Chocolate Brownies

• 185g unsalted butter 
• - cut into smallish cubes
• 185g best dark chocolate 
• - break into small pieces
• 85g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 50g white chocolate
• 50g milk chocolate
• 3 large eggs
•                                                                      275g golden caster sugar
• You Need

1. Mixing bowl & Sieve
2. Bowl to melt chocolate in over Small Saucepan
3. Large sharp knife
4. Rubber spatula
5. Electric mixer
6. Pre-heat Oven & Position a shelf in the middle of your oven and turn the oven on to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4 (most ovens take 10-15 minutes to heat up). 
7. Shallow 20cm square tin, cut out a square of non-stick baking parchment to line the base.

Method

1.  Cut 185g unsalted butter into bowl.
+ 185g best dark chocolate 
2. Fill a small saucepan about a quarter full with hot water & sit the bowl on top so it rests on the rim of the pan, not touching the water. Put over a low heat until the butter and chocolate have melted, stirring occasionally to mix,

 alternatively, cover the bowl loosely with cling film and put in the microwave for 2 minutes on High.
 3. Leave the melted mixture to cool to room temperature.
4.  With a large sharp knife, chop 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate into chunks the safest way is to do this is to hold the knife over the chocolate and press the tip down on the board, then bring the rest of the blade down across the chocolate. Keep on doing this, moving the knife across the chocolate to chop it into pieces, then turn the board round 90 degrees and again work across the chocolate so you end up with rough squares.

5. Into the mixing bowl + 3 large eggs, 275g golden caster sugar 

6. With an electric mixer on maximum speed, whisk the eggs and sugar until they look thick and creamy, like a milk shake. 

     This can take 3-8 minutes,  You’ll know it’s ready when the mixture becomes really pale and about double its original volume. Another check is to turn off the mixer, lift out the beaters and wiggle them from side to side. If the mixture that runs off the beaters leaves a trail on the surface of the mixture in the bowl for a second or two, you’re there.

7. Pour the cooled chocolate into the mixing bowl and gently fold together with a rubber spatula. 

-  Plunge the spatula in at one side going under and over in a figure of eight, moving the bowl round after each folding so you can get at it from all sides, until the two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown. The idea is to marry them without knocking out the air, so be as gentle and slow as you like
8. Sieve 85g plain flour and 40g cocoa powder into the chocolate mixture .

9. Gently fold in 

-   using the same figure of eight action as before. The mixture will look dry and dusty at first, and a bit unpromising, but if you keep going very gently and patiently, it will end up looking gungy and fudgy. Stop just before you feel you should, as you don’t want to overdo this mixing. 

10. Stir in the 50g white chocolate and 50g milk chocolate chunks until they’re dotted throughout. 

11. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, 

-    gently ease the mixture into the corners of the tin and paddle the spatula from side to side across the top to level it. 

12. Put in oven for 25 minutes. 

- To check if ready gently shake the tin. If the brownie wobbles in the middle, it’s not quite done, bake for another 5 minutes until the top has a shiny, papery crust and the sides are just beginning to come away from the tin. 
13. Leave to cool in the tin, 

14. Cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares and finally into triangles. 

They’ll keep in an airtight container for a good two weeks and in the freezer for up to a month.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2003