Malted brownie pots
‘I have a committed relationship with gooey-centred desserts. It is impossible for me to not order one if it’s on the menu at a restaurant, even if the taxi is already waiting outside. These individual pots are flavoured with malt in the form of both drinking powder and crushed Maltesers – it goes very well with chocolate.’
SERVES 6
● 150g unsalted butter, chopped into rough cubes, plus extra to grease
● 120g Maltesers
● 150g dark chocolate (around 70% cocoa solids), roughly broken into pieces
● 2 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk
● 100g caster sugar
● 100g light brown soft sugar
● 40g plain flour, sifted
● 40g malted milk drink powder, such as Horlicks
1 Lightly grease 6 heatproof ramekins, between 120ml and 150ml in size, with a little butter. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Put the Maltesers in a plastic bag and gently crush with the end of a rolling pin, so you have some large and some smaller chunks.
2 Put the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat and melt together, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and leave to cool for 10min.
3 Put the eggs, yolk and sugars in a large bowl and beat, using an electric mixer, for 5-8min, until thick and pale. Little by little, pour the melted chocolate into the bowl and gently fold in until combined.
4 Sift the flour and malted milk powder into the bowl, add a pinch of salt, and gently fold together.
5 Spoon the mixture into ramekins, leaving about a third in the bowl. Scatter over a few chunks of Maltesers, then spoon over the rest of the mix to cover. Don’t fill the ramekin more than two-thirds, as the puddings will rise in the oven. Sprinkle the remaining Maltesers over the top. Bake for around 18-20min, until set on top but still gooey in the middle. Serve immediately, before they collapse under their chocolatey weight.