Search Results for: the most indulgent chocolate brownies ever

May 8, 2015

THE MOST INDULGENT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES EVER

MANY OF US CLAIM TO HAVE THE BEST EVER CHOCOLATE BROWNIE RECIPE; I CAN ONLY LET YOU DECIDE IF THIS IS THE ONE!

A CHOCOLATE BROWNIE I SHARED RECENTLY AT A HARBOUR SIDE CAFE IN CORNWALL REMINDED ME OF MY OWN BAKES AND THAT, MAYBE, IT WAS TIME TO SHARE MY OWN CHOCOLATE BROWNIE RECIPE WITH YOU.

I believe them to be the gooiest, moreish, most decadent brownies ever, that are equally as delicious warm or cold and dressed with whatever accessory you like!

Chocolate brownies originated in the late nineteenth century and that of American invention. They join the list of other great delights, such as maple syrup pancakes, cookies, doughnuts, pumpkin pie and bagels, to have crossed the Atlantic and into our hearts, as well as the waistline. Where ever you go, a café, a restaurant, a hotel, a baker’s, a friend’s house or popping round to the family, brownies are frequently on the menu and frequently chosen from the list. They are a mix between a cake and a cookie and can be more like one or the other depending on the recipe you use. Sometimes they are rich and truffle-like, sometimes warm and squidgy as a dessert and sometimes dressed up more like a soft cookie and great to enjoy with a good cup of tea or coffee. Brownies can be a simple, plain chocolate indulgent or crunchy with added nuts, sweet when packed with fruit, chewy with marshmallows and a chocolate dream when laden with chocolate chips.

My recipe happened by accident when I did not have all the usual ingredients for my old brownie recipe, but I still had a daughter with her friends wanting to enjoy a summer’s evening by the river indulging themselves in chocolate heaven. The store cupboard was duly raided and armed with what I could find my new and better brownie recipe evolved. Sometimes the best things in life happen by accident and this one certainly did. So, I will not keep you waiting any longer and here follows what I believe to be the best ever chocolate brownies. You will need:

a greased and lined 17x27cm (7x11inches) rectangular baking tin, the baking paper should extend the rim by 2cm
75g (3oz) dark chocolate with at least 70% chocolate solids
150g (5oz) butter
3 large eggs
250g (8oz) golden caster sugar
100g (4oz) soft brown sugar
75g (3oz) plain flour
1tsp baking powder

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) mark 4.

First you need to break the chocolate into small pieces and chop the butter into small chunks and place all into a heat proof glass bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water or allow the water to boil as the chocolate will burn and become bitter and grainy.

Whilst the chocolate and butter are gently melting put all the other ingredients, that is the sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder, into a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until thoroughly blended and a smooth batter has formed. You can do this by hand with the usual creaming method of firstly whisking the sugar and eggs together with a wooden spoon until creamy and then folding in the dry ingredients to make a soft batter.

By this time the butter and chocolate should have melted. Stir these together to make a smooth chocolate sauce. Pour this into the batter.

Stir thoroughly until a smooth chocolate batter is formed and the marble effect disappears. At this point if you wish you could add a handful of toasted chopped nuts, cherries, cranberries, crystallised orange peel, chocolate chips, desiccated coconut or marshmallows. A little more about this at the end of the recipe.

Pour the chocolate batter into your pre-prepared lined baking tin and put it into the middle of the oven for 30-40minutes. This will vary slightly depending on how squidgy or cakey you prefer your brownies. After 30minutes remove from the oven and the brownie should resist slightly when the surface is pushed with your finger. You can also use the skewer test which after being inserted should not be coated in soft batter. The mixture will have risen during the baking, but will sink soon after removing from the oven; this is as it should be.

Leave in the tin to cool. When cooled remove from the tin by grabbing the paper from each side and pulling up. Place onto a clean surface and cut to the desired size and shape, that being either into squares, rectangles or triangles. Do not worry too much about the presentation though as they will not last long enough for anyone to notice! This recipe should make approximately 24 portions. All that is left, is to eat!

