Unfortunately Brownies are really too easy to eat, and it is too easy to eat too many of them! Luckily they are really easy to make too….

There is nothing earth shatteringly different with my chocolate brownie recipe, when I looked at others before writing mine up they are all very similar. Again this is a recipe I have used for years and slightly changed it to suit our taste.

Once you have mastered a classic brownie recipe that you like and enjoy the most then you can add all sorts of things to ‘liven’ your brownies up.

You will need:

• 135g Dark Chocolate (broken into squares)
• 135g Butter
• 1tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 Eggs
• 225g Caster Sugar
• 135g Plain Flour
• 1/2tsp baking Powder

Chocolate Fudge Icing:

• 80g Dark Chocolate (broken into squares)
• 60g Butter
• 1tbsp Milk
• 45g Icing Sugar

Method:

• Grease and line a square 20cm tin and preheat the oven to 180degrees.
• Melt the chocolate and the butter together over a bain marie (heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water), take care not to overheat the chocolate and butter.
• Once the butter and chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract and stir well, put to one side and allow to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved in the eggs and they look think and creamy.
• Gentle fold the chocolate mixture into the eggs and sugar making sure it is well incorporated.
• Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold though to ensure there are no lumps of flour.
• Pour into the prepared tin and cook for 20-30 mins.
• Allow to cool in the tin. The brownie will sink a little in the middle, this is fine.
• While the brownie is cooking start make the icing.

The Icing:

• Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain marie.
• Once melted stir well to blend and put to one side and allow to cool completely.
• Once the brownie is cool and you have turned out of the tin finish the icing.
• Mix the milk into the chocolate and butter.
• Sift in the icing sugar and mix well.
• Please don’t be tempted to try and do this while the chocolate is still hot or warm – it won’t go well!
• Spread the icing over the brownie allow to set (if you can!) cut into squares to serve.