Michelle Darmody: How to bake the perfect chocolate brownies in under an hour

This is a surprisingly simple recipe

Getting the correct texture of your brownie depends on how long they are in the oven.

Of all the recipes that I teach in baking classes this is the one that surprises people in its simplicity.

You do not need any complicated baking equipment to get a good result.

The quality of your ingredients and careful baking are the two most important elements.

Getting the correct texture of your brownie depends on how long they are in the oven.

If you like them quite soft and squishy you can bake for a minute or two less, or if you want them a bit firmer a minute or two longer. The brownies in the centre of the tray will always be squishier than those at the edge.

The lovely glossy top on a brownie is called the flint or the skin. I find using caster sugar rather than granulated gives this recipe a glossier finish. Baking the brownies without a fan also helps.

A pyramid pile of brownies topped with candles is a good alternative to a birthday cake, particularly in a situation where cutting a cake is a bit tricky.

It is all ready to go once the candles are blown.

Brownies

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

You do not need any complicated baking equipment to get a good result.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 250g butter

• 250g dark chocolate, broken into even- size pieces

• 4 eggs

• 330g golden caster sugar

• a pinch of sea salt

• 10g cocoa powder

• 140g plain flour

Method

1. Line a 9in square tin with parchment and heat the oven to 180˚ C/gas mark 4. I do not use the fan setting on my oven for brownies. Make sure to leave some parchment paper around the edges that can be used to remove the block of brownies from the tin after baking.

2. Melt the butter and dark chocolate together over a very low heat then take the saucepan off the heat.

3. Beat the eggs, sugar, salt, cocoa powder and flour together until combined.

4. Stir the two mixtures together and scoop the batter into your prepared tin.

5. Bake in the centre of an oven for about 25minutes. The surface will be shiny and justbeginning to crack around the edges and the centre will still be a little soft. You can use a skewer to test them. There should be moist crumbs attached when the skewer is poked into the centre of the tray. If there is stillwet batter on the skewer, the brownies need a bit longer in the oven: set the timer for three-minute intervals.

6. Allow to cool in the tin.

Baker's tips

I always use dark chocolate when making brownies. I find that milk chocolate gives quite weak results as the chocolate content gets diluted by the other ingredients.

When making the brownies it works best to have both your eggs and butter at room temperature.

I find that an oven with a strong fan does not give the best brownie results. The shiny layer that you should get on top of the brownies does not happen as easily. I usually bake them without my fan at 180ºC/gas mark 4.

It is best to place the tin on the middle rack in your oven to ensure that air can circulate and give you an even bake.

A pinch of sea salt is added to the recipe to enhance the flavour of chocolate as well as the other ingredients. It works particularly well in the peanut butter version which has a light sprinkling on top as well. The grains in regular table salt are too fine and do not give as good a result as sea salt. I use a flaky sea salt that can be crushed slightly in the palm of your hand.

To get the block of brownies out of the tray gently pull on the parchment paper and lift the brownies from the tin. Peel back the paper before slicing the brownies. It is best to wait until they have cooled down completely before cutting them. It is also advisable to wipe the knife between cuts so that you get a nice even line.

3 delicious variations

Peanut Butter & Sea Salt Brownies

After you scoop the batter into the tin swirl two tablespoons of soft, smooth peanut butter into it. I do not mix it fully but leave it so there is a ripple effect. An extra pinch of sea salt flakes on top adds a nice edge and brings out all of the flavours.

Fruit & Nut Brownies

To make a fruit and nut version of these brownies add 100g of mixed nuts, roughly chopped and a 100g of dried fruit. If they are larger fruit like dates or apricots these will need to be chopped. Raisins or cranberries can be added as is. Add these at the end of the recipe just before the batter is scooped into the baking tin.

Raspberry Choc Brownies

I usually add both fresh and freeze-dried raspberries to the recipe. Stir 70g of fresh raspberries into the batter just before it is scooped into the tin. Once the batter is in the tin sprinkle 15g of freeze-dried raspberries on the top and allow these to sink into the batter slightly before popping the tin into the oven. Bake as instructed. If you are using a skewer to test, remember that the raspberries may affect this. Try to test a section where no raspberry will be sticking to the skewer.