Comfort cook

An even tastier take on a teatime classic, courtesy of former Bake Off champion Frances Quinn

Delicious brownies – made with Bourbon biscuits

Take the humble Bourbon biscuit and turn it into something superspecial – and superchocolatey – which also happens to go well with a builder’s tea.

— 200g Bourbon biscuits

— 100g butter, roughly chopped, plus extra for greasing

— 2 tbsp golden syrup

— 200g caster sugar

— 200g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

— 2 tsp vanilla extract

— 100g plain flour

— 2 eggs

Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C fan/gas mark 4.

Place nine of the Bourbon biscuits on a baking tray in the oven to warm them slightly, just enough to make separating the two halves easier.

Meanwhile, line and grease a square 20cm loose-bottomed tin using non-stick parchment paper.

Remove the tray of Bourbons from the oven and separate the biscuits so that you have 18 halves. Place them all ‘Bourbon’side down in the tin, in three rows of six.

Put the butter, syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Set it over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Take the saucepan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate and vanilla extract. Leave the chocolate for a few minutes to melt in the pan without stirring, while you weigh out the flour and break up the remaining biscuits: put the Bourbons in a sandwich bag encased in a tea towel, and bash them into large pieces with a rolling pin.

Stir the chocolatey mixture in the pan until smooth and combined, then use a handheld whisk to beat the eggs into the mixture until thick and velvety.

Sift over the flour, gently folding it in until just combined. Finally, fold in the broken biscuits.

Spoon the mixture into the Bourbon-lined tin, using a palette knife to level off the surface.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the brownies have risen and are firm to the touch, but a skewer inserted into the centre comes out a little sticky.

Leave the brownies to cool completely in their tin. They will firm up as they cool. If you like a really fudgy brownie, refrigerate them before serving.

When ready to serve, remove the brownies from the tin and cut them into bricks following the lines of the biscuits.