I like my brownies slightly warm with pouring cream, ice cream, clotted cream or whipped cream flavoured with Baileys Irish Cream or Amaretto. If the cake has cooled just pop it into the microwave for about 20 seconds to loosen the consistency, turning from cake to pudding. Brownies are equally as delightful cold with afternoon tea, elevenses break, in the lunch box or a sneaky anytime snack. My eldest daughter even likes hers with warm custard, when they morph into a rich chocolate pudding. They are a delicious accompaniment to fruit especially with kirsch soaked fresh cherries and a dollop of luxury vanilla ice cream. The possibilities are endless and as I write I keep thinking of different ways that the simple brownie could be served.

You will find that one tray bake will not be enough and I often double up the quantities and make two trays; one plain and the other with the addition of: toasted nuts (chopped and toasted in the oven at 180°C for 5-8mins), dried cranberries or glace cherries, fresh cherries or raspberries soaked in a little liqueur of your choice to flavour; or to delight the kids, a few chocolate chips or marshmallows, the latter making for an even chewier and gooier treat. You can add as much or as little extras as you like, but usually I find a handful adequate. I had a coconut brownie once; it was delightful, but I have yet to try this in my recipe, maybe soon I will be sharing this one with you. But for now I will grab a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy my mornings bake!

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I hope that you enjoy your most indulgent chocolate brownie ever, as much as I do!

Diane X

July 14, 2015

CORNWALL’S THE MIRACLE THEATRE ~ ANOTHER GREAT PERFORMANCE

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YEEHAW – What a busy weekend the last one was. But the highlight was visiting the beautiful Lost Gardens of Heligan – near Mevagissey in Cornwall – to see the fantastic Miracle Theatre perform faultlessly once more. We have been following the Theatre’s performances for the past three years and we haven’t once been disappointed. The greatest compliment to the performers is that our teenagers love them too – and we know how fickle teenagers can be – they laughed and laughed all the way through Saturday night’s saga of gun slinging, whiskey swigging and fast paced brawling – well kind of fast paced! In fact, we were all in fits of laughter. On this occasion they were performing the Magnificent Three; a spaghetti western adventure on a tiny transportable stage with a backdrop of rhododendrons in Flora’s Green in the Northern Gardens. The large flat lawn sheltered by giant rhododendron bushes offers a perfect place to picnic and to be entertained. Of course we took a picnic and some comfy folding chairs – as instructed when the tickets were purchased. It was a mild evening, but not a bright sunny one and so light coats and blankets were required to keep any chill away. We turned up as the gates opened and already a queue had formed – those eager to get prime front row positions. Our spot centre to the stage – though three rows back – was quickly secured with a picnic blanket, chairs and picnic hamper. For a while there was a lot of shuffling around until everyone was content with their pitch. I was content when the cork to the bottle of prosecco was popped and the music began to play marking the beginning of the story. And as The Magnificent Three is touring across the wild south west until the 29th August I cannot divulge too much about the story other than it is about the wild west, a person’s greed, a watering hole called Hope Springs and that there are six talented performers – not three! And that it has been magnificently written and directed by Bill Scott and music by Tom Adams. What I can share with you are some of the pictures I managed to snap in between the excited bobbing heads in the two rows in front of us – we’ll have to get wiser and arrive earlier next time.

Setting the scene and waiting for action.

And the action begins….

Then there was an interval where we just had to eat cake – my home made chocolate brownies with splodges of lightly whipped cream mixed with a little Bailey’s Irish Cream. They tasted even better served outdoors on a napkin. My most indulgent chocolate brownie recipe.

The light was dimming but the drama was not and the stage lights gave out a golden glow as the second half burst into action.

Before we were ready for it to end – we were having too much fun – it was all over and the Magnificent Three had become the Magnificent Six. My eldest daughter had enjoyed it so much that she said she wanted to see it all over again – and she has never said that before, for anything! One day I hope that we can get to thank the very talented performers and the rest of their team in person for their consistently entertaining shows. For now – thank you Miracle Theatre for being so magnificent….YEEHAW!

