Ultimate chocolate brownies

After a long hard first week back at uni, I felt I deserved something special. Something chocolatey. So, what better recipe to make than one of my (and my family's, and coworker's and pretty much everyone I know who's ever tried them) long time favourite recipes. My ultimate chocolate brownies.

The brownie parts pretty basic, more on the cakey side than fudgy compared to some brownies I've tried. But the secret to my brownies...

Is some good quality dark chocolate. I like the higher cocoa content lindt, but if I'm specifically cooking them for others, I tend to use a less strong chocolate.

Simply break into squares and scatter over the top of the mixture - no need to push them down, they sink  in on their own.

And if you're REALLY in the mood for some chocolate, you can scatter some choc chips on top to add even more flavour. 

You can't really tell from this picture, but the squares of chocolate sink in and form a delicious molten centre when you eat these warm. The perfect comfort food for when you've had a long week.

Ultimate chocolate brownies

Makes 12

250g salt reduced butter, melted

2 cups sugar

1 tbsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)

4 eggs

1 cup plain flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1tsp baking powder

pinch of sea salt

pinch of ground cardamom (optional)

150g block of dark chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line a brownie tin.
2. Mix together the butter, vanilla and sugar in a large bowl, till combined - sugar should be partially dissolved in butter. 
3. Add eggs and stir till just combined
4. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt and cardamom (I find the cardamom helps really bring out the chocolate flavour, but its totally optional). Add to butter mixture and mix till ingredients are just combined, and there are no lumps.
5. Pour mixture into tin. Break up block of chocolate and scatter pieces on top.
6. Bake for 40 minutes. Leave in tin to cool for 15 minutes, then remove and cut into 12 slices. Best served warm with ice cream or cream.

You can make these with a variety of chocolate, though the dark does tend to melt the best if you reheat them in a microwave. I've found the rolo chocolates are a popular addition.