Warm Fondant Brownies

Makes 16 brownies Cook: 30-35 minutes, plus cooling

The gooiest of brownies, moist and soft, and ideal as a decadent dessert to serve with ice cream. Wowwee, delicious! These don’t contain flour so are perfect for anyone who can’t tolerate gluten.

INGREDIENTS

350g (12oz) dark chocolate broken into pieces 250g (9oz) butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing 300g (11oz) dark

muscovado sugar 6 eggs 75g (3oz) ground almonds

Prepare Ahead: Freeze: Mary’s Classic Tip:

It is best to leave the cooked brownies in the tin, rather than trying to turn them over and peel off the baking paper. They are so gooey, the beautiful crust will be crushed if they are over-handled. Slice straight from the tin and use a palette knife to remove each square.

Leave to cool in the tin, to let the brownies set, then cut into squares (see tip) and serve with ice cream.

Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until a light crust forms on top and the mixture is firm around the edges but still soft in the middle.

Measure the sugar into a bowl, add the eggs and whisk until all the sugar has been incorporated. Carefully pour in the melted chocolate mixture and stir until evenly mixed, then fold in the ground almonds and gently stir to combine.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, add the butter and set over a small saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat through until runny and melted.

You will need a 23 x 30cm (9 x 12in) traybake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4, then grease the tin with butter and line with baking paper. The cooked brownies freeze well. Can be made up to a day ahead and reheated to serve warm.