix with the sugar.
  4. Add the melted butter, eggs, vanilla and stir to combine.
  5. Chop the prunes into big chunks and add with the chopped chocolate and mix.
  6. Spoon into the lined brownie tin and bake for 40 minutes or less for an molten centre.
  7. Leave to cool in the tin before removing to a wire rack and slicing into decadent chunks.

Chocolate-torte-mousse-fudge-stlye-brownie-cake

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Chocolate-torte-mousse-fudge-stlye-brownie-cake

 

This is an original Green & Blacks recipe with original G&B chocolate from my thumbed and chocolate covered copy of their first recipe book. I cannot take the credit for this decadent creation so I hail the writer of the book and the creator of the recipe….if I ever meet you, you deserve a big kiss….assuming you’re male, tall, dark and handsome that is….

In the original recipe, this ‘cake’ has been royally dusted in a shimmering sheen of gold dust. I didn’t get hold of any in time but to make it as glamorous and irresistible as the famous bond girl then go for it. I also chose to flavour mine with 1/3 ‘Maya Gold’ chocolate as suggested- an orange and spice flavoured bar. However, an orange, lemon or even salted bar (I’m dying to try that as I write) would be amazing too. Served with my marmalade and cocoa nib ice cream, the festive orange was a soothing addition.

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Serves about 12

  • 200g dark chocolate, broken into chunks
  • 100g Maya Gold chocolate (or orange, lemon, salt, etc…)
  • 275g caster sugar
  • 165g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 tbsp ground almonds
  • Icing sugar to dust
  1. Grease and line a springform cake tin (20-23cm wide). Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Place the butter, sugar and chocolate with a pinch of salt in a heatproof bowl and place it over a pan of barely simmering water and heat gently until all melted and combined. Set aside to cool a little.
  3. Whisk the eggs with the almonds. When the chocolate has cooled slightly, fold the eggs in and mix well to combine. It will look like it won’t combine at first but pursue it until smooth and creamy.
  4. Pour the mixture into the tin and level off. Bake for 35-45 minutes until set but with a small amount of give when touched in the middle.
  5. Leave to cool completely in the tin before removing and serving at room temperature. Scatter with a generous snowy blanket of icing sugar or a bond-girl-style sheen of gold dust and serve voraciously with cream or ice cream.

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Raspberry and Lemon Goo Brownies

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Raspberry and Lemon Goo Brownies

 

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Coma inducing, artery cloying, heart attack provoking…I could go on. But once in a while a little ‘indulgence’ is necessary. These are best left to be made for you by someone else. Not only for the pure reason that, this way, you won’t be exposed to their contents but because if I’m honest I had rather lost my appetite for all things sweet by the end of this weekends baking session and wasn’t able to enjoy them to their true potential. I am however, one step further away from conducting diabetes…However, if ever there was a gooey brownie recipe then this is it. I thought I’d try a little quirky take on the usual suspects by adding some lemon flavour in the form of the new Green & Black’s lemon bar which, thanks to them, I have generously stashed on the pantry shelf, teasing the rest of my ingredients with its youthful shiny complexion and style. It adds the tiniest of freshness to an otherwise rich brownie and is a nice tang with the rapsberries.

Although these brownies posed extremely sluttily and temptingly in their photo shoot when it came to sampling we actually all ended up cutting them into at least half as they are very rich. Therefore, when attempting this recipe, don’t hesitate to half the quantities used. Its obviously ridiculous but handling smaller quantities does make you feel like they are that little bit less unhealthy…!

Makes…more than enough (about 20)

  • 200g Green & Blacks Lemon chocolate
  • 100g Green & Blacks milk cooking chocolate
  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 400g soft brown muscavado sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 140g plain flour
  • 50g Green & Blacks cocoa powder
  • 150g raspberries (or blueberries/blackberries/cherries etc)
  • Feel free to add nuts also if you like
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 20 x 30cm brownie tin with parchment.
  2. In a large saucepan, combine the butter, chocolate and sugar and melt gently over a medium-low heat until all is melted and combined, stirring from time to time. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Making sure the chocolate is not too hot, beat the eggs in, one at a time, stirring vigorously. The mixture will thicken and turn smooth.
  4. Sieve in the flour and cocoa and fold in until well combined (add nuts here if using)
  5. Pour half the mixture into the lined tin, scatter with the fruits and then top with the remaining mixture. Alternatively add the fruit to the batter all at once.
  6. Bake for 30 (for really gooey) or 35 minutes until still soft in the middle. Don’t be tempted to leave them in longer if you think they are not done. They will set a little in the tray on cooling.
  7. Leave to cool in the tin before turning out and cutting indulgently. Serve proudly with a gym membership and a tangy topping of creme fraiche to your adoring, and now loyal, guests!

Delicious with the addition of chopped roasted nuts or different fruits. Serve with a lovely tangy creme fraiche, warm from the oven for extra (excuse the pun) brownie points with your guests.

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