Each month we will be posting a Recipe of the Month, taken from our fantastic Cooking for One book which is available to purchase here on our website and from a number of local stockists.
All profits from the sale of Cooking for One will be donated to Cruse Bereavement Support whose work in supporting bereaved people is invaluable.
This month: Sarah’s Chocolate Brownies
500g salted butter
600g Harris & James Dark Chocolate
680g caster sugar
Splosh of vanilla extract (2 tsp approx.)
2 tsp strong instant coffee granules, diluted in 1 tbsp boiling water
6 whole large eggs
3 egg yolks (you can set aside the egg whites to make meringues if
you wish)
250g plain flour
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C/Gas 4.
Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat, then add the chocolate, sugar, vanilla extract and coffee, and stir through until everything has melted.
Allow to cool slightly.
Place eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl or food processor. Whisk or process to ribbon stage, then add the chocolate mixture to the
beaten eggs.
Sieve and fold the flour into the mixture before adding to a tin (approx. 26cm x 36cm), lined with parchment paper or foil.
Cook on the middle shelf (turn off the fan if you have one). You can see from Sarah’s instructions that she would never disclose the exact cooking time, but through trial and error in our oven, 25 minutes is about right.
The brownies seem to work best when you take them out a little undercooked and then leave them in the tray to carry on cooking and to cool – they have that lovely squidgy bit in the middle, which
everyone loves.
These are great for sharing and never hang around for long. They can be served warm with ice cream or cream for a dessert and they freeze really well. During the 2020 lockdowns we delivered hundreds of these in care packages to people shielding or self isolating and they never failed to lift people’s spirits.
