If you’re going to make anything this Easter, please, let it be these. Who doesn’t love Brownies? Especially with some easter goodies involved!
This is a long standing family recipe which over the years has been perfected to produce the most glorious brownies you’ve ever tasted from a home kitchen. They are gooey and fudgey on the inside, they have a thin shiny crust on top, deliciously chewy edges and packed full of chocolate. In fact, these are QUADRUPLE chocolate brownies, and we are going to show you how to make them.
How to perfect brownies
In this post, we are not going to beat around the bush. We want you to make the best possible brownies and teach you the methods we’ve learned over the years. Let’s get into it.
- The Chocolate
- We only use coco powder as the main chocolate element. Combined with the butter and sugar this is all that is needed for that rich chocolatey hit. On top of this element, we like to add milk chocolate, white chocolate and dark chocolate chips – and a lot of them! This adds necessary texture and various flavour profiles from each type of chocolate. Therefore there is no need to add extra melted chocolate to the batter like other recipes you might see.
- Speaking of coco powder, when added to the melted butter let it cool until almost cold. We want to make sure the eggs do not cook when added.
- The Flour
- Very important to use self raising flour. This allows the brownies to rise slightly in the oven.
- It’s very important to add the flour last, and when it’s added, ensure it is carefully folded in. This will prevent gluten development, which we want to avoid so we can have an oozy gooey brownie, not a cake like brownie.
- The Cooking
- The oven setting is important. Make sure you can turn off the fan setting on your oven (if it’s fan assisted), and bake the brownies at 170C for 30 minutes. Removing the fan setting cooks the brownies a little more gently and slowly, which yields a lovely gooey brownie. The cooking time and heat of the oven will determine if your brownie is perfectly cooked or cakey and dry.
- The Brownies are cooked when the circumference has a crusted frame around it and the centre is hard to the touch on top (i.e. it has a crust) but is still spongey and soft underneath.
- The Cooling
- It’s very important to let the Brownies cool completely before touching them and removing them from the pan. This means that when it comes to cutting, they are less likely to crack and fall apart.
- As soon as they come out of the oven add the rest of the mini eggs and the bunny’s – lightly press them in to the top and the residual heat will melt them. This means the brownies will need a lot more cooling.
- Allow at least 2 hours for cooling, but ideally 4 hours.
Follow these 4 major points and you’re on your way to making incredible brownies. Just remember that oven times vary as all ovens are slightly different – just remember, no fan.
The Video
The Recipe
Ultimate Fudgy Easter Brownies
Gooey and Fudgy Quadruple Chocolate Brownies perfectly baked with a glossy crust and topped with Cadburys Mini Eggs and Malteaser Bunnys.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- 8x16 Deep Wall Baking Tray
- Baking Paper
- Small saucepan
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
Brownies
- 60 g Coco Powder
- 75 g Self Raising Flour
- 150 g Butter
- 340 g Caster Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- 50 g White Chocolate Chips
- 50 g Milk Chocolate Chips
- 50 g Dark Chocolate Chips
Toppings
- 160 g Cadbury's Mini Eggs
- 3 Malteaser Bunnys Add more if you want
Instructions
- Pre heat an Oven to 170c.Top Tip - VERY IMPORTANT -make sure your oven is turned to a non-fan setting. This cooks the brownie a little more gentle. If you oven has no fan, great! If you can't turn your oven fan off for what ever reason, reduce the heat to 160c.
Brownie Batter
- Melt the butter in a saucepan on a low heat
- When the butter is fully melted, stir in the coco powder. Set aside and let cool until no longer warm to touch.Top Tip - Let the butter cool so it does not cook the eggs when added.
- Add the eggs and sugar to a mixing bowl, whisk to combine. Keep whisking for a couple minutes until the eggs become a pale and the sugar is well incorporated.
- Add the cooled butter and coco powder to the egg and sugar mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Add the vanilla paste and combine
- Sift in the flour and use a wooden spoon to fold it in.Top Tip - Fold in the flour gently, this prevents too much gluten development and produces a far better texture, and a gooey-er brownie. Over beating flour can lead to a chewier and more unpleasant eating expereince.
- Finally fold in the chocolate chips carefully into the batter.
Baking and Prep
- Line the baking tin with baking paper Top Tip - spray the tin with cooking spray to get the paper to stick. Trim the paper to fit the tin well. Cut into each corner by a couple cm to allow the corners to fold into the tray - see video for more info.
- Add the batter to the baking paper lined baking tray. Speard out into the corners and even out the top. Top Tip - Avoid getting batter on the sides, as this will only burn during cooking.
- Add half the mini eggs on top of the brownie batter. Arrange in any way you like.Top Tip - during cooking these will sink, so don't push them fully into the batter, we want them to sink and have chunks on mini egg in every bite. We will add the other half at the end of baking.
- Add the brownie batter to the pre-heated oven on the lower shelf. Bake for exactly 30 minutes. Top Tip - All ovens are different. Our oven on a non-fan setting at 170c cooked these perfectly at 30 minutes. To know when they're done, simply check the edges, a crust "frame" should have appeared round the entire tray. If you're clsoe to 30 mintues, feel free to open the oven and check the middle - touch it lightly, if it feels like a crust and still spongey, it's done.
Cooling and Serving
- Take the brownies out and place on a heat proof mat/trivet.
- Immediately place the bunnys onto the brownie top and lightly press into position.
- Places the mini eggs in and around the bunnys, and lightly press into position.
- Allow the hot brownies to cool for a couple hours.Top Tip - Do not cut the brownies until completely cool. The bunnys and eggs will begin to melt from the residual brownie heat. These will need a good few hours to fully harden again, but they will retain their shape if you do not touch. Feel free to cut the brownies after 2 hours, just remember the chocolate toppings will still be totally soft.
- Once cooled, slice into 12 pieces.Top Tip - To cut without cracking the top too much, use hot water and a sharp knife. Dip the knife in the water for a couple seconds and wipe clean - then cut the brownies. Repeat this after each cut.
Notes
- VERY IMPORTANT - make sure your oven is turned to a non-fan setting. This cooks the brownie a little more gentle. If you oven has no fan, great, set it straight to 170C and crack on! If you can't turn your oven fan off on your oven for what ever reason, reduce the heat further to 160c.
- When the butter has been melted let it cool so it does not cook the eggs when added. It needs to be cool or barely warm to the touch, but still a liquid.
- For a very gooey and oozy brownie, fold in the flour gently. This prevents too much gluten development and creates a far better texture, and a gooey-er brownie. Over beating flour can lead to a chewier, more cake like and unpleasant brownie experience. Unless you like your brownies to be cake, then you have come to the wrong place.
- The mini eggs added to the batter will sink - this is expected and wanted. Save half and added them during cooling along with the bunny's.
- The brownies are cooked when a crust frame appears round the entire circumference of the brownie - the top will need to have a crust and be hard to the touch, but spongey underneath.
- Do not cut the brownies until completely cool. The bunnys and eggs will begin to melt from the residual brownie heat. These will need a good few hours to fully harden again, but they will retain their shape if you do not touch. Feel free to cut the brownies after 2 hours, just remember the chocolate toppings will still be totally soft. If you have the time, leave them for 4 hours.
- To cut without cracking the top too much, use hot water and a sharp knife. Dip the knife in the water for a couple seconds and wipe clean - then cut the brownies. Repeat this after each cut.
