If there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s chocolate. When in doubt, go the chocolate route, and chances are you wont go wrong. But speaking of going wrong, the first time I tried making brownies, they were a disaster. They were burnt to a crisp, they tasted like cardboard, had a biscuity texture and there was nothing ‘brown’ about them.
But now, some million attempts and several different recipes later, I think I’ve perfected them. I’ve made these brownies for friends at work, for my bosses, for cousins and relatives (including those who are not generous with praise) but every time, they’ve been a huge success.
They’re a little crispy on the outside, soft (almost gooey) on the inside, and they kind of melt in your mouth. They’re not super sweet, which I like, because I don’t like the ‘too-sweet’ kind that overpowers the chocolate flavour. Most importantly, they totally hit the spot on a chocolate-mood kind of day. It could get messy making them but trust me when I say that it is so worth it.
Ingredients:
- 3/4th cup flour + 1 tsp baking powder + 1/2 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 175 gm dark cooking chocolate (70 – 85 per cent cocoa)
- A little less than one cup unsalted butter
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- A jar of nutella
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together in a large saucepan (do this first because it'll take a while to melt and then cool)
- While this is happening, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt
- In a large batter bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract
- When the butter and chocolate have completely melted and cooled, pour it into the eggs mixture, beating while you pour and slowly add the flour – cocoa mixture.
- Beat thoroughly until all components are combined well
- Pour the batter into a medium-sized brownie tin (it’s best to line your tin with butter paper)
- Bake at 180 degree celcius for about 30 minutes.
- Let it cool, cut into squares and coat with a spoonful of Nutella. (optional)
And then eat!
I’ve also tried a couple of variations of this – you could replace the cocoa powder with a tablespoon of coffee powder or add a handful of butterscotch chips or walnuts, they’re all great, so experiment all you want!
May your kitchen smell intensely of chocolate and your hands drip of brownie batter. Happy baking!