I have to confess that because this is SUCH an amazing recipe I didn’t get chacne to take any pictures of the ones that Toby & I made. I’ve borrowed this image from wikipedia.
Excuse the blurry picture, this boy won’t stay still! This was one of the first times it has just been Toby and myself baking (Reuben had just had his jabs and was sleeping peacefully on the sofa!) – he was fab and he loved being the centre of attention (obviously!)
Hmm fingers in the sugar… he also managed to eat a cube of butter before I could stop him… baking with kids has it’s challenges!
Brownies are something that everyone loves and everyone can make, but this is without a doubt our favourite brownie recipe. I made these brownies for the treats table at Toby’s Christening and we do make them at home on a regular basis (which my waistline can attest to!)
The other thing I love about this is that all of the ingredients are measured out by cups (the american way I believe) and this makes it really easy with no fuss at all – plus extra easy to do with the boys!
What you need:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup butter
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 cups of dark chocoalte
- 1 cup of dark, milk or white chocolate for the chunks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 medium eggs
- 3/4 cup of plain (all-purpose) flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 baking soda
- As an optional extra I make these with Irish cream on occasion (obviously I keep them separate from the others!) and they are lovely – you can add any alcohol or favouring you like – no more than 5 tbsps though or you will knock off the consistency and remember if you are adding flavourings they are really strong and you probably only want a teaspoon or few drops.
Pre heat your oven to Gas mark 4, 325C.
Combine the flour, salt and baking soda.
In a saucepan mix the water, sugar and butter and allow to simmer on a low heat. Don’t over heat it as the sugar will be ruined. If you are doing this with kids I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to be super careful near the hot sugar solution because of the high temperatures of sugar (but I’m going to anyway, because I’m a mama!)
Once the sugar has dissolved add the 1 1/2 cups of dark chocolate, vanilla and other flavourings you have chosen to use.
Set aside to cool for a few minutes – or to speed that up you can fill your sink with a bit of cold water and sit your hot saucepan in the water while stirring the mixture, just be sure not to get any water in the pan!
Once the mixture is a bit cooler and smooth add one egg at a time and beat in.
Add to the flour mixture and mix to a runny batter. Add 1/2 of the cup of chocolate chips.
Add to a greased 8 x 8 inch tin, sprinkle on the rest of the chips and bake for 35 minutes.
Slice in the tin and remove bit by bit.
Devour at least two slices before the kids do!
Harriet x
P.s – This makes a great quick dessert on a busy weekday, just add some ice cream to a brownie that has been warmed in the oven.
