Ooh, cheeky!
Here’s one he made earlier. Liam Charles, the breakout star of Bake Off 2017, steals the show with sensational cakes and bakes
I think there should be a law that every single recipe book – actually every book – should have a brownie recipe. If you like ’em fudgy, dense fudgy, check it… OK, it’s fair to say this recipe makes a pretty hefty brownie because, trust me, we’ve all been there when we say we wish there was more, but there isn’t. I’ve got this. Once the mixture is made, don’t be afraid to add to it – cookie pieces, salted caramel, candied bacon, pretzels – ahhh, damn, that’s a recipe in itself… But you know what I mean. Enjoy, guys!
MAKES A 20CM X 30CM TRAY
300g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into chunks 225g unsalted butter, cubed 190g dark muscovado sugar 190g golden caster sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract 6 large eggs 130g plain flour ½ tsp fine sea salt 3 tbsp cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
♥ PREHEAT YOUR OVEN to 180C/ fan 160C/gas 4 and grease a 20cm x 30cm baking tin and line with baking paper.
♥ MELT YOUR CHOCOLATE Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl with the butter and place the bowl on a pan containing a few centimetres of simmering water, over a gentle heat. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir continuously until the chocolate starts to melt. Remove the bowl from the pan and the residual heat will continue the melting process. Alternatively, melt in the microwave in 20-second bursts. Whisk in both sugars and the vanilla. Crack in the eggs, one at a time, and keep whisking. The mixture should be slightly bubbling.
♥ NOW GET YOUR DRY INGREDIENTS and sift them into a separate bowl, then fold into the chocolate mixture in 3 batches, using the biggest metal spoon you have. Well, make sure it will fit in your bowl! Be gentle, though, and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
♥ GENTLY POUR THE MIXTURE into your tin and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven when there is still a cheeky little wobble. The heat of the tin will continue to cook the brownie while it cools. Leave to cool in the tin, then cut it up into unequal pieces. For that extra finesse, sift a little cocoa powder over the top before serving.
♥ YES, I SAID UNEQUAL PIECES! Monday is for your smallest brownie, and Sunday your biggest. That’s how it works.
♥ ONE MORE TIP You don’t have to do this but sometimes I leave the brownie in the tin overnight. It’s then easier to cut, and you know when people say things taste better the next day? This is one of those moments.