This one I am making for Christmas to serve with desert because all deserts should be chocolate and this year my layered ice cream fruit cake concoction has only a small amount of chocolate – admittedly both white and dark, but it can’t be classed as a chocoholic desert. Enter the fudge – this has a serious amount of cocoa and really good quality dark chocolate. Definitely a chocolate indulgence!
Brownies
Option: frozen raspberries and/or walnuts can be added at the end before baking.
Note: they taste much better after a day or two and if eaten quite cold.
Brownie slab
Ingredients
- 320 g butter – softened to room temperature
- 3 cups caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs
- 1¼ cups cocoa – dutch processed – not so bitter, and lets the dark chocolate shine through.
- 350 g chocolate chopped or small pieces – not choc bits, must be good quality & something that melts. I used 70% dark
- 1¼ cups plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- Walnuts and or frozen raspberries (optional – see note above)
Method
- Heat oven to 150ºC
- Prepare a 30 x40cm pan by lightly greasing then lining with baking paper that extends both on the ends and sides. If necessary use 2 layers that cross in the middle.
- Melt the butter in a microwave then mix it with the cocoa in the large bowl of the electric mixer.
- Beat in the vanilla, a pinch of salt and the sugar then add the eggs one at a time mixing each in until combined.
- Beat for a few minutes until the mixture is light and has almost doubled in volume.
- Mix in chocolate with spatula then stir in sifted flour and baking powder until combined.
- Spread onto a lined, greased tray. Add the walnuts/raspberries if using by sprinkling evenly over the mix then gently pushing them just below the surface.
- Bake for about an hour. Allow to cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool. Cut into 3 cm cubes.
- Store in the freezer in an air tight container, between layers of baking paper. Serve quite cold.