One happy girl!

Diane x

June 23, 2015

A LETTER FROM CORNWALL

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There is something rather special about hearing the letter box clap shut and the foot steps of the postman (or woman) tapping along the path. A dog may bark, if you have one, or the little ones may excitedly run down the hall way, if you have any, especially if it is their birthday. Receiving a message the old fashioned way, hand written on a lovely piece of notepaper, sealed in an envelop and adorned with a stamp, can never be replaced by an electronic note popping up on our devices – even though we nearly all have them. And as much as I would love to send you all a hand written letter, we all know that it is just not going to happen, so please accept my apologies now as I send this letter to you across the ether.

Dear All, I just want to let you know that I have been writing a blog for the past few weeks, but have kept it a bit of a secret – just until I got the hang of it. As it likely to be a while before I truly get the hang of it and understand how it all works I decided it was time to contact you anyway; but please be patient with me as all may not run smoothly. I write from my home in Cornwall. When I say Cornwall I mean, more specifically, that I write from the outskirts of the delightful Cornish harbour town of Fowey. Rolling hills and fields surround us with the coast a short walk away. Birds softly sing from the surrounding trees and the rumbling of tractors pass the top of our drive. In the summertime, when the schools close for the holidays, we open up our sizeable front garden to campers in tents, motorhomes and caravans, www.polglaze.co.uk. The tranquillity gives way to happy chuckles of children playing ball, sizzling of sausages over the barbecues, clanking of glasses and sometimes popping corks. It is a very busy time of the year for us and a very sociable one too – we are all happy when we are on holiday. I love holidays and I love to see the joy of those on holiday too!

Fowey has such a lot to offer that I am going to tell you about its charm another day soon. Today I simply want to share with you what I have been up to on my blog so far. I have been writing about my sweet bakes and all the things with relevance to them. I have penned tales of days out and holidays of those where I feel you might like to visit too. You will find bits on art and design matters; pattern in the environment; photography; and creating things for the home and to give. There have been patterns in a zoo, harbour and café, at home in the sun, pictures in the garden and big feet at the beach. I have shared my recipes for the most indulgent chocolate brownies; succulent orange and chocolate cake; cappuccino and walnut cake; strawberry, lime and cream sponge, mini tartes a la creme and raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake. My next recipe will be pineapple and walnut upside down cake with coconut ice cream. Colour is a topical issue in the home and dazzling orange is one of the first off the starting line. Lemon prints can be found amongst the pages too. One of my daughters is called Clementine, as some of you know. She has always wondered why I chose to name her after a citrus fruit? It was not because I love to eat citrus fruits, even though I enjoy baking with them, but simply that my husband and I thought it a lovely name. On the subject of fruit I recently had the urge to paint strawberries even though, as some of you will already know, I can’t eat them – find out more in Strawberry Art. There were mounds of luscious strawberries at the recent Royal Cornwall Show that I was lucky enough to attend and write about. It takes place every June. I hope on reading all about it here that some of you may be tempted to visit next year.

I don’t yet know how things will progress at pictures and patisserie, but I do hope that you join in and let me know if there is anything you would like me to cover, advise on or a sweet recipe you might like to make. There are plans to feature artists and their work just as a gallery would. And I hope to take you through my own artistic progress. But for now I say goodbye, but I hope to hear from you in the near future. You will certainly be hearing from me very soon and on a regular basis..

Much love…..x

Pineapple and walnut upside down cake with coconut ice cream. (Recipe to follow)

Some blooms from around the garden from early spring until present day. The lovely pink blossom has since given way to growing fruit and the lavender is just beginning to flower attracting the bees and dispersing its lovely perfume. The beach scene is that of Polkerris which is just a walk away. Many a happy hour or two have been spent there; either on the beach or in the water, or at one of the two places to eat: The Rashleigh Inn and Sams on the Beach. Both are delightful with great menus and fantastic views out to sea. Polkerris also has a water sport school, gallery and café. Enough there to keep everyone satisfied!

Diane x