In my very first food blog post, “School Fair Sweets and Treats” I wrote about baking goodies for a school fete, including chocolate brownies. These were photographed attractively piled into decorative glass canisters and tied with red and white spotty ribbons. 

Since then, I have had several requests to publish this particular chocolate brownie recipe. I must stress that the credit for this recipe goes to Nigella Lawson and it appears in her cookbook How to be a Domestic Goddess. During the 10 years that I have regularly baked brownies for my family, friends and for special events, I have come to adjust the ingredients and method ever so slightly. Not that there’s anything wrong with the original. The changes are simply to do with my preference for taste, texture and time constraints. 

Oh, and Nigella’s spot-on in recommending these chocolate morsels as a birthday “cake” option. Many times to great gasps of delight, I have presented platters of brownies piled high, scattered with edible glitter or tiny sugared flowers and dotted with glowing candles. 

I made a batch this afternoon to share at a children’s dance concert tomorrow night where I’m sure they’ll be snaffled up quick smart!

Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients (* see adjustments for items marked with this symbol)
375 g soft unsalted butter
* 375 g best quality dark chocolate. I use chocolate with a minimum of 70% cocoa butter like the Lindt dark variety. Whenever it is on special in the supermarket I stock up. 
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
500 g caster sugar (well, it is a treat not a salad!)
225 g plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
* 300 g chopped walnuts

Adjustments – I only use 300 g of dark chocolate but I also add 75 g of Cadbury Cocoa Powder which adds density and a velvety finish. They are also a little easier to cut, package and present. I also omit the walnuts due to an allergy. 

The method below is my adjusted version. I find this is faster with fewer dishes to wash! 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan forced. Butter the brownie pan measuring about 23 cm x 33 cm and also line it with baking paper.  I overhang the paper slightly along the length of the pan which makes it easier to lift out the finished brownie slab for slicing. 

Melt together the butter and chocolate  Nigella recommends doing this in a heavy based pan over the stove. I find it works just as well in the microwave (plus the dish can be rinsed easily). Tip – you must keep a close watch to prevent the chocolate from burning. It takes about 2 minutes in my microwave but these appliances vary in strength. If you are not confident doing this in the microwave then use a saucepan over a low heat and stir continuously.

In a separate large bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla, caster sugar, flour, salt and cocoa. Slowly beat in the buttery chocolate mixture until combined and smooth. At this point please resist the urge to dip a large spoon into the bowl to eat the raw mixture. Yes, the batter is tempting but so much better once baked. 

Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the pan and bake for 30 minutes. The brownies are ready once the mixture just comes away from the sides of the pan, the top develops a slightly cracked appearance and the most divine chocolaty aroma fills your home. 

I leave the brownies to cool in the pan for an hour, before lifting out the slab and cutting into squares. I end up with 48 small but satisfying pieces, or 36 generous squares, depending on how I cut the brownies or who will be eating